SIW

I got some special items in Ishinomaki. This is Stand Up Week 2012 staff t-shirt with the event tagline.
石巻でちょっと特別なアイテムを手に入れた。これはStand Up Week 2012のイベントタグライン入りスタッフTシャツ。

And a set of Fukko Bar's coasters, which will go to my office desk. (Of course it won't be under a glass of alcohol.)
そして、復興バーのコースターセット。オフィスのデスクで使う予定。（もちろん、ノンアルコール）

My first time experiencing the Hayate bullet train. It runs non-stop from Sendai to the Tokyo metropolitan area. Hayate means swift wind. Really fast as its name implies.
仙台から首都圏までノンストップで走る新幹線「はやて」を初体験。名前の通り、実に速い。

A dog is eating big ice cream in the summer sky.
夏空に、大きなアイスクリームを食べる犬が。

Can't wait to see what the future will bring to this town. I'll be back soon.
未来がこの街に何をもたらすか。それを見るのが待ちきれない。近いうちにまた来ます。

The fun of Stand Up Week continues even after dark. Life-size anime character "Crayon Shin-chan" appeared at the outdoor movie theater showing his movie and made kids go crazy.
Stand Up Weekの楽しさは暗くなっても続く。「クレヨンしんちゃん」のアニメを上映する屋外映画館にはホンモノのしんちゃんが登場。子どもたちを熱狂させた。

Next to the theater is Belgium Cafe, a signature feature of Ishinomaki summer. Yum.
屋外映画館の隣は、石巻の夏の名物「ベルギーカフェ」。美味い。

Today's chef-in-command of Belgium Cafe is Chiba-san a.k.a. Chin-ba-san, a sushi chef and Factory Manager of Ishinomaki Laboratory.
今日ベルギーカフェの厨房を指揮するのは、寿司職人で石巻工房の工房長、千葉さん。別名、ちん婆さん。

With 2.0 boys (Akio and Koizumi-san), I helped yakitori (charbroiled chicken) vendor for the first time in my life. And soon I found promoting a product is much easier for me than producing it.
2.0ボーイズ（アキオ&小泉さん）と一緒に、生まれて初めて焼き鳥の屋台を手伝う。でも、やはり僕にはモノを作る仕事よりもモノを宣伝する仕事のほうが向いている、とすぐにわかった。

I'm so fortunate to have a town I feel strongly attached to other than my hometown. 自分のホームタウン以外に、強い繫がりを感じられる街があるのは、とても幸せなこと。

The attractiveness of Ishinomaki does not only belong to its new ideas, but also to its rich history. Akio and I had a lunch at Yahataya, Japanese eel kappo restaurant who has been in business since 1913. They were struck by the 311 earthquake and tsunami, but beautifully renovated and reborn at the same location. Nothing can stop Ishinomaki traditions.
石巻は新しいアイデアだけでなく、その豊かな歴史も魅力的。アキオと一緒にランチに寄ったのは、大正2年創業の老舗うなぎ割烹「八幡家」さん。この店は311の震災と津波の被害を受けたが、同じ場所で美しく改修され、復活した。何ものも石巻の伝統を止めることはできない。

Their signature unaju (eel and rice) is perfect for a hot summer day. 絶品うな重。暑い夏の日に最高。

I think Japan's most advanced idea is no more in Tokyo, but in local cities like Ishinomaki. Yahoo! Japan opened their Ishinomaki Fukko (Revitalization) Base at a location just a few minutes walk from Aitopia Avenue. Here, Yahoo!'s new task force team named "Yahoo! Life Design" supports industries and businesses in areas affected by the 311 earthquake and tsunami using the power of information technology, and explores new possibilities of Tohoku region and Japan. Their new light-filled modern office has a meeting space which is open to anyone, a spacious lobby, Ustream video streaming facility, and even a kitchen table where they can interact with local fishermen.
日本で最も先鋭的なアイデアは、もはや東京ではなく石巻のような街にあるのだと思う。Yahoo! Japanがアイトピア通りから歩いて数分の所に「石巻復興ベース」をオープン。ここで「Yahoo! Life Design」という新しいタスクフォースチームが、ITの力を使いながら被災地の産業やビジネスをサポートし、東北地方や日本の新しい可能性を模索していく。明るくモダンな新オフィスには、誰にでも開かれたミーティングスペース、広々としたロビー、Ustream用設備のほか、地元の漁師さんたちとの交流の場になるキッチンテーブルまで備わっている。

With Hasegawa-san of Yahoo! Ishinomaki…

Vibrant, creative, and future-oriented. Aitopia Avenue of Ishinomaki is now becoming Meatpacking District or Shoreditch of Tohoku region. It is the home of can't-miss spots like IRORI Ishinomaki, Ishinomaki Laboratory, Comi-Kame, and other innovative ideas are also gathering here.
活気があり、クリエイティブで、未来志向。石巻のアイトピア通りは東北地方のミートパッキングディストリクトやショーディッチになりつつある。ここにはIRORI石巻、石巻工房、コミかめといった見逃せないスポットがあり、ほかにも新しいアイデアがいろいろ集積している。

