1st–4th grade had been practicing diligently during morning time and music classes to perform “Ono Elementary School Song, Kumamachi Elementary School Song, and Yumenomori’s Song” at the opening ceremony of the Imonikai.
At Yumenomori, there are teachers who graduated from Ono Elementary and Kumamachi Elementary. The children listened to those teachers share their feelings and memories connected to the school songs.

A message from a teacher from Okuma Town who now works at the kindergarten and the school

“I graduated from Kumamachi Elementary School. There were 62 students in my grade. Ono Elementary also had 62 students. The grades above mine had even more children.
But now, there are no children left who sing the school songs of those schools. After the disaster, many people had to evacuate and live far away from Okuma.

When I heard the school songs again for the first time in a long while, I felt deeply nostalgic. And it wasn’t a CD—it was children’s voices. I live in Okuma now, and I work here, but hearing those voices made me feel like I had truly come home. The school songs brought back so many memories.

There are still people in our community who feel they haven’t ‘returned to Okuma’ yet.
By singing these school songs, I hope your voices reach those people and warm their hearts.”

“I played this song in the school band when I was at Ono Elementary. I played the accordion.”

“We sang it at every school event, so I can still sing it anytime.”

“There aren’t many school songs that begin with ‘Roron,’ so at first I wondered what it meant. I think ‘roron’ expresses the sounds of the waves, fish swimming, and other sounds related to the sea.”

“At track meets, other schools used to say, ‘Oh, that’s the Roron school.’”

On the day, the graduates sang their best to express the feelings they had shared with the class. The local residents and parents were deeply moved, and the children were all smiles.

After the opening ceremony, students in grades 5-9 were in charge of serving food in a spirit of hospitality. Local volunteers cooked in a large pot outside.

We said “Itadakimasu!” on the outdoor bench and in the lunch room.

Both the salted rice balls made with fresh new rice from Okuma Town and the tonjiru (pork and vegetable soup) were incredibly delicious.

GM’s Closing Remarks at the Imonikai

“I believe the food tasted so good because everyone—from the community members to the children—worked together to make it and enjoyed it together. We hope to continue creating educational activities in partnership with the local community. Thank you very much for the delicious imoni today.”

Impressions

  • “It was fun to interact with everyone, and the food was delicious.”
  • “I cut burdock and helped mix the ingredients, and it was great to enjoy the meal together with people from the community.”
  • “The tonjiru and rice balls were delicious. Making them together with my friends made them taste even better.”
  • “I worked hard cutting vegetables since the morning. It was tough, but the food was delicious, so I’m glad I helped.”
  • “It’s rare to have lunch with the children, so I was happy to enjoy delicious tonjiru with the teachers and community members.”
  • “The rice was fresh, newly harvested rice from Okuma Town, provided through the Social Welfare Council by the Agricultural Committee. It was very delicious.”

Thank you very much to the community members and all the parents for your cooperation.