SENDAI--A rock musician in his spare time, Daisuke Suzuki wanted to deliver some hope to an evacuee who wanted to see a live concert again.
SENDAI--A rock musician in his spare time, Daisuke Suzuki wanted to deliver some hope to an evacuee who wanted to see a live concert again.
So, today, he is busy collecting donations and securing a venue for a rock music festival he is organizing in disaster-hit Ishinomaki, his hometown.
"I believe music will energize reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake," said the 30-year-old guitar player and vocalist.
He will perform at the festival scheduled for Oct. 9.
Suzuki works for an Internet-related company in Sendai. In his spare time, he plays with a band he formed in high school.
The band, Under the Yaku Cedar, participated in the 2008 Arabaki Rock Festival, one of the largest outdoor rock festivals in the Tohoku region.
Suzuki's parents operated a sushi shop near the Ishinomaki fishing port in the same prefecture until the March 11 earthquake.
When he visited his home in June, there was no smell of ocean but the odor of dead fish.
All that was left of his parents' sushi shop was a countertop lying amid the rubble.
His parents survived the tsunami by grabbing fishing net with floats and riding out the waves.
"Seeing the town so heavily damaged, I had no emotions--neither sad nor sorry," Suzuki said. "I was unable to think of anything."
On one of those days, he happened to see a message on Twitter posted by a young man who lived in an evacuation center.
"I'm desperate to see a live concert," the message said.
Suzuki said to himself, "OK. I will deliver a live concert."
He started to find sponsors, contacting fellow musicians and friends who are working for advertising companies.
He commuted to Ishinomaki many times to look for a venue for the concert.
The good news came when the Miyagi San Juan Bautista Museum helped him borrow an outdoor stage.
"We were moved by (Suzuki's) desire to encourage the disaster-stricken people," an official at the museum said.
Suzuki is now negotiating with independent and professional bands to perform at the festival.
"It is easy to say 'reconstruct,' but one needs energy to reconstruct," Suzuki said. "Music can give energy to the audience. I want to make the festival a poignant one, something that can be food for the mind.'