On the 17th of the second day of the Tokyo Olympic torch relay held in Iwate prefecture, the torch was connected by a coastal municipality that was severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Of these, in Miyako City, a relay was held near the water gate of the Hei River, which is still undergoing reconstruction work, and Miki Honda, who lost her grandfather during the evacuation life due to the disaster at the age of 5, is a runner. Served.
Mr. Honda said, "I applied for a runner because I wanted to show my deceased grandfather how he grew up. I will continue to challenge various things and look forward to my dream of becoming a kindergarten teacher." I did.
In Otsuchi Town, a torch was connected at the site of the government office building where the mayor at the time of the disaster and the staff who were in charge of disaster response were sacrificed.
A woman in her 90s who lives in disaster public housing said, "I felt a sense of unity among the people who support me along the road. There are many dark topics, so I want you to make use of this sense of unity and make the town more exciting." It was.
In Rikuzentakata City, after a runner ran through near "Miracle Pine," which remained undisturbed by the tsunami, he arrived at a commercial facility in the center, which had been raised after the earthquake, before 8 pm.
On the third day, the 18th, we will travel inland from Ichinoseki City, and in Hiraizumi Town, we will run from the approach to the world heritage site "Chusonji" to the Golden Hall.
In Morioka City, the goal point, relays on public roads will be postponed as a countermeasure against the new coronavirus, and as an alternative event, a "torch kiss" will be held at Morioka Hachimangu where runners will take a torch and transfer the torch to the next runner.