When Richard Bliah visited Ishinomaki last August after the coastal city in Miyagi Prefecture was devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the veteran French architect was quite sure many residents lost not only family and friends but also the "network of people living in the same area" — and wanted those ties restored.

Bliah, who has lived in Tokyo for 37 years, said the survivors needed a place where they could gather again to rebuild their ties through communal activities and where they could think about their futures.

"The stress that you can accumulate when (members of a community) are spread out is massive," he said, adding that everyone he met in Ishinomaki seemed willing to start a new life, and needed something to kick-start that dream.