Five months after the disaster, a summer festival fireworks is underway in Onahama, Fukushima. Initially, the event was to be canceled due to the disaster, but to commemorate the dead and revitalize the economy, the town decided to go ahead. Yoshihide Yamaki (52), a member of Iwaki Fireworks Festival Committee, which consists of volunteers, starts preparing for the event. Yamaki, a Fukishima local himself, is a peaceful man who speaks with integrity and assurance. The fireworks are launched from a damaged dock. Rain of light shines in the midsummer sky. What could possibly go through the minds of the local spectators?
I don’t like to begin my sentences with “In a time like this….” There’s no need to insist one’s opinion on the situation. What I merely wanted to do with this project is to honor the man who tries very hard to get over the fear of tsunami and radiation, and set out to revitalize the community and provide hope.