ONAGAWA, Miyagi Prefecture--In this small port town in northeast Japan, a common sight in winter months is tens of thousands of fish drying on racks.
ONAGAWA, Miyagi Prefecture--In this small port town in northeast Japan, a common sight in winter months is tens of thousands of fish drying on racks.
Exposed to cold air, Pacific sauries become more delicious, and during peak season in winter, as many as 30,000 sauries are dried each day.
That all changed after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011.
The tsunami that struck Onagawa destroyed or damaged fish-processing plants and refrigeration facilities.
Recovery has been slow. But seafood products manufacturer Yamahon has made progress, and on Dec. 20, had 2,000 sauries hung out to dry for the first time since 3/11.
“We want to raise the number of sauries little by little,” said Takeharu Yamamoto, a senior Yamahon official. "We are happy if our activity is of some help for the reconstruction of Onagawa.”
The dried sauries will be shipped to all parts of Japan, and the drying operation will continue in Onagawa until March.