Breathing New Life into Iwaki

Right now, I'm standing on the coast at Iwaki City,

in Fukushima Prefecture.

It's so beautiful and peaceful here.

But take a look.

Once you step away from the coast, there's nothing but land.

Eleven years ago, a great earthquake struck the city

and it triggered a massive tsunami.

Nearly 90% of the houses in this district were destroyed.

Hi, my name is Ebony Bowens.

This is my first time at Iwaki City.

Hearing about what the people and this area went through really breaks my heart.

But now, 11 years later,

the younger generation are really doing their best to revive the city

and bring it back to its glory.

Ebony Bowens is a performer originally from New York.

Beautiful!

She is transported up north to Iwaki

to catch up with people bringing new energy to the area,

on "Journeys in Japan."

Iwaki is about 200 kilometers north of Tokyo,

in southeastern Fukushima.

About 300,000 people call it home.

One of the country's largest cities in terms of land size,

it is hugged by the Pacific to the east and mountains to the west.

Famous for its hot springs,

Iwaki also prospered as a post town and later as a mining town.

I've come to Yumoto hot springs area.

This place has over a thousand-year history. It's really old.

There seems to be some sort of photo shoot going on today.

What kind of photo shoot is it?

This!

They're having a photo shoot inside this building.

You can wear costumes or cute clothes, whatever you want.

After falling in love with Harajuku "kawaii" fashion,

Ebony made Tokyo her home 12 years ago.

- Hello.
- Welcome.

- Is a photo shoot going on?
- Yes. For cosplayers.

- Is my Lolita fashion OK?
- Of course.

- Would you like to join?
- Yes!

Let's go, then.

This inn offers cosplay stay plans

where guests hold photo shoots in rooms and around the grounds.

Wow! There we go.

Come this way.

- A tunnel?
- Yes. It is one of our photo locations.

It's fantastic.

- This is exciting.
- They're in the middle of shooting. Let's go in.

Excuse us.

What a nice room!

It looks like they're doing a photo shoot here, in this amazing room.

- I really love your cosplay.
- Thank you.

- I'm playing a game character.
- Cool!

- Can I join?
- Sure.

Thank you!

- Let me take you together.
- Really?

Back to back.

Oh, back to back. OK?

Are you ready? Three, two, one.

- A Lolita with a sword.
- Just great.

OK, again. Three, two, one.

This is our rooftop.

- Another shooting spot, right?
- Right.

Wow! It looks so old.

It is. Some people like it because it looks abandoned.

When we started out, we just focused on the interiors.

But eventually, we realized there were many locations outside perfect for cosplay shoots.

Now, we introduce them to our guests.

Yumoto had been seeing decline as a resort town when the earthquake struck.

Then came COVID.

And tourists pretty much vanished.

So, when fans of cosplay discovered this inn,

the management realized it could help the whole community

by encouraging guests to get out and enjoy the area's tourist attractions.

When you cosplay in a big city like Tokyo,

there are so many different people, maybe it's OK.

The inn's manager has been great about

getting restaurants and shops here to welcome cosplayers.

Some people even ask about our characters.

- It's beautiful.
- Isn't it?

We thought this shrine would be perfect for our cosplay.

Wow, it's so nice!

Ah! Beautiful!

Ready?

Wow!

I like that one!

It's really good.

Excuse me.

- Do cosplayers come here?
- Yes, they do.

Shrines and cosplayers may seem like an unlikely match.

But we welcome cosplayers wholeheartedly.

There are few shrines or inns that do that.

So, we would like people around the country to know about us.

Wonderful.

At first, it was hard to gain people's understanding.

But in these times, and with the pandemic,

inns like us can't survive if we stick to the conventional.

I thought we should try something new.

- I'm rooting for you.
- Thank you.

I have come to the Nakanosaku area, an area of Iwaki City

that was greatly affected by the earthquake.

Let's see what I can find here.

These old-style Japanese buildings are so beautiful.

I love them.

Oh, this is so cute. But what is it?

Huh! Is that a moon and an arrow?

I wonder where it goes.

Oh, there's another one here.

Are there any more moons?

I don't see any.

Is it here? No.

This is so fun. Where does this go?

Huh?

