Photo/Illutration New students in kimono enter Ryori Elementary School's gymnasium for their entrance ceremony in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, on April 1. (Koichiro Yoshida)

OFUNATO, Iwate Prefecture—Ryori Elementary School could stick to its long-held tradition of holding its entrance ceremony on April 1 despite dealing with the aftermath of a massive wildfire.

The practice of holding the ceremony on this specific date is said to have been established before World War II.

Ryori Elementary School's eight new students were all dressed in colorful kimono for the occasion and welcomed with applause as they nervously entered the gymnasium. 

Even so, the children answered "yes" and energetically shot to their feet when a teacher called out each of their names.

“We will greet each other and respond properly every day. We will also protect our lives in emergency situations,” Principal Hiroko Tomizawa told the students at the ceremony.

"I will study hard. I’m also looking forward to school lunch," said a smiling Taku Sasaki who is part of the new batch.

Taku's family is currently renting a house after evacuating from theirs because of the fire.

Sosuke Sasaki, another new student, told reporters that he wants to be a firefighter because he admires the helicopters battling the flames for days on end. 

A forest fire broke out in Ofunato's Akasakicho district in Iwate Prefecture on Feb. 26.

The elementary school temporarily closed from the next day. The fire burned through about 2,900 hectares, around 9 percent of the city. 

It ultimately resulted in one resident's death and damaged a total of 210 buildings, 76 of which were houses that were completely destroyed.

Classes resumed at the school on March 17. During its closure, that same gymnasium where the entrance ceremony was held served as a base for firefighting efforts.

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