On March 6, 2011, when deep pink blossom buds started to bloom, approximately 12,000 local people gathered at the festival site, including children and elderly people, and enjoyed the coming of early spring.
The festival is a locally-created event from planning to operation organized by the executive committee composed of neighborhood associations of nine school districts around Lake Kojima and DOWA. Local communities such as Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture and local newspaper companies and TV stations in Okayama City also support the festival. DOWA group is committed to contributing to development of local communities, building on good and sound relationship with them through communications with them.
Even though the cherry blossom festival is a local event, more than 10,000 people attend: We have to respond to traffic, safety and organizing staff members. DOWA group and neighborhood associations of nine school districts gather to design the festival and prepare a plan, which takes about half a year.
More than 700 local people and staff members were involved in the festival on the day as participants, and organized shops, attractions and stages. More than 30 shops offered rice cakes, sushi and other interesting items. Children enjoyed attractions including mini-steam locomotives, experiences with flying balloons, sports and games. Many applauded dances and performances by local group members and children on the stage, including “Fujita Denzaburo Drums” or “Blossom Corridor Dance Song.”
Group companies located in Okayama area exhibited presentation panels and models on metal recycling or gold powders so that local people can gain understanding of our businesses. Among them Bio Diesel Okayama conducted an event to exchange used cooking oil with a flower pot. Many people cooperated for the event and 300 liters of used oil were collected.
Participants enjoyed seeing the models of garbage trucks of Okayama City that actually use biodiesel fuel and refining systems exhibited on the site. They actually saw the relationship between ecology-oriented activities and conservation of environment.
As DOWA was founded in Akita Prefecture, DOWA employees offered a large pan of Akita’s unique kiritampo - mashed rice put on a chopstick to visitors. Visitors enjoyed the authentic taste of Hinai chicken and cicely delivered directly from the place of origin.
Forever with Local People
Tadao Fukai
Vice-chairman of Okayama Neighborhood Association
Chairman of Fukushima School District Neighborhood Association
Principals of local elementary and junior high schools appreciated the tree planting event as a good corporate effort. “Since the event started, children have changed. Joining an event involving them and the communities they live, they have come to realize that people in local communities always pay attention to them,” said one of the principals.
This area is a new town where development started at the middle of 1940s. People around this area were originally cooperative and full of spirit of cooperation. Although people were active within their district, there was no opportunity to get together and do something together. The cherry blossom festival was the first activity in which all neighborhood associations of the nine school districts cooperate together. The festival offers a place for local group activities to make presentation and communication and they all enjoy the event. We would like to continue and promote the tree planting ceremony and the festival as our own unique events as long as we can.Towards the notable site that local citizens can be proud of
Kentaro Yamauchi
Chairman of the Lake Kojima Blossom Corridor Supporters Club
(President of DOWA Electronics Okayama)
The Blossom Corridor celebrates its fifth anniversary this year. We have planted more than 4,200 cherry trees so far thanks to the support and cooperation from local people and administrative offices, and the number of supporters is now 3,800. In this project a person who plants a tree puts his/her name plate on the tree and will continue to voluntarily take care of that tree. As the tree grows, he or she feels more attached to the place where his/her plant is growing.
We have a lot of dreams: plant more cherry trees; make the corridor a place people can enjoy plants and flowers all through the year; make the marathon race and the cherry festival more and more enjoyable. I would like to make the area around Lake Kojima a notable site where local people can be proud of, together with all of you to bring these dreams true.
We held a marathon race on January 30, 2011 along the planted Kawazu cherry trees as part of Kojima Lake Blossom Corridor project. 1,601 amateur runners participated in the race from 18 prefectures and ran along the 3 km, 5 km and 10 km courses. Not only DOWA employees but also many local volunteers cooperated for the race.
DOWA group continues to actively participate in activities contributing to local communities in partnership with local people.