Wow, it's so nice.

Hello.

- Is this a house?
- It's a cafe.

Is it? You can see the ocean.

Relaxing.

I like this view, too.

This district had old, lovely buildings.

But after the tsunami, many owners decided to tear them down using subsidies from the city.

Architect Toyoda Chiharu renovates old houses into gathering places.

By preserving the traditional townscape of Nakanosaku,

she is also helping forge community ties.

This house had been vacant for a long time. The floor had caved in. I was brought in.

I painted the walls and made tables with the help of middle and high school students.

- You did everything yourself?
- That's right.

I used to live in the town center,

but moved here after I started to work in this district following the earthquake.

Weren't you concerned about living here because of the tsunami?

I was. But the people are warm.

They accepted whatever I proposed and supported me. That's why I came.

That's wonderful.

Good morning.

Today we are at Onahama Port.

Why?

Because Iwaki is famous for seafood, so let's check it out.

Warm and cold currents meet off Iwaki,

creating fertile fishing grounds.

Wow. Amazing.

We're at the fish auction site right now.

There are so many different kinds of fish here, so let's check it out.

Oh, my goodness. I think these are moving.

Are they still alive?

You can totally see it moving.

Oh, my gosh! It's moving so much.

It's like it's dancing.

Wow!

Good morning.

- What kind of fish is in season now?
- "Mehikari," an Iwaki delicacy.

It's best at this time of year. You can eat it as sushi if it's really fresh.

The green eyes are signs of freshness.

- "Midori," like green?
- Green.

Oh!

Onozaki Yuichi, who is 26, is a 4th-generation fish dealer,

running four shops in Iwaki with his father.

He is pioneering change in a fishing industry still reeling from the 2011 earthquake,

which has pushed dealers into retirement or out of business.

You have so many fish here. These have a beautiful color.

It's "kinki," a premium rockfish. It's fatty and very delicious.

- I'm tempted to buy some.
- You won't regret it!

Fishing had been suspended off Fukushima immediately after the disaster.

So no fish from this area was available.

Catches are back to 20 percent of pre-quake levels. We are seeing a gradual recovery.

This is popular at our stores right now.

The local fish cake maker lost sales routes after the quake.

- So, we're collaborating to market their products.
- You are working really hard.

The situation remains tough, but we can't sit still and wait for change.

So we've developed a new product, which we call "jellied fish for Friday."

It looks like a dessert, but it's not, right?

"Nikogori" is prepared by slowly simmering fish head, bones,

tail, and scales to extract a rich jelly.

To appeal to younger consumers,

Onozaki collaborated with a Tokyo graphic design studio

to create this stylish packaging.

The package is really cute.

I definitely feel like this is the young people bringing their impressions

and ideas to the city.

What is this?

- It's like head and bones.
- Yes.

We discard 200 to 250 tons of fish parts every month.

That is wasteful, so we are using them in new products.

So, Onozaki is now developing dashi sachets from the parts.

This is just the waste of one store.

You can imagine what all of Japan has to use.

I think it's really great that they're finding another way to use the fish.

I believe constantly trying something new is the only way to survive.

Good luck.

Thank you.

Oh, I'm so hungry.

It must be lunchtime.

Well, I'm already here in Iwaki City,

and I really want to try the famous seafood.

Here you go.

The mehikari is prepared in two ways, raw and lightly seared.

Use a little salt on the seared "nigiri."

Oh, this is the same fish from this morning.

"Itadakimasu."

- It's delicious.
- Thank you.

It's so good.

We use only fresh mehikari for sushi.

And then this one is the same fish, but it's grilled.

A little bit of salt.

- Is that enough?
- Yes.

The top part had a little bit of, like, a grilled taste to it,

but with the same feeling melt in your mouth.

Just very delicious, very fresh. I really liked it.

The raw mehikari melts in your mouth.

When seared, it's a little flaky. The texture changes depending on how it's prepared.

So good!

- Thank you.
- Thank you so much.

So far, we were able to enjoy the coastline of Iwaki,

have delicious fish and see the beach.

But now I really want to go to the mountainside

to the other side of the city and enjoy things there,

so let's go.

It's very beautiful.

You can see so much of nature.

