Local merchants crowded in with proud parents and teachers, eyes glued to the screen and banners waving. It could have been anywhere in Japan during Koshien season: a community gathered around the television in the school cafeteria, neighbors coming together to cheer the home team at the annual spring national high school baseball tournament.
But this cafeteria Monday — 17 days after the magnitude 9.0 earthquake — was at Tohoku High School in Sendai, on the campus shared by Tohoku International School.
For James Steward, headmaster of the international school, watching the game with his neighbors means more than just sports or supporting your school. It represents the true spirit of community.