April 16, 2012

When Kamaishi was struck by the tsunami, its business district was destroyed and along with it, many of the town’s restaurants. Thanks to contributions from the Japan-America Society of Indiana (JASI) and others, JCIE is providing a grant to the Fuji Social Welfare Foundation for an innovative “Kitchen Car Project” that is investing in the establishment of a small fleet of food trucks in Kamaishi, which are rented for a low fee to local chefs who have lost their restaurants. The trucks operate in different areas around town to provide low-cost, high-quality fare, in the process stimulating other local economic activity by attracting residents to these areas of the city. This grant will be used to procure one new truck and one “yatai“—a portable food stand with covered seating and vinyl walls that can be “docked” to the kitchen cars at night or in bad weather. Eventually, the project will provide a path back to restaurant ownership for the participating chefs, but for the time being, it is playing an important role in employing them and keeping them from deserting the region. For more information…