2009 News Releases

• A Unique Event Promoting Community Exchange in Disaster Areas Through Local Cuisine
• Supported by the “Manulife Japan and Central Community Chest of Japan Fundraising Campaign to
  Assist Recovery Initiatives in Disaster-Affected Areas”

Nagaoka – “Local Autumn Cuisine Tasting”, an initiative of the “SmileLink Project”, was held with great success on Friday, November 6 at the Ninanina Inter-Generational Community Center in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture. The event was supported through a grant received from the “Third Manulife Japan and Central Community Chest of Japan (CCC-J) Fundraising Campaign to Assist Recovery Initiatives in Disaster-Affected Areas”.

The SmileLink Project, promoted by the Ninanina Inter-Generational Community Center, provides opportunities for young women, children and other local citizens affected by the Chuetsu Earthquake to provide mutual support through interaction across generations, cultures, and local communities. The “Local Autumn Cuisine Tasting” event, made possible through a grant from the “Third Manulife Japan and CCC-J Fundraising Campaign to Assist Recovery Initiatives in Disaster-Affected Areas,” provided a unique opportunity for local residents to provide a message of their determination to rebuild their communities by highlighting their local cuisines. The event featured the sharing of information by disaster-affected residents themselves, including anecdotes about mushrooms (village of Oguni), offering of various foods at stands (Yoran-kai, Kawaguchi) and cooking demonstrations (Yamakoshi). A number of local cuisines using local ingredients from each area were introduced and provided to participants.

The activities of the Ninanina Inter-Generational Community Center are based in a facility that originally served as a daily service center situated in the center of 8,000 units of temporary housing after the Chuetsu Earthquake. The facility has since been relocated and refurbished for its current use.

On the day of the event, approximately 50 people filled the venue, including both participants and staff. Women, children, and the elderly joined together in a friendly atmosphere, getting to know each other through discussions of the cuisine of their respective towns, taking part in food preparation demonstrations, and enjoying the prepared dishes. 

Overview of SmileLink Project - Local Autumn Cuisine Tasting 

• Date & Time: Friday, November 6, 11:00-13:00
• Venue: Ninanina Inter-Generational Community Center (1-23-6 Chitose, Nagaoka-shi, Niigata-ken)
• Program:
• “Manulife Japan and CCC-J Fundraising Campaign to Assist Recovery Initiatives in Disaster-Affected Areas” donation presentation ceremony
• Short comedy sketch, cooking demonstrations, anecdotes about mushrooms, luncheon, stands offering local cuisine
• Menu: Newly harvested rice mixed with black rice, sukiyaki-style sweet potato and bran noodle stew, soup made from autumn mushrooms (all dishes are local cuisine using local ingredients)

Manulife Japan and Central Community Chest of Japan (CCC-J) Fundraising Campaign to Assist Recovery Initiatives in Disaster-Affected Areas
The needs of communities recovering from natural disasters are long-term, but recovery assistance often does not have a long-term focus. The Manulife Japan and CCC-J Fundraising Campaign to Assist Recovery Initiatives in Disaster-Affected Areas is a unique program that provides support during the years following a disaster to recovery activities initiated by local citizens, recognizing that initiatives undertaken by local citizen organizations are effective not only in reviving the local economy but also the spirit of the community as well. Activities of 19 organizations have been supported to date, with an additional nine organizations, including the Ninanina Inter-Generational Community Center, supported through this third fundraising campaign.

Ninanina Inter-Generational Community Center
The Ninanina Inter-Generational Community Center, building on the relationships that grew out of the temporary housing area set up after the Chuetsu Earthquake, aims to create a community where citizens are more tightly connected, by establishing a place where people of various generations and multicultural backgrounds, including youth, young parents, the elderly, the disabled, and foreigners, can come together and interact. The Center is managed in an environmentally friendly way that serves to nurture future generations.