Friday, April 3, 2020
In late March, when snow was still lingering, a long-abandoned plot of land in the Hekisui district was leveled by volunteers. The volunteers were Kazuo Kimura (79, chairman of the Hokuryu Town Senior Citizens Club "Himawari Longevity Club") and Masahiro Iwakura (77), who was helping out.
Kazuo Kimura
Abandoned land and houses
The house had been vacant for many years and was dilapidated, and the land was barren of trees. It faces National Route 233 and is a busy area.
Overall view
Along National Route 233
Abandoned house
Acquired houses and land to improve the landscape and environment of Hokuryu Town
Kazuo Kimura (79 years old) felt that if things continued as they were, it would be bad for the scenery and environment of Hokuryu Town, so he decided to take the plunge and acquire the land and the house. He began leveling the land himself, despite the objections of his wife and friends.
Cutting down trees with a chainsaw
Kazuo Kimura and Masahiro Iwakura
With the help (support) of Masahiro Iwakura (77 years old), they will set up scaffolding, cut down trees, level the ground after fallen trees have fallen, uproot them after the snow melts, and level and organize the land until it is ready for use as a field.
The story of Kazuo Kimura
"Because the land faces the national highway, it is surprisingly conspicuous. I have thought for many years that it would be better to cut down the ragged trees, maintain the area, and improve the environment. I would like to preserve and utilize this wonderful place in Hokuryu Town. I have various ideas for the future, such as turning it into a community vegetable garden (field) or pasture.
As for the house on the land, it seems to leak, so we are not considering using it at the moment. We are thinking about renting a backhoe next season when there is a lot of snow and demolishing it ourselves.
"The current land leveling work will likely take four to five days to complete. After that, once the snow melts, I'll borrow a backhoe and do the uprooting and tidying up, little by little, in between farm work," said Kimura with a gentle smile.
The view on the third day of ground leveling work
This is the view three days after land development began.
We have limitless respect, gratitude, and prayers for Mr. Kimura's passionate love for Hokuryu Town and his great spirit of challenge.
Other photos
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◇ Photography and editing: Noboru Terauchi Interview and text: Ikuko Terauchi