Tabito is nestled in the mountains of Iwaki.

Of its 1,300 residents, half are 65 years or older.

Following the massive earthquake, aftershocks rocked Tabito.

Many moved away, driving down the population.

Oh, wow.

It looks like there's people down there working.

I'm going to go check it out.

- Hello.
- Hi.

- What are you doing?
- We're tilling the field to prepare for planting.

- Is this a rice field?
- Yes. We're cultivating rice here.

Rice planting.

There are some old stalks, so I am plowing the soil.

Then I will irrigate and prepare for planting.

- Is it difficult?
- No. It's fun.

It's not hard but, since I am a novice farmer,

I always seek advice from that expert over there.

He is a pro.

That's right.

Hello.

Shimojo Masaki, originally from the Tokyo area,

relocated here in 2019 with his wife, who's from Iwaki.

He first visited Tabito as part of a government program

for revitalizing rural communities.

Now, local rice farmers are teaching him rice cultivation.

We once used only this tool on smaller fields. The work was so demanding before machinery.

- May I try?
- Sure.

It's my first time. I'm kind of excited.

Like this?

- You're not bending your arm the right way.
- Oh no! Oh no!

You've got to bend it at the elbow. Then straighten your arm when you bring it down.

Powerful.

OK, one more time.

I'm from New York, but today I'm a farmer.

That was bad.

Come here.

Careful!

It's OK. I do yoga.

You're getting the hang of it.

The beautiful scenery has been preserved, thanks to the older generations.

But they are no longer fit for rice farming.

That's why we came here to protect the tradition.

That's wonderful.

Students from local elementary and junior high schools are now growing rice, too.

The brand is called, "A Grain of Hope."

- Rice grown by local children.
- That's right.

We plan to prepare another paddy, so that outsiders, both young and old, can try planting.

I want to bring my friends.

"Friends, come on. Let's race."

That would be great!

Tohno, ten kilometers north of Tabito,

also struggles with depopulation.

In 2010, it had about 6,100 residents,

but now just under 5,000.

Oh, I wonder what that is.

- Hello.
- Hi.

Wow, what are you making?

- I'm making Tohno washi.
- Washi?

The entire process of making Tohno washi is done in this town, using only local materials.

Tohno washi, a traditional Iwaki craft,

has a history of over 400 years.

But this local handmade paper became endangered

when its last artisan retired in 2010.

But now, Hirayama Yu, who's from Kawasaki,

has been learning the art from a washi master to keep it going.

I've only been making washi for three years.

In the world of washi, craftsmen are regarded as beginners for the ten years after they enter the trade.

So, I'm only a baby. I have a long way to go.

To expand his range, Hirayama crafts not only the washi,

but also various objects.

- What is this image?
- I'm printing photos on washi. It's my new project.

- Is it entirely washi paper?
- Yes.

You can see the paper's texture when you look closely.

- It's gorgeous!
- Thank you.

Hello! We're home!

Hello.

- Who are these kids?
- They are students at the nearby elementary school.

They come here on their way home to do art and homework.

Homework...

There's no homework today.

- Hello.
- Hi.

- What do you do here?
- We study, draw or read books.

- I'm impressed. Do you like to study?
- No!

But you like drawing, apparently.

- Do you like it here?
- Yes, we love it.

- Is it fun?
- Yes.

Tohno washi is commonly used for graduation certifications.

All schools in Tohno make the certificates using this paper.

Since each piece is made by hand,

all graduating students get their one-of-a-kind certificate.

That's amazing.

I hope I can encourage children to carry on local traditions, including Tohno washi.

Beautiful.

This is the end of my journey.

Although Iwaki City has been through a lot

after the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami,

it was a pleasure to witness the kindness and tenacity of the young generation here.

I hope the young generation can continue to work with the older generation

to continue the harmony of this great city.

From Tokyo Station,

it takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes by express train to Iwaki.

There are also highway bus services that link Tokyo with Iwaki

in 3.5 hours.

This former school building in Tabito is home to a wood processing company.

Its disposable cedar chopsticks use timber from forest-thinning projects,

in areas damaged by the earthquake and tsunami.

A portion of profits goes to cities affected by the disaster.