Tanabata Festival and restored Usuiso Beach in Iwaki, August 8th, 2019. （いわきの七夕まつりと再開した薄磯海水浴場、2019年8月8日。）
（Iwaki Tanabata Festival, Iwaki, August 8, 2019. いわき七夕まつり いわき 8/8/2019）
Today was another hot mid-summer day in Fukushima. Iwaki Tanabata Festival or the Star Festival took place at the main streets in front of JR Iwaki Station. A number of large tanabata decorations swayed as they were hung above the crowds as shown in the picture above. Well known Sendai Tanabata Festival was also being held on the same day in Miyagi Prefecture, but please be reminded that this local tanbata festival was also great.
今日も、福島県は暑い真夏の日でした。いわき駅前の通りでは、いわき七夕まつりが開催され、写真のような七夕飾りが多数風に舞いました。宮城の仙台七夕まつりが有名ですが、いわきの地元の方々のこのお祭りも盛大です。
（Iwaki Tanabata Festival, Iwaki, August 8, 2019. いわき七夕まつり いわき 8/8/2019）
Some other photos of today were shown in the pictures above. There were many kinds of them.
七夕飾りは、写真のようにたくさんの種類がありました。
（Usuiso Beach, Iwaki, August 8, 2019. 薄磯海水浴場 いわき 8/8/2019）
In the meantime, more beaches along the Pacific coast reopened in this season (a total of 7) as the reconstruction work of seawalls and access roads were completed after they were destructed by the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Usuiso beach was one of them, which reopened in 2017, and which was located right next to a landmark Shioyazaki Lighthouse as shown in a picture above. Although not so many people were on the beach today, still, many local families were enjoying sunbathing and swimming.
一方で、この夏更に多くの海水浴場が福島の浜通りで再開（全7カ所）しました。2011年の東日本大震災で壊れた防潮堤や道路の再建が完成したからです。薄磯海水浴場（2017年再開）もその1つで、ランドマークの塩屋崎灯台のすぐとなりにあります。本日は、地元の家族連れが多く来て楽しんでいました。
Usuiso district was severely hit by the tsunami at the time and today new seawalls were built and also new disaster prevention forest belt higher than the seawall was added in the inland area as shown above. The young trees have just started to grow.
震災当時、薄磯地区は津波の大被害がありましたが、現在新たな防潮堤が完成し、その内陸側に更に高い防災緑地（写真）ができて、まだ若いですが木が生長しつつあります。
The exact route and locations are shown in the map below. The map can be scaled up and down with a click and scroll.
ルートと場所は、下の地図を参照ください。地図は、クリックとスクロールで、拡大・縮小が可能です。
