Now Right Season for Enjoying "Imoni Party"

Many parts of the Tohoku region including Miyagi prefecture have a custom of enjoying "imoni party" at outdoors such as river banks from October to November. Different as seasonings and gradients are from area to area, having fun over a hot pot featuring taro in the open air is called "imoni party".

The party usually takes place as an event for participants to socialize with their friends or people at work, making Tohoku's people feel that autumn would not be autumn without it as well as hanami party in spring.

【On this day evacuees living in Nukazuka temporary housing complex held an imoni party.】


On October 27, the community association of the evacuees living in Nukazuka temporary housing complex hosted an imoni party. Not only joined the evacuees but people outside including neighbors around the temporary housing and other evacuees living in another temporary housing complex, deepening ties among them.

Many of the evacuees used to lead a life in a residential area on the coast of the Ishinomaki city, but they have moved to the temporary housing complex located about 10 km inland away from their houses leveled by the tsunami. At first the evacuees had little contact with neighbors around the temporary housing complex, and so that could have made them become isolated from outside. Given this situation, the community association has taken the initiative in creating opportunities for exchange between the evacuees and their neighbors. It is said that recently, the association between them has began to be seen little by little, developing a new relationship of mutual support.

【A neighbor, using a forklift truck, presented the evacuees some persimmons from his garden.】


You can bet that continued efforts to develop people-to-people links such as hosting imoni parties could establish mutual supportive relationships.

JEN is committed to helping develop mutual supportive relationships and create self-sustaining communities by assisting activities that play a critical role in creating communities.


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