The Sanriku International Arts Festival 2022 featuring 15 cities and towns along the Sanriku Coast, and stretching over 700 km from Aomori to Iwate Prefectures, is held from September to the following March. The Sanriku International Arts Festival started in 2014 in the coastal areas that were severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake. Today, it attracts various folk performing arts groups and contemporary artists, primarily from all over Asia.
This year, it finally became possible to hold in-person, full-fledged events with the general public after the festivals being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The main event was the Sanriku Kagaribi Bonfire Festival, where Shishiodori(Deer Dance), Nenbutsu Kenbai (Buddhist Chant Sword Dance), Kagura, and Toramai (Tiger Dance) were all performed. The event was held outdoors in front of Ofunato Station for four hours on September 24th. In addition, the Sanriku Future Geinoh Festival, featuring young practitioners of folk performing arts, was held for the first time on September 11th. Children and young people enjoyed sharing dances beyond the difference of their respective styles and forms.
With the theme of “Communicating, Connecting, Praying,” the Sanriku Blue Line Project connects different parts of the Sanriku coastal region with blue tiles. The project aims to remind people of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the surrounding nature, and to nurture a culture that transcends the region. Visual artist Shinta Inoue organizes “post-workshops,” playgrounds for the expressions of more than 5,000 children annually. He was invited to lead the workshop that made the mosaic with participation from children to adults from the region that includes Ofunato City. The art works were exhibited for a limited time at places of high priority for disaster prevention education, such as along seawalls.