A Generation That Never Knew the Disaster Shares a Table with Families Who Survived: Kesen Region's Wide-Area Homestay Educational Tours Begin

In May 2026, second-year junior high school students from Sendai, Miyagi, arrived in the Kesen region of Iwate Prefecture. Their destinations were not hotels or inns, but private homes in Rikuzentakata, Ofunato, and Sumita. Sharing dinner, spending the night, and waking up together, adults who lived through the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake shared the evening for the first time with junior high students born after the tragedy.

Fifteen years after the disaster, this overnight stay in Kesen homes provides "direct time"—a form of interaction that goes beyond textbooks or storyteller lectures.

■ Three Municipalities Establish a Unified Hosting System
In February 2026, the NPO SET announced a plan to integrate homestay educational tours across the three Kesen municipalities. Just three months later, in May 2026, the plan became reality as the region welcomed students from four junior high schools in Miyagi and Tokyo.

This is the first time the three Kesen municipalities have collaborated to host homestay tours. While households in Rikuzentakata lead the hosting efforts, they collaborate with Gulf Co., Ltd. in Ofunato and the Sumita Homestay Association to distribute students across homes in all three municipalities. Currently, about 100 households in Kesen are registered, with plans to expand to approximately 150.

Spring hosting began on May 13. By the end of the spring cycle, the region will have hosted a total of 464 students from three schools (107 from a Sendai city junior high, 269 from another Sendai city junior high, and 88 from a Koto-ku junior high). The cycle will conclude in June with 112 students from a Tokyo junior high school.

■ Feedback from First-Time Host Families
Several households participated as host families for the first time.

In Ofunato, a host family reported that their evening barbecue was a huge success. The students from a faraway land spent a lively evening gathered around the fire.

In Rikuzentakata, a first-time host family mentioned that students proactively helped with chores and even cleaned up before leaving.

"The students were all so well-mannered and charming. I'm glad we talked," one host family commented.

At the farewell, there were warm handshakes, hugs, and even students who couldn't hold back tears. This short one-night experience became a meaningful ground for interaction in each household.

■ Moving Toward "Lasting Relationships"
Since the NPO SET began homestay programs in Rikuzentakata, phrases like "I want to come back" and "I want you to come again" have frequently been exchanged between hosts and students.
Expanding the Kesen homestay program is an attempt to spread the foundation of these relationships to more households and more areas.

By having 100 households in three municipalities collaborate to welcome schools of various sizes under a unified system, it becomes easier to create "lasting relationships" rather than one-time events.

■ 2026 Hosting Status and Future Schedule
In the spring season, 576 students from four schools will be hosted. For the autumn season (September–November), the region plans to host approximately 1,670 students from eight schools, including junior high schools in Miyagi, four Kanagawa prefectural high schools, Tokyo metropolitan high schools, and private high schools in Tokyo.

In fiscal year 2026, a total of 12 schools and approximately 2,250 students are scheduled to be hosted.

For inquiries about Kesen homestays, please feel free to contact the NPO SET homestay secretariat. The dining tables of Rikuzentakata, Ofunato, and Sumita will continue to serve as places connecting schools nationwide with Kesen.