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Asahi Shimbun
3 days ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Expo organizers say they handled rail suspension ‘appropriately'
A father and son from Nara Prefecture rest in the Osaka Healthcare Pavillion at the Osaka-Kansai Expo around 2 a.m. Aug. 14. (Emiko Arimoto) OSAKA—Despite anger expressed by stranded visitors, Osaka Kansai Expo organizers gave a generally positive assessment of their on-site response to a service suspension on the sole rail link to the site. While apologizing for the confusion, the organizers said they could 'adapt to the circumstances.' 'At the end of the day, no major accidents occurred,' Jun Takashina, deputy secretary-general of the Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition, told a news conference on Aug. 14. 'I believe that, fundamentally, we were able to handle the situation appropriately.' Many visitors spent the night at the expo venue after a power outage halted the entire service on Osaka Metro Co.'s Chuo Line on the night of Aug. 13. Many of those who were unable to return home expressed dissatisfaction with the expo organizers, particularly concerning how information was communicated. Takashina acknowledged such issues as the timing of information releases. 'When we look at individual details, there are various points to reflect on,' he said. 'We intend to thoroughly review them and make improvements.' Osaka Metro notified the association of the suspension around 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 13, when many expo visitors were heading home, association officials said. Within 15 minutes, the association restricted departures from the East Gate, which directly connects to Yumeshima Station on the Chuo Line, and urged visitors to remain inside the expo venue. The organizers said they were concerned about the risk of a crowd crush. When the Chuo Line was halted, about 30,000 people were in and around the venue. After 10 p.m., a shuttle service began between Yumeshima Station and the neighboring Cosmo Square Station. But the association feared a potential safety hazard if people rushed toward Yumeshima Station. To prevent the risk, the association allowed those already near the station to leave, while continuing to urge others to remain inside the venue. The organizers initially did not anticipate a prolonged suspension. It was only around midnight when they switched to what they called a 'disaster-level response' after concluding that a full-service resumption was unlikely and that visitors would be stranded. Expo pavilions were asked to accommodate visitors inside. But even under the disaster-level response, distribution of bottled water to visitors did not begin until 4 a.m. on Aug. 14, more than six hours after the suspension started. Some pavilions did not open their doors until 3 a.m., waiting for instructions from the association. The expo is being held on Yumeshima, a manmade island in Osaka Bay. The latest incident again highlighted the vulnerability of transportation access to the venue, which had been pointed out before the expo opened in April. When the Chuo Line was suspended on the night of April 22, about 4,000 people were stranded at Yumeshima Station. Back then, it took the expo organizers about 20 minutes to grasp the situation, and communications with Osaka Metro were identified as an issue. This time around, information on the suspension was shared within three minutes. The expo site also experienced a problem when a powerful earthquake struck near Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on July 30. A tsunami advisory was broadcast after the expected arrival time of the waves. With typhoon season continuing, a review of countermeasures for transportation disruptions and natural disasters remains a priority until the expo closes in October. (This article was compiled from reports by Kazuhito Suwa, Yoshiko Sato and Yuiichi Nobira.)
