Back to work! – Revisiting Iwate Prefectural Government

It didn’t feel so strange walking back into Iwate kencho, the prefectural government building where I had worked each day for three years. But there were signs that things were different now. The most obvious change was the efforts by everyone to conserve electricity (setsuden). Lights were switched off, so it was noticeably darker in the office. The air conditioning has been switched off all summer, so people have adapted by keeping hand-held fans (uchiwa) at their desks and wearing ‘Ganbaro Iwate’ polo shirts instead of suits. (This year the government is promoting ‘super cool biz’ dress codes, allowing public servants to ditch their suits and wear more casual, cooler clothing in the heat. Many people have taken the opportunity to wear T-shirts with ‘ganbaro’ and other messages of support on them, in a show of solidarity with the people affected by the disaster. )

The Governor of Iwate in super cool biz mode
Source: http://www.pref.iwate.jp/view.rbz?cd=13286&ik=0&of=1

After briefly meeting my successors in the NPO, Culture and International Relations Division, it was off to the Reconstruction Office, to hear about how they are planning to rebuild the coastal communities devastated by the tsunami.