New Winery Aims to Revitalize Tsunami-Hit District in Miyagi

Ishinomaki, Miyagi Pref., Nov. 13 (Jiji Press)–A new winery facility is set to open Saturday in a northeastern Japan district heavily damaged by the March 2011 tsunami, raising hopes that it will help liven up the struggling community. Moriumius Marine & Food, located in the Ogatsucho district in the city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi Prefecture, is expected to serve as a local hub for food while providing visitors opportunities to engage in activities such as grapevine planting and harvesting. With the district’s population continuing to decline since the disaster, an official said, “We want the winery to become a new engine (for local revitalization).” The central part of Ogatsucho was designated as a disaster risk area following the tsunami triggered by the March 11, 2011, powerful earthquake. The district’s population plunged from over 4,000 to about 970 as of the end of last month. The new facility was built with support from the Ishinomaki city government and the Nippon Foundation, a philanthropic organization, in order to revive the area with greenery and lure people. The winery, which includes an underground storage facility, has an output capacity of about 30,000 bottles per year. It will begin producing wine using grapes from Yamagata Prefecture, Miyagi’s western neighbor, around next summer. Also, preparations are underway to make local wine from grapes to be raised in a field adjacent to the winery, with an aim of starting sales in spring 2030 at the facility’s shop. In addition to grapevine planting and harvesting, the facility will offer a bread-making program for children on school trips, using yeast from grape skins. Moriumius Marine & Food will also house a cafe serving dishes such as curry including local oysters, octopus and salmon, and will seek to develop processed foods from fisheries products that have not been used before. The facility’s operator, Moriumius Farm, which offers agricultural experience programs for children, has hired two employees, with one of them having migrated from another municipality in Miyagi, ahead of the opening. “Grapevines grow for decades, so it makes me wonder what the community will be like in the future,” Moriumius Farm chief Gentaro Yui, 50, said. “Wine- and bread-making will become a catalyst for community building, and the future of our community will surely be bright.” About 100 people visited the facility’s preopening event last month. The facility is built on the site of a former local junior high school. “This place was filled with laughter 14 years ago,” Junichi Sato, 65, who was the principal of the school at the time of the tsunami, said, “It would be wonderful if the facility becomes the new face of the community and attracts people.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]