HAMA03（Soma City）：Soma Journey！No.3 （Hama, Naka, Aizu）
We had lunch at a seafood restaurant ‘takohachi’ that is run by the Matsukawaura Tourism Promotion Group. This restaurant was actually one of the first places I visited when I was first appointed as a CIR. The seafood served was of the same volume and taste as it was when I first tried it 10 months ago, perfect!
Afterwards we visited the Temporary Incinerator for Disaster Waste. The Temporary Incinerator was built so that the government could dispose of the rubble produced by the Great East Japan Earthquake in Soma City and Shinchi Town. The current plan is to dispose of 170,000 tons of rubble from Soma and Shinchi by March 2014. The incinerator itself was far larger than I imagined, towering above us like a giant steel castle. Also this incinerator is apparently the first of its kind here in Fukushima. The furnaces being lit is a symbol of the recovery here in Fukushima. The installation of an incinerator is a heavy decision for any municipality to make. Even so, as the mayor of Soma made the decision to quickly install the incinerator, disposal of rubble and waste caused by the disaster began in Soma and Shinchi before anywhere else. The visit made me realize the weight such political decisions carry.
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