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Del Norte County’s friendship with Rikuzentakata, Japan will be among the many symbols of hope highlighted during a week of events commemorating 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

The personal and professional relationships that began with Kamome — the 20-foot fishing vessel that belonged to Rikuzentakata’s high school and washed ashore at South Beach two years after the disaster — will be part of a panel discussion at 4 p.m. Sunday.

“They’ve asked this panel to focus on the Sister City relationships and the future,” Del Norte County District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard told the Wild Rivers Outpost. “What has emerged out of the relationship between Crescent City and Del Norte County and Rikuzentakata.”

Part of Footprints & Footsteps: 3.11 and the Future of Tohoku, a week-long series of events hosted by the Japan Local Government Center, the discussion will include input from Howard, chairman of the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors.

Panelists also include Crescent City resident Jen Kelly, part of the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, Del Norte High School graduate Samantha Fuller and Takanori Obayashi, Rikuzentakata’s assistant director of branding and business development.

Amya Miller, former principal consultant for Rikuzentakata and co-author of the children’s book “The Extraordinary Voyage of Kamome: A Tsunami Boat Comes Home” will moderate the discussion and be a panelist herself.

According to Howard, Miller helped facilitate the cultural exchanges that began with students from Del Norte and Takata high schools, included educational collaboration and economic opportunities for both communities, and led ultimately to the Sister City pact they signed in 2018.

The exchanges began with Del Norte High School students deciding to clean up the barnacle bedraggled boat in 2013 and ship it back to Takata High School.

During the discussion on Sunday, Howard said he will offer a perspective on the relationship as a government official and will talk about the various business developments that have arisen. In Del Norte County, these include SeaQuake Brewing’s Kamome Ale and Kamome Dry Jack developed by Rumiano Cheese.

There’s also the NBC Sports feature on the relationship that will air during the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo and is already available on the network’s Peacock streaming service.

In addition to Footprints & Footsteps: 3.11 and the Future of Tohoku, the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco is hosting an online event Thursday commemorating the 10th anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami. Unshakable Friendship Beyond Borders, a memorial, will be streamed at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Howard has also asked a joint proclamation between the county and Crescent City be placed on Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors agenda commemorating the anniversary of the tsunami.

Howard said a 10-minute video focusing on the “kindness and hope” that Kamome brought to both communities will aired during the meeting.

State Sen. Mike McGuire and Assemblyman Jim Wood will also read resolutions into the record commemorating the anniversary, Howard said.

The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami claimed 15,894 lives, left 2,546 people missing and displaced 341,411 people, according to the joint proclamation. The disaster caused nearly $300 billion in damages with Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture being one of the hardest-hit areas.

Howard pointed out that 2011 earthquake sent a tsunami that caused $50 million in damages to the Crescent City Harbor and took a life at the mouth of the Klamath River.

“It was sad, but it’s something that occurred here,” he said. “People forget.”

Documents:

• Joint Proclamation Remembering Great East Japan Earthquake

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