Entrance Ceremony filled with Dreams

April 15, 2011

The entrance ceremony of Onagawa Daiichi Elementary School was held on April 12.
Carrying new backpacks on their backs, children came to school happily.
A joy with a start of school seems to be greater than the hardships that they experienced because of the calamity.  With twinkles in their eyes, the pupils happily listened to a principal’s speech.  I thought to myself that children are indeed children no matter where they are and which times they live in.  I wished they would overcome the adversity caused by the tsunami and grow strongly.  While I was wishing them so, I heard a familiar melody.  It was the school song of Onagawa Daiichi Elementary School. (The translation of the school song of Onagawa Daiichi Elementary School is omitted.)

The verse is difficult to understand for an elementary school song and the melody is unique.  When I was in school, I was just singing without thinking.  This time, I realized the essence of the school song.  I started crying as I was writing this verse on the blog.  I felt the spirit of Onagawa.  It is the spirit that only Onagawa has as it has a history of many rises after many tsunamis.

The entrance ceremony was reported on the following newspapers.
Click here for Kahoku Shimpo (in Japanese)
Click here for Asahi Shimbun (in English)
Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on the 4-12 evening paper. (The web-version paper is available for members only.)