Consul-General Ito Attends Presentation Ceremony of Auspicious Fishing Boat Flag at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
2019/7/27
Students from northeastern Japan’s junior high and high schools, along with children from Toronto,
proudly parade with their completed tairyobata (an auspicious fishing boat flag).
On July 23, Consul-General of Japan Takako Ito attended and gave remarks at a special presentation ceremony at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Junior high and high school students from Japan’s northeastern Tohoku region presented a tairyobata (an auspicious fishing boat flag signifying a large catch), which they produced with children at the hospital.
The nine Japanese students were in Toronto on the homestay program of the Support Our Kids (SOK) Program, which provides assistance to children from areas that were affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The tairyobata they produced with the kids from Holland Bloorview is an auspicious symbol in Japan used to celebrate births and to cheer on sports teams, among other occasions. This flag will be used to root for the Canadian team at the Rugby World Cup 2019 starting in Japan in September. It was presented to Mr. Al Charron of Rugby Canada with best wishes from the children.
Canada will play its fourth match at the Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium in the City of Kamaishi in Iwate Prefecture.
A child from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital takes part in making the flag.
Consul-General of Japan Takako Ito extends words of encouragements to the Japanese students and the local children.
A commemorative photo. (From left: Mr. James Matsumoto; Ms. Julia Hanigsberg, President and CEO of
Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital; Consul-General Ito. Far back, centre: Mr. Al Charron of
Rugby Canada. Back row, second from right: Ms. Chako Setoyama) The Support Our Kids in Toronto is
administered by Mr. Matsumoto and Ms. Setoyama.
The Japanese students give a presentation on the Great East Japan Earthquake, life after the disaster,
The Japanese students give a presentation on the Great East Japan Earthquake, life after the disaster,
the subsequent recovery and lessons that have been learned.