JAPAN|
Of course, an Olympic medal has significance. But the bouquet of flowers that every medal winner is being handed at the Tokyo Olympics has deeper meaning. Much deeper.
The sunflowers and all the other flowers in the bouquet were grown in the three northeastern Japanese prefectures that were devastated by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and the subsequent meltdown of three nuclear reactors.
About 18,000 people died in the catastrophe that hit the prefectures of Iwate, Fukushima and Miyagi. The recovery is still ongoing from that day — March 11, 2011.
Organizers had hoped the Olympics would promote the area. But the pandemic changed much of that and put the focus, instead, on the postponement and running off the Games during a global health crisis. In fact, some residents of the area complained that holding the Olympics distracted time and resources from the recovery.
Eustomas from Fukushima
The bouquets’ Eustomas, which are green and frilly, are grown in Fukushima. After the tsunami killed thousands, the area was devastated by a nuclear disaster, forcing many residents to evacuate.
It was an unlikely place to grow flowers. The Japanese organizers say a nonprofit started trying to cultivate Eustomas there in an attempt to jump-start the economy and help with the recovery effort.
The Olympic victory bouquets feature Eustomas from Fukushima, an area hit hard by the 2011 earthquake.
Switching to flowers was also a practical option for some agricultural producers. Early tests of vegetables grown after the nuclear disaster showed their radiation levels were too high for human consumption, Kyodo News reported. Flowers are held to less strict standards.In the years since the disaster, Eustomas have flourished in Fukushima.
“I hope there is a chance to introduce to the world how much Fukushima has recovered through the flowers,” Yukari Shimizu, who grows flowers in a town that was formerly off-limits because of the radiation, told Kyodo.
Sunflowers from Miyagi
When the tsunami hit, it propelled gigantic waves to Miyagi prefecture, and more than 10,000 people there were killed or are missing.
Olympic organizers say that in the wake of the disaster, parents came back to a hillside in Miyagi to plant sunflowers in memory of their children who died.
Sunflowers from the Miyagi area of Japan are featured in the Olympic bouquets.
“Every year the hill becomes covered with sunflowers,” the organizers said. “The sunflowers from Miyagi reflect the memories of the people who were affected by the disaster.”
Miyagi is known for its roses, and sunflowers are a newer specialty for the area. Flower cultivators needed to develop the expertise and technology to produce small sunflowers that would fit within the small bouquets.
Gentians from Iwate
Just north of Miyagi is Iwate, a coastal area that was also devastated by giant waves. The prefecture produces the majority of Japan’s gentians, a small bright-blue flower. Unlike Miyagi and Fukushima, which tackled growing new species of flowers, Iwate has been growing gentians since at least the 1960s.
The bouquets also feature a small figure of the Olympic mascot, Miraitowa. The cartoon creature has a blue and white checkered headband, and its name is a combination of the Japanese words mirai (future) and towa (eternity). It is meant to be a celebration of Japan’s past and future.
