07-07-2025
Ishikawa Prefecture station displays wishes for recovery from Noto quake
Monday marks the Tanabata star festival in Japan. Part of the festival involves writing wishes on paper strips -- "tanzaku" in Japanese -- and tying them to bamboo branches. Many tanzaku with wishes for an early recovery from a strong earthquake in 2024 are on display at a railway station in Ishikawa Prefecture, on the Sea of Japan coast.
Bamboo branches with about 1,000 tanzaku decorate Anamizu Station on the Noto Railway line. The area was struck by the disastrous Noto Peninsula Earthquake on New Year's Day last year.
One wish says, "I hope to marry and live happily in Noto." Another reads, "I hope my home will be rebuilt as soon as possible."
A message from outside the prefecture says, "I hope residents' daily lives will quickly return to normal."
Tourists and other visitors also wrote down their wishes. A 72-year-old man from Kanagawa Prefecture said he wrote, "I hope everyone will get better." He added that he could feel the positive attitudes of the residents in their wishes.
Noto Railway head Nakata Tetsuya said he feels the area has been recovering gradually, adding that the railway staff are encouraged by the hopeful messages.