At the Terazu area in a southwestern department of Tendo-shi, they clean up Terazu marshs on October 22. Participants took a weed in and around the marsh, picked up trashes. After the cleaning, they had a party "Imoni-kai". It is a local traditional event in Yamagata pref. We go to a riverside and cook a pot food "Imoni" which are boiled beef, taro, Japanese tofu with soy sauce for a long time. In autumn, you have a time to see that party everywhere in Yamagata pref.

Yamagata local goverment maintain the Terazu marsh as a hydrophile property park , it is changed from a Mecca of fishing to an open space of rest. And two local media, Yamagata Broadcasting Center and Yamagata Newspaper, selected the Terazu marsh as the place of "Mogami River cherry tree corridor", they planted many cherry trees around the marsh in 1999. There are some beautiful place of cherry trees in Tendo. This Terazu area will be listed next year same as Mt. Maizuru where we have the event "Ningen Shogi".

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Imo-ni (5th festival of Heisei Nabe Gassen)

http://www.ikechang.com/pot/5th/menu0e.htm#imoni

Location of Terazu area in Tendo

http://www.ikechang.com/map_d1e.htm

A volleyball team of "Tohoku Pioneer", the local company which represents Tendo, they participate in a professional league of Japanese volleyball community "V league". After they promoted from a V1 league to a V league last year, they established a fan club in June, 2000. And they have a first meeting of fun club at Tohoku Pioneer gymnasium on October 21. At a meeting place, over 100 people gathered not only in Yamagata pref. but also in other prefectures, they enjoyed autograph sessions, Open exercise, Imoni party(one of local traditional food in Yamagata pref.), etc.

Tohoku Pioneer volleyball team "Pioneer Red Wings", they participated in the Toyama National Athletic Meet in 2000 and they had a result of the fourth place in Japan. From this year, they invite Mr. Arie Selinger as a new supervisor who served at a volleyball team of Daiei. They work hard at exercises toward the V league which it is close to start.

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Tohoku Pioneer volleyball team

http://www.pioneer.co.jp/topec/sports/vb.html

The Ministry of Home Affairs promotes a merger of all local autonomous bodies in whole country scale. They decided to be able to install a conference with majority agreement on a referendum, even if an assembly of a local autonomous body objects inhabitants' direct requestof the establishment of conference about a merger. The Ministry considered a case if inhabitants demand a merger of other cities, there is a possibility that an assembly objects their demand.

Inhabitants proposal system was included by a exceptional merger law revision of 1995. They can ask the establishment of a conference about a merger with signatures of a one-50th of a qualified voters. There were 83 direct requests still now in whole Japan. However, actually, it is only 23 cases that a conference was installed. It means that there are a lot of examples which a mayor or an assembly objected to install.

In Japan, a result of referendum was handled as reference still now. However, this decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs means that a referendum have a legal validity. They considered that a movement of merger comes to progress. It is the first tiem after the "promotion law of city, towns and villages construction" (lapsed in 1965) when "large merger in Showa era" was promoted from 1950's to 1960's that a referendum system becomes a law about a merger of local autonomous bodies. From one viewpoint, it may be said that they regard opinions of Inhabitants as importantare. But from another viewpoint, we may say that we see their attitude clearly that they want to remove obstacles if possible when they push forward a merger.

At Araya area located in a southeastern department of Tendo, one farmer Mr.Kiyoukni SAITOH works at production of "a super early cherry" before 22 years. The original season of cherry is from the beginning of June to the end of July. He warms a plastic greenhouse and hastens growth. In a plastic greenhouse, flowers of a cherry are in full bloom now. He started a pollination work from October 1.

These days, not only Yamagata pref. but also Yamanashi, Iwate and Aomori pref. deal with production of cherrys. We don't have a conventional high price because farmers in those production place also work on a early cherry recently. He have shipped cherry on January 4 every year. But this year he hastens a schedules a little, he work hard to be able to ship them on December 20 before Christmas.

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Tourist Orchard in Tendo

http://www.ikechang.com/fruits0e.htm