Asahi Shimbun
24-06-2025
- General
- Asahi Shimbun
Concrete tsunami seawall serves as massive canvas for artists
A family of five sits on a bench and gazes at a mural on a seawall in the Ogatsu district in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on May 3. (Emiko Arimoto) ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi Prefecture—Once boasting one of Japan's most beautiful coastlines, the priceless view from the Ogatsu district here in this city in northeastern Japan is no more. The powerful earthquake and tsunami that devastated the neighborhood in 2011 changed the pristine landscape forever. Today, what was once described as 'Japan's most beautiful fishing community, with a spectacular vista of mountains across the sea" has been eclipsed by an enormous seawall. The concrete barrier is a bittersweet safeguard for local residents. But as grievances remain against the oppressive behemoth, efforts are ongoing to inject a new life into the gray seawall through an art project. The effort seeks to use the concrete structure as a giant canvas for murals reflecting the vibrant community in happier times. ONCE A THRIVING COMMUNITY Prior to the Great East Japan Earthquake, Ogatsu was home to about 1,600 households and 4,000 people, a bustling community with fisheries hauling in catches of tuna, bonito and sardines, and farmers growing seaweed in the sea. Most residents lived in the limited lowland area near the sea surrounded by mountains. The community's main street was crammed with shops and houses, painting a vibrant picture. 'We had everything from sushi parlors, pubs, clothing shops to dental clinics and banks,' one longtime resident said with pride. 'We did not need to go out of the community to take care of our daily business.' In the summer, Ogatsu was filled with excitement during a traditional festival. Fishermen ferociously rowed their boats in the bay, splashing big waves, in a race for a prize money. Children paraded down the main street, dancing a traditional local dance to the rhythmic beat of drums. The smell of seaweed that was drying in the sun drifted in the air. When darkness descended, mesmerizing fireworks lit up the night sky overhead. But all this changed after the tsunami, which swept away about 80 percent of homes in the neighborhood and killed 173 residents. The whereabouts of 70 people are still unknown. The lowland, which used to be occupied by shops and homes, has remained vacant after Ishinomaki city authorities declared it uninhabitable by designating the area a 'natural disaster risk zone.' Ogatsu residents were asked to move to inland to higher ground for safety reasons while a seawall measuring 9.7 meters in height and 3 kilometers long snaking along the Ogatsu shoreline was being constructed. The seawall is part of the mammoth structures that have emerged on many coasts along the Tohoku region as protection against future disasters. But many in Ogatsu still wonder whether such a colossal structure was a wise decision for the future of the community. They say that they can no longer hear the sound of lapping waves and smell the sea--part of the joys of living near the ocean--because of the seawall. Tsuneko Takahashi, 84, who lives in the district, grumbled at the enormity of the barrier. 'It feels like the seawall is entrapping me when I stroll around here,' she said. 'It is like I am being imprisoned.' But residents' discomfort may be eased somewhat as an art project is under way to utilize the structure as a canvas for murals. RESURRECTION THROUGH ART The art project, called 'Seawall Museum Ogatsu' and born in 2022, is being led by Sotaro Takahashi, an architectural graduate of the Tokyo University of the Arts. Takahashi said he was flabbergasted to see the 'excessively tall seawall,' when he visited Ogatsu in 2019 for a proposal for rebuilding the district. 'Architectural works are supposed to enrich peoples' lives,' said Takahashi, 36. 'But the wall ended up completely ruining the scenery as a result of placing too much emphasis on protection from tsunami.' He looked to redefine perceptions of the seawall through artworks and the solution was transforming the neighborhood into an outdoor museum. Chie Yamato, 42, an Ogatsu resident, has supported the endeavor. She serves as a bridge between locals and staff of the project, with hopes of disseminating the positive aspects of Ogatsu. Yamato admitted that she was initially uncomfortable with the structure herself as it prevented her from feeling the sea up close. But she grew annoyed by the perception of Ogatsu that dismissed 'Japan's most beautiful fishing community' as turning into a 'community with a seawall.' Yamato wants others to know that locals have taken great pains to revitalize the neighborhoods after the disaster. These efforts include fishermen diligently cleaning out sea debris from the tsunami; residents planting flowers in the vacant plot near the seawall to make it look less bleak; and others working diligently to keep the traditional festival alive as large numbers of locals have left their ancestral homes to make a fresh start elsewhere. Ogatsu's population dwindled to 1,000 today. 'Since the seawall is already there, I hope that it will become a place people gather at and local children will become proud of,' she said. Today, eight murals grace the seawall, featuring a fisherman at work and residents reveling in the gaiety of the festival. But no people are included in one work, titled 'Theoria,' measuring 7.5 meters by 54.6 meters and portraying the landscape across the bay. Takanosuke Yasui, the artist who did the murals, said it was meant to be that way. 'This mural will be complete only after people gather in front of it,' said Yasui, 31, suggesting that the work and spectators coming to see it will constitute the big picture. The outdoor museum is slowly becoming an attraction, drawing in visitors. Some of the spectators marveling at the murals in May came from Tokyo. They said they became interested in seeing the murals after learning about the works on social media. Other visitors include former residents of Ogatsu who had moved away after the disaster. They return whenever a new mural appears, feeling that what had been destroyed is slowing being restored, piece by piece.
