Food is proving a unifying force between the native inhabitants of a struggling port town in Japan's northeast and the Indonesian and other foreign community members who have chosen it as their home. Events with their focus on food have been proving that sharing is caring for locals and the community of foreigners in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, a town that was badly hit by the 2011 quake-tsunami disaster on the Sanriku Coast but in better times is known for its nature and plentiful fishing grounds. The city has maintained close ties with Indonesia for many years through its fishing industry.
In 2003, at the initiative of the local chamber of commerce, a parade was started with floats and participants wearing Indonesian-styled dress, with the Indonesian ambassador to Japan visiting. Following the 2011 disaster, then Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited the devastated city. In the more than 13 years since the disaster, foreign residents have supported the port town's restoration while helping it to overcome some of the challenges posed by its demographic decline.
Kesennuma's population fell to a little over 56,000 as of the end of July from over 74,000 at the end of 2010. But the number of foreign inhabitants has increased from some 460 to 800 over the same period, many of whom have been active in reconstruction work and the fishing industry. During this period, a local company that accepts trainees under the country's technical internship program opened an I.