KOBE--An “antenna shop” to help disaster victims and revitalize a market in an area that was heavily damaged in the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake will open here on the 21st anniversary of the quake.
KOBE--An “antenna shop” to help disaster victims and revitalize a market in an area that was heavily damaged in the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake will open here on the 21st anniversary of the quake.
Cho Hong-ri, 62, who heads a nonprofit group to address the issue of unoccupied homes and commercial buildings in Kobe’s Nagata Ward, is behind the opening of the outlet to sell items from disaster-affected regions. His architectural office was destroyed in a fire following the Kobe earthquake.
“I wanted to support the elderly, non-Japanese and other socially disadvantaged people who are more vulnerable to the effects of disasters based on my experience in Kobe,” Cho said.
Named Maru-Go Marche and located 10 minutes south of JR Shin-Nagata Station by foot, the new shop will start operations on Jan. 17 in the Marugo Ichiba market in the ward.
Cho has long helped in disaster assistance activities, such as food distribution and the removal of debris, in Yamakoshi (present-day Nagaoka city), Niigata Prefecture, after a major quake struck the area in 2004.
He also joined relief efforts in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, and Minami-Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, following the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.
When torrential rain hit the Kanto and Tohoku regions in September last year, Cho distributed food to flood victims in Joso, Ibaraki Prefecture, in cooperation with farmers in Yamakoshi and storekeepers in Kesennuma.
“Recovery from disasters takes much time, and areas such as Fukushima Prefecture are still suffering negative effects of groundless rumors,” Cho said.
“I hope to create a place in Kobe where people in disaster-affected regions can encourage and interact with one another through the sale of local specialties.”
Victims who have been struggling to recover from the disasters and post-quake declines proposed the plan to open a store to sell specialties from areas hit by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, as well as the 2004 Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake.
They have taken the project forward with the help of the connections they formed through activities to support disaster victims, with the aim of using the enterprise to help others that have been through similar experiences.
Maru-Go Marche, which will open in a remodeled 20-square-meter former store building, will be operated by Cho’s nonprofit group.
Products on sale will include rice and sake from Yamakoshi, marine products from Kesennuma, sake, “senbei” rice crackers and pickled vegetables from Minami-Soma, and other items direct from local shopping areas and processing firms.
Cho’s organization also plans to exhibit photos and pamphlets at the store to showcase the attractions of each disaster-hit region, their progress of recovery, and how people from the affected areas have helped each other.
“I want to prevent memories of the disaster from fading as much as possible by not only selling products, but also conveying what Kesennuma experienced at the time of the disaster and how it has been recovering from the disaster,” said Ekuo Komatsu, 55, vice chairman of the Kesennuma new central neighborhood store association.
Kesennuma was inundated by the tsunami triggered by the 2011 earthquake.
The establishment of the new antenna shop is also intended to revitalize Marugo Ichiba, which comprises narrow roads lined with some outlets.
Although the market did not suffer a fire at the time of the 1995 earthquake, many buildings in surrounding areas collapsed or were destroyed by blazes. The area drastically changed after it was redeveloped as part of reconstruction efforts.
Because the marketplace contains old-fashioned shops, the number of customers there has since significantly dropped.
While there used to be about 80 outlets in the market before the earthquake, just 12 stores are currently doing business there. Maru-Go Marche will be the first new shop to open at the market in six years.
“There are many buildings now, so the area seems to have fully recovered from the disaster,” said Masayuki Nishimura, 72, director of Marugo Ichiba. “But it cannot be said that the lives of storekeepers and other residents here have been fully rebuilt.
“I hope Maru-Go Marche will become a hub for interaction between disaster-hit regions, and that many more people will come to see how it works.”
Marugo Marche will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, except Tuesdays, when it will be closed.