Helping and supporting each other — We are taking action to make our communities even more pleasant to live in. See the next page for details. 【キャプション】 A flower transplantation activity (photographed in April) Streaming Koho Yokohama. Koho Yokohama Hiroi-Yomi streams recommended articles from Koho Yokohama. 広報よこはま拾い読み　　　Search Warm ties supporting communities Fumiko Hayashi Mayor of Yokohama Having finally become accustomed to their new life after the start of the new school year, our children are exchanging greetings with volunteers guarding their safety and people in the neighborhood on the way to school. This scene unfolding every morning on our streets makes me realize that Yokohama’s children are being carefully protected and raised in the community. These days, more and more households are composed solely of nuclear families, and people say that neighborhood and interpersonal ties are growing weaker. In Yokohama, however, many people love their neighborhood and are enthusiastically engaged in activities to deepen ties in it. The other day, I had the opportunity to visit centers of neighborhood interchange in the wards of Seya and Kanazawa. The centers are places where all people, from children to senior citizens, can spend time with peace of mind. They have plazas where staff can watch over children, hold study meetings on senile dementia, and are developing programs for building health and other purposes. I am sure that each and every one of these community and neighborhood association activities are supporting and enriching the local life. Community ties have also been a vital strength in the wake of large-scale disasters caused by earthquakes or torrential rains in various parts of Japan. The sight of people in affected neighborhoods checking on each other’s well-being, sharing foodstuffs, and living together in evacuation shelters cannot help but to impress one all over again with the importance of community ties. Little acts of concern for and greetings to neighbors may very well be the key to always living with peace of mind in the familiar area of residence. Yokohama, too, is determined to provide solid support for community ties. We’re happy we joined the community/neighborhood association! The members watch over our children. I was worried about our child walking back home from school alone. It reassures me to know that members of the community association are watching the children at crosswalks, and looking after and speaking to them on the way to and from school. A woman in her 40s Members came to see if I was okay when the big quake struck. After the Great East Japan Earthquake struck, the head and other officials of the community association made the rounds of the homes of people living alone. They called to me and made sure I was alright. I was uneasy and downhearted, and their visit really made me feel saved. A woman in her 60s Peace of mind with friends nearby When I first moved into the neighborhood, I didn’t know anyone and felt uneasy, so I was reassured when an official from the neighborhood association reached out to me. As I and my family participated in the association events, we got acquainted with more people and now live in the neighborhood with complete contentment. A man in his 30s It’s fun to spend time with friends in the neighborhood association. Each month, I take part in the luncheons for elderly who live alone. I enjoy these monthly luncheons. While eating together, we talk and are entertained by things such as a performance on the guitar by an association official and a picture-story show on crime prevention. I am grateful to the association people for caring about me on a routine basis. A man in his 70s Crime prevention and traffic safety The associations make crime-prevention patrols and protect the safety of children on roads to and from school in the neighborhood. Through these and other activities, they strive to keep the area safe and secure. Festivals and events The associations hold festivals, sports tournaments, and other events that are fun for the whole family and help to build face-to-face ties among residents. Every year, we conduct a fire hose drill for readiness in the event of fire. Through this drill, the association members master skills for connecting hoses to fireplugs and handling other fire-fighting equipment. Beginning this year, we are building an additional mechanism for confirming the safety of people in the neighborhood, and are holding drills to prevent disaster, with the goal of participation by all people in the neighborhood. Michio Kudo President, Tomei Association, Totsuka Ward Disaster prevention The associations are putting efforts into preparations for