The OECD Tohoku School Rehearsal Camp Report

Date: December 25-27, 2013

*Rehearsal was held on December 26th. Place: Furutakiya Hotel

Yumoto Daiichi Elementary School Spa Resort Hawaiians

*All the places are located in Iwaki city, Fukushima Prefecture. Introduction It’s been about two years since we started working on this activity, The OECD Tohoku School, aiming to hold an event that promotes the Tohoku region (northeastern Japan) in Paris. August 2014, the time when the event is scheduled to take place, is just around the corner. Therefore, we cannot afford to think over its outline. Now, we are supposed to make up a more specific plan quickly and efficiently. In December of 2013, we had a rehearsal in Iwaki city, Fukushima prefecture, to visualize our event plan that we considered over the past 2 years. The rehearsal was conducted in the real-like settings, with presentations performed and booths set up. For this rehearsal, we used the hall of Yumoto Daiichi Elementary School and the stage of Spa Resort Hawaiians Afterwards, we discussed some problems facing us in the rehearsal. Thanks to this camp, we found out how to solve them and what to do by this summer. Details (1) Special performance

1. Balloons (by Iwaki team) Blue and red balloons were flown above the ground of Yumoto ES. The blue ones express the height of the tsunami that struck the Tohoku region in March of 2011, while the red ones represent our passion for overcoming the disasters.

2. Dominoes (by Iwaki team) The members of Iwaki team presented a miniature version of dominoes in the hall of Yumoto ES.

3. Tembata (by Kesennuma team) Kesen-numa team flew some kites called ‘tembata,’ a symbol of the reconstruction of Kesen-numa city. Residents in the city wrote down their messages on the surface of tembata, wishing for the progress of the reconstruction.

(2) Presentation

1. Kesen-numa team Showed kites called ‘tembata,’ a symbol of the reconstruction. It also symbolizes their fishery that is beginning to restart in spite of the catastrophe devastating their industry.

2. Minamisanriku-Tokura team

Two members performed ‘Shishi-odori,’ one of the traditional dances of the region. Although it was played by insufficient dancers (8 dancers needed), they were applauded greatly.

3. Onagawa team Played “Samma de Samba,’ a dance that prays for a large catch of the saury. Involving all the visitors like a flash-mob, we enjoyed dancing together.

4. Soma High School team Showed a documentary movie about schoolgirls in Fukushima (“ From Soma High School To the Future”) Also, Soma team served as overall host in charge of the rehearsal.

5. Date team Introduced the production of jelly products from specialty crops in their region, the peach and the persimmon, in collaboration with the agricultural association in Date city. Team members made a speech to the audience, saying that they were creating the future on their own.

6. Adachi High School team Made a presentation about renewable energy that won Japan Student Science Award.

7. Iwaki team Students told their own stories of the disaster, which moved the audience profoundly. They narrated how they had survived, and how they had been changed by the OECD Tohoku School.

8. Self-documentary team Showed a digest version of a documentary film about our activities.

(3) Exhibition 1. Okuma&Otsuchi team

Displayed some pictures of three different kinds: “before the disaster,” “just after the disaster,” and “right now and the future.” We believed that we were able to help visitors heartily grasp what the disaster-hit areas were like now.

2. Kesennuma team Set up an exhibition booth for art works. Many unique drawings were done on the surfaces of the white kites, so we hope they will fly in the sky of Paris very beautifully.

3. Minamisanriku-Tokura team Introduced rare sea creatures in Shizugawa-wan , a gulf situated in Miyagi prefecture, with some pictures displayed, and made a panel about the oyster, one of the specialties of the region.

4. Onagawa team People in Onagawa are very friendly and outgoing. So Onagawa team members set up a booth, offering an interactive activity, “Onagawa Family”. In this booth, photos of Onagawa were displayed, and visitors were 1) asked how they felt about their own hometowns, 2) wrote it on strips of paper and 3) pasted them on the wall where the pictures were exhibited. Soma High School team Showed their documentary movie (digest version).

5. Date team Displayed some pictures that they took just after the earthquakes struck. Team members also showed photos and videos of jelly products made from their specialty crops with the support of local agricultural association

6. Adachi High School team Introduced two research activities led by the members. One is about the renewable energy, while another about the radioactive materials. The renewable energy team presented geothermal power generation using a local hot spring. The radioactive materials team showed a result of radiation measurement in the schoolyard of Adachi High School and proposed a new way of power generation system that they considered after the disaster happened.

7. Iwaki team Presented an interactive activity “Your Thoughts To The World.” Team members had visitors write their messages on a small card that looks like a leaf of cherry blossoms, and paste it on a thick sheet of paper that symbolizes ‘tree.’

8. Nara&Tokyo team Made an object that symbolizes the concept of the Tohoku School and presented a number of message cards written by people living outside the Tohoku district.

Conclusion In the rehearsal, we were very excited to actualize our thoughts. Having said that, many of us felt the time was running out. There are only 8 months left until the event takes place, and we still have some problems to be solved. However, we believe ourselves because we are the Team Wa (a circle). We have such a good teamwork that all the students and teachers can get together. We will continuously devote our full energy to this activity in order to make our dreams come true.

The OECD Tohoku School Public-private cooperation team

This report was presented by:

Yu Oyama (Kesennuma-city, first year at Sendai Ikuei High School)

Aya Kumatani (Kesennuma-city, first year at Kesennuma High School)

Tomofumi Takai (Iwaki-city, first year at Iwaki High School)

Yui Ueda (Nara-city, first year at Nara Women’s University Secondary School)

Erina Yoneda (Nara-city, first year at Nara Women’s University Secondary School)

Translated by Sho Ikeda (Tokyo, senior at The Secondary School attached to the Faculty of Education at the University of Tokyo)

For more information about the OECD Tohoku School

Takayuki Nanashima Director of the OECD Tohoku School Operation Office (In Fukushima Univ.)

For inquiries about donations and collaborations Hideyuki Katakai Yumiko Watanabe The OECD Tohoku School Operation Office Public-private cooperation team

Fukushima University 1 Kanayagawa, Fukushima city, Fukushima Prefecture 9601296 Tel/Fax: +81 24 503 3803 E-mail: info@oecd-tohoku-school.com