Next to IRORI Ishinomaki is Hiyori Art Center, a gallery space hosting a variety of artists in residence. This gallery was opened by the cultural exchange program between Yokohama and Ishinomaki, and also plays a role as a supporter for local artists and the crossroad of art and the community.
IRORI石巻のお隣には、多彩なアーティスト・イン・レジデンスを受け入れているギャラリースペース「日和アートセンター」がある。横浜と石巻の文化交流プログラムによって開設され、地元のアーティストを支援しているこのギャラリーは、アートとコミュニティの交点としての役割も担っている。

Looking for lodging? Here's "Fukko Minpaku" which means "The guesthouse to revive the city". This is a part of Ishinomaki 2.0…

Kameshichi Gofukuten, the kimono boutique with a 150-year history located across the street from IRORI Ishinomaki, might be the world's most technologically-advanced kimono retailer. Inside the store, they opened "Community Cafe Kameshichi (Comi-Kame)" equipped with Wi-Fi, DTP-enabled iMac, and iPads, where people can have a coffee, work online, browse e-books, get the local information, and enjoy live music (Of course you can buy kimonos and yukatas). The most amazing thing about Comi-Kame is a huge collection of over 2000 historically valuable Japanese magazines from the 1960-80s collected by the owner Yonekura-san. After surviving the 311 earthquake and tsunami, it has been carefully preserved and organized with a help from Japan Magazine Publishers Association and is now available to anyone. Comi-Kame is also a part of Ishinomaki 2.0 project.
IRORI石巻の向かいにある150年の歴史を持つ着物屋さん「かめ七呉服店」は、もしかしたら世界で最もテクノロジー的に進んだ呉服店かもしれない。お店の中にはWi-Fiや、DTPにも対応するiMacや、複数のiPadを備えた「コミュニティカフェ・かめ七（…

Ishinomaki Laboratory is a community crafts studio located in a building adjacent to IRORI Ishinomaki. They are partner project of Ishinomaki 2.0. This studio, founded by architect Keiji Ashizawa and supported by Herman Miller and other companies, is a place where local Ishinomaki people handcraft wooden furniture products designed by Tokyo architects. The studio team is led by Factory Manager Chiba-san who is a local sushi chef. They are also holding a lot of workshops as a unique educational institute for the community.
石巻工房はIRORI石巻の隣りにある建物に入っている市民工房で、石巻2.0のパートナープロジェクト。建築家の芦沢啓治氏によって創設され、ハーマンミラーをはじめとする企業のサポートを得たこの工房では、東京の建築家たちがデザインした木製家具を地元の人たちが手作りしている。工房チームを率いる工房長は、石巻で寿司職人をしている千葉さん。ワークショップも数多く開かれていて、コミュニティのための教育機関としての顔も持っている。


Products of Ishinomaki Laboratory are now available online on Fukko (which means recovery from the 311 tsunami and earthquake) Department Store page or Ishinomaki Laboratory page of Yahoo! Japan Shopping. Their sophisticated wooden furniture is already making a g…

When Akio, my friend and one of the key members of Ishinomaki 2.0, asked me to come up with a name for a Wi-Fi-equipped shared office/cafe space in Ishinomaki run by his team, I immediately remembered Japanese fireplace "irori". The irori is especially iconic for traditional houses in Tohoku region which have severe winters, and is a place for family gathering where people talk, eat, and exchange their stories. I also thought the name for this place should have a modern context and a context unique to post-311 Ishinomaki. So I found "IRORI" can be read as "Interaction Room of Revitalization and Innovation". Symmetric spelling could be a bonus for logo development. The name "IRORI Ishinomaki" has my wish that this place will be regarded as a new generation of irori where people get together from around the world exchanging their ideas and stories to create innovative visions for the future of Ishinomaki City and beyond.
友人であり、石巻2.0のキーメンバーの一人であるアキ…

Like last summer, I visited Ishinomaki City to check out Stand Up Week, the event to inspire and energize the tsunami-affected city, organized by Ishinomaki 2.0. This summer the event got more power and more excitement with a wider range of contents from food and culture to craft and technology. Here you can witness one of the finest grassroots activities of the community, by the community, and for the community.
昨夏同様、Stand Up Weekを体験するために石巻にやってきた。津波の被害を受けた街にインスピレーションとエネルギーを与えるこのイベントの主催者は石巻2.0。今年の夏は、食やカルチャーからクラフトやテクノロジーまで一段と幅広いコンテンツをそろえ、一段とパワフルな、一段と目が離せないものになっている。ここにあるのは、コミュニティの、コミュニティによる、コミュニティのための最も優れたグラスルーツ活動の一例。



The poster is all over the place in downtown Ishinomaki. 石巻中央部のいたる所にポスターが。