emergency situations, such as the stockpiling of emergency supplies and implementation of disaster-prevention drills. Our association gives a birthday present to families with a newborn baby, to convey our felicitations and welcome the new arrival. We engage in all sorts of other activities as well to deepen enjoyable interchange among our members. Tomoko Kojima President, Honmoku-2 Hokubu Neighborhood Association, Naka Ward Beautification of the neighborhood The associations work to make neighborhoods cleaner and more pleasant for residence by clean-up campaigns and management of waste collection stations. Supporting childcare and building health Associations hold circles on childcare and health. They involve the whole neighborhood in providing support for childcare and building health. Community and neighborhood associations are dedicated to mutual help and support. There are about 2,900 community and neighborhood associations in Yokohama. The purpose of each is to make the neighborhood a good place to live, so that residents can spend each day in it pleasantly and with peace of mind. To this end, they are involved in wide-ranging activities on a steady basis. Another goal is to breed ties of mutual aid and support among the residents through the routine activities of the association. In times of disaster in particular, neighbors will have to save each other’s lives. We strongly urge all people to take a look at the activities of the association in their neighborhood and participate in them, beginning with one that is of even a little interest. Takayoshi Matsuzawa President, Yokohama League of Neighborhood Associations Take part in the activities of the association in your neighborhood! To apply for membership, please contact your community/neighborhood association or the community promotion division of the ward office in the ward of your residence. Contact: Community Activities Promotion Division, Civic Affairs Bureau Tel: 045-671-2317 Fax: 045-664-0734 The 33rd National Urban Greenery Fair Yokohama – A Riot of Roses in May - The 33rd National Urban Greenery Fair Yokohama, a festival of flowers and greenery, is now being held and will run to June 4. Beginning in early May, the rose, our city flower, will be at the height of its beauty. The rose gardens at the various festival venues are going to change their presentation themes as diverse specimens of rose come into bloom. Visitors will surely enjoy this veritable riot of roses. Fair mascot: Garden Bear © ITOON/GN2017 Contact: NTT Hello Dial Service Tel: 050-5548-8686 (8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. until June 4) Fax: 045-264-8978 よこはまフェア　　　Search Yamashita Park Future Rose Garden 【キャプション】 A continuous arch of roses over the heads of strollers in May. Visitors will find eye-catching three-dimensional presentations featuring an archway of roses and obelisks.* The gardens will be redone with a rich palette of colors, thanks to the addition of new roses and all types of other vegetation to the existing rose beds. * Struts for climbing by vine plants. Nihon-odori Nihon-odori Flower Festa 【キャプション】 Towering clusters of roses planted in May. Both sides of Nihon-odori will be planted with 1,000 flowers, mainly roses. In addition, 200 obelisks* will be used to create a gorgeous riot of roses. Harbor View Park Scented Garden 【キャプション】 Conceptual depiction The garden is planted with about 100 types of fragrant plants. Visitors who walk through the archway of roses will be showered with their sweet fragrance. Harbor View Park English Rose Garden 【キャプション】 Conceptual depiction The English Garden is colored mainly with subdued hues such as silver and bluish-green. Its main feature is the approximately 1,200 flowers of about 150 different English Rose species. Satoyama Garden Welcome Garden 【キャプション】 Take a photo at the Garden Bear photo spot! In the Welcome Garden, which was designed by Masashi Mikami, Yokohama’s PR Goodwill Ambassador, the “So” variety of rose, whose production was inspired by Mikami, will be at the height of its beauty. Located on the future site of a botanical park (next to Yokohama Zoological Gardens “Zoorasia” in Asahi Ward) Plenty of participation-oriented events at Satoyama Garden! ● Forest Adventure Yokohama (for a fee, reservations required) Experience of an adventure playground with a wire for flying through the forest ● Glamping Site (Partially for a fee, reservations required) An urban camping experience featuring a café in the woods and stylish tents. ● Workshops on Saturdays and Sundays (partially for a fee, reservations required) For preparing mini-pots for succulent plants and pots for other plants, etc. ● Satoyama Walk An event in which participants walk to Satoyama Garden from the three nearest railway stations For details on other events etc., see the website. Top athletes will be racing past the Red Brick Warehouse! 