Although the school is not far from the coast, Komagamine Elementary School was protected by the tsunami by an electrical power plant in the area that took the majority of the hit. 220 lives were lost in Shinchimachi on that day. The school has grown in size due to a large number of families from […]
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Aoi Chiku is a newly constructed residential area in Higashi Matsushima City in Miyagi Prefecture. Built on land that was once only rice paddies, the new neighborhood is home to 580 families, with over 1,500 residents and 200 plus children. The project was jointly developed by Higashi Matsushima City and Urban Renaissance (UR). Playground of
Aoi Chiku is a newly constructed residential area in Higashi Matsushima City in Miyagi Prefecture. Built on land that was once only rice paddies, the new neighborhood is home to 580 families, with over 1,500 residents and 200 plus children. The project was jointly developed by Higashi Matsushima City and Urban Renaissance (UR). Playground of
As areas of Tohoku are rebuilding little-by-little, Playground of Hope is visiting previous locations to continue offering our support. In March, we moved the 2012 PoH #3 Fukko Marche play set to a new home a few blocks down, near a temporary shopping center run by the local community. During the move, community members, university
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Starting its operation on April 1, 2011, Ishinomaki-shi Kamome Gakuen was built by Ishinomaki City in support of disabled and or handicapped children, their parents and guardians. It is run by the Ishinomaki Sho-shinkai which is a social welfare corporation. Kamome Gakuen aims to help children overcome developmental issues through play by providing opportunities to
Lumbini is a Buddhist school with 150 children, down from 250 children in the past. It is led by Yoshioka encho-sensei who is also a monk at the nearby Entsuji Temple. When he learned that Morgan Stanley would sponsor a play set at his kindergarten, he helped Playground of Hope with organizing an unforgettable event.
The Karakuwa Peninsula was hit hard by the March 11th tsunami. Four of the eight recreational facilities on the peninsula were devastated by the tsunami and still remain closed. The government hopes to attract families back to the area by providing a park area for children. One of the four remaining recreational areas would be
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Yoshida Hoikuen, located in the Hebita District, has been running for 46 years and was opened by the parents of the current principal, Mr. Yoshida. He took over from his parents when they passed away in 1996. He is in his late fifties or early sixties, but uncharacteristically dresses down in jeans and a down
Iinokawa Elementary School was actually outside of the tsunami zone from the 3.11 Earthquake. Nonetheless, it was still greatly affected by the disaster. Several of the schools nearby that were not as fortunate had to relocate their students. It was decided that Iinokawa Elementary would be merged with its sister school, Iinokawa Elementary #2. 30
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Natari is located in Utatsu village which is part of the Minamisanriku area. It is a small day care with only 24 students. There were meant to be 60 students this year but, for now, many families have moved away (some waiting for their houses to be rebuilt, others have left for good). Natari is
