On May 25, 20 people gathered on a beach in Majuro, the capital of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, to engage in clean-up hinokishin as part of Tenrikyo Hinokishin Day. The Marshall Islands, located about halfway between Hawaii and Australia, is an island country known as the “Pearl of the Pacific” for its beautiful atolls. This clean-up hinokishin was organized by Masataka Mizutani, a 28-year-old Yoboku, and Hisae Adachi, a 23-year-old Yoboku, both of whom work at the Embassy of Japan in Majuro. Although Tenrikyo Hinokishin Day had not been scheduled in this country, Mizutani and Adachi organized the hinokishin activity to clean the beach by inviting staff members of the embassy and a local office of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
In recent years, littering has been a serious issue in the Marshall Islands. Adachi, who helps run the Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, said: “People who joined this hinokishin activity were pleased to see the beautiful beach after cleaning up. I hope this effort will lead to conducting hinokishin activities on a regular basis in the Marshall Islands.”