JFOODO enlists researcher to explore Japanese culture following Fukushima recovery

Fukushima [Japan], February 9 : The devastating tsunami and earthquake that rocked Japan in 2011 is now showing signs of recovery as Fukushima Prefecture's Okuma and Namie evacuation orders are partially lifted, witnessing a resurgence, and new buildings are underway, welcoming back residents.
Notably, JFOODO, aka Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Centre, has enlisted researcher Rebekah Wilson Lye to delve into Japan's rich culture and traditions in the wake of these transformative events.
"I am here at Manabiya Yumenomori School to learn about this wonderful project, which just started in August this year," Rebekah Wilson Lye said.
A good point is to create a very inclusive community. In this school, many people originally lived in "Okuma-town" and came back from the evacuation area, but there are also people who moved here.
"The school slogan is 'Here you will start individual personality'," Ippei Nango's GM, Manabiya Yumenomori said.
Rebekah Wilson Lye visited "Namie Star-Fallen Farm" to meet organiser Daiju Takahashi.
"It's been a great experience for me. People who have come back here, the local people, are amazingly open-minded and welcoming to those outsiders like me. We are growing root beets and also indigo dye plants and very rare plants like a juniper berry or agave tequila, which haven't been grown in Japan ever," Daiju Takahashi said.
"Well, I've spent the day here in the Namie-machi and Okuma-machi areas. I've met local people, some local children, and even some outsiders who have decided to make Namie-machi their home. And my takeaway from our conversations today. I have seen a real sense of forward movement as though it is a new era, a new dawn here in this small town," Rebekah Wilson Lye said.
Now, Fukushima is rebuilding an unparalleled community in Japan after overcoming tragedy. Foreign viewers of Japan can easily identify it.