Gilroy's Sister City Looks to Help Japan's Hard-Hit Coast

While aftershocks continue to rumble through the rural, mountain town of Takko-Machi, life is slowly returning to normal for the 7,000 people who live there, residents said.

"Spirits are strong here in Takko-Machi!" wrote Jessica Brewka, coordinator for international relations, on the city's Facebook page.

Last week, Gilroy Patch reported about how

That rationing, Brewka wrote, may have been the reason that the rolling blackouts that the government planned for the surrounding Tohoku region have yet to happen.

"Many of them have been canceled, which I personally believe is partially due to the communal effort to save energy," said Brewka, " Those businesses that have remained open are using fewer lights, cutting back on heating, and closing early."

School in Takko-Machi has gone on as scheduled, she said, with graduations and spring break happening next Thursday.

In an interview with Gilroy Patch last week, Brewka said members of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme planned to travel to hard-hit cities like the coastal Sendai to help with recovery efforts during spring break.

Takko-Machi was spared much of the devastation after the magnitude 8.9 earthquake hit off Japan's northeast coast last Friday, with no major injuries and only a small landslide. 

Many city residents have been inspired by Gilroy's response, Brewka said. Messages of concern have poured in, and Brittany Smith, a Gilroy High School student who visited Takko-Machi last summer,

"Takko's Garlic Center has put out a box asking Takko locals for donations to send down south," Brewka wrote.

Takko's Garlic Center, set to open again this weekend, showcases many products from "The Garlic Capital of Japan" and features a "Gilroy Cafe."

The two cities have shared a robust relationship, and more than 1,000 students from Takko-Machi have visited Gilroy since 1988, said Hugh Smith, president of the sister cities program in Gilroy.

“It looks so much like Gilroy,” Smith said, having twice visited the city for its annual garlic and beef festival.

Gilroy has six sister cities, but Takko-Machi is by far the most active, Smith said.