2017 ITU World Triathlon Yokohama May 13 (Sat.) & 14 (Sun.) Special venues in the vicinity of Yamashita Park (Naka Ward) Starting and finishing lines: Yamashita Park In triathlons, athletes compete in a contest comprised of three consecutive events: swimming, cycling, and running. The peak triathlon event this year is the 2017 ITU World Triathlon Yokohama. In it, athletes from around the world will take part in fierce competition unfolding on the stage of Yokohama sightseeing spots such as Yamashita Park and the Minato Mirai 21 district. This eighth holding of the Triathlon will envelope the streets of Yokohama in the heat of its competition. May 13 (Sat.) Elite Paratriathlon: 6:55 – 9:10 a.m. Elite (Women's): 10:06 a.m. – 12:16 p.m. Elite (Men’s): 1:06 – 3:06 p.m. Live TV coverage: NHK BS1, 10:00 a.m. – 3:15 p.m., May 13 (Sat.) May 14 (Sun.) Age Group (general participation): 7:15 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Addition of the Red Brick Warehouse to the Elite course The highlight of the Triathlon will be the Elite Paratriathlon and Elite (women’s and men’s) events. Because a stretch running through the Red Brick Warehouse grounds will be newly added to the cycling course, the world’s top triathlon athletes will be racing over the Red Brick Warehouse event space. The race demands the most sophisticated cycling techniques, and spectators will be able to see the athletes zoom past from a close vantage that conveys all their speed. © Shugo TAKEMI Paratriathlon – exciting to watch! The Paratriathlon will bring together athletes who competed at the Rio Paralympics and other world-class athletes for another round of spirited competition. The Age Paratriathlon will also be held on the 14th. The sight of the athletes giving their all in the race is truly moving. © Shugo TAKEMI For enjoyment with the races - EXPO The EXPO will be a big favorite with both the Triathlon athletes and ordinary visitors. More than 50 companies will have booths in Yamashita Park, which is already filled with flowers and shrubs as a venue of the National Urban Greenery Fair Yokohama. The EXPO will enliven the festivities with the offer of Triathlon goods only available there, sales of distinctively Yokohaman foods and beverages, and entertaining stage events. There will also be a program linking Yokohama Walking Point with the Triathlon. Elite course map Starting line Transition area Finishing line Yamashita Park Yamashita Park will be the spectator point for savoring all the appeals of the Triathlon, from the excitement of the start to the cheering in the transition area (where the event changes), and further to the exchange of “high fives” between the athletes and the spectators as the former head toward the finish line. Yokohama Three Towers area In the stretches along the Kanagawa Prefectural Government Building, Yokohama Customs, and Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall, the focus will fall on the jockeying among the leaders in the running and cycling legs. Spectators will literally be able to hear the athletes puffing. Red Brick Warehouse and Minato Mirai 21 district This area is favored for the views of athletes racing by some of Yokohama’s scenic points. Spectators are bound to be bowled over by the speedy cycling against the backdrop of the big ferris wheel and across the Red Brick Warehouse event space, which was newly added to the Elite course. Swimming: 1.5 km (0.75 km × two laps) Cycling: 40 km (4.45 km × nine laps) Running: 10 km (2.5 km × four laps) Courses Swimming course Cycling course Running course Yamashita Pier Port of Yokohama NYK Hikawa-maru Yokohama Marine Tower Yamashita Park Hotel Monterey Yokohama Motomachi-Chukagai Station Chinatown Osanbashi Yokohama International Passenger Terminal Yokohama Archives of History Nihon-odori Station Kanagawa Prefectural Government Building Yokohama Port Opening Memorial Hall Yokohama Customs Zou-no-Hana Park NYK Maritime Museum Red Brick Warehouse Shinko Circle Walk Yokohama World Porters Bashamichi Station Minatomirai Line Requesting your cooperation with traffic regulations When traveling in the direction of the venues on the two Triathlon days, please use means of public transportation. In addition, please check traffic regulations and detour routes on the website before you leave, and follow the instructions on signs and from on-site staff on the days of competition. Contact: ITU World Triathlon Yokohama Event Office Tel: 045-680-5538 Fax: 045-641-2371 横浜トライアスロン　　Search