About 900 people are running or riding bicycles in a 1,000-km relay to show their support for reconstruction in the Tohoku region that was hit hard by the Great East Japan Earthquake and its monster tsunami in 2011.
On Thursday, all of the participants, including TV celebrity Makoto Nonomura, stopped to offer prayers in front of a public building for disaster prevention in Minamisanriku, Miyagi Prefecture, that was devastated by the earthquake and tsunami.
They set out for the day at 9 a.m. at Bayside Arena in Minamisanriku and ended at Matsushima City Hall.
The overall relay started Thursday at the Aomori prefectural office and will end Aug. 7 at Symbol Promenade Park in Koto Ward, Tokyo.