ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi Prefecture--Two 1-kilogram gold bars worth 10 million yen ($107,000) were sent anonymously to the operator of a fish market here that was destroyed in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.
ISHINOMAKI, Miyagi Prefecture--Two 1-kilogram gold bars worth 10 million yen ($107,000) were sent anonymously to the operator of a fish market here that was destroyed in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.
The gold bars, each bearing the stamp of Credit Suisse and a guarantee of purity, were addressed to Kunio Suno, president of the Ishinomaki fish market.
"I will use them for reconstruction of the market," the 69-year-old Suno said at a Feb. 13 news conference.
Suno said the bars were delivered Feb. 8 in a box marked "aid supply." The sender's name was listed as "group to support reconstruction from earthquake and tsunami." There was no return address or telephone number.
"What a surprise," Suno said on finding the gold bars in plastic wrap and pages from a magazine.
Suno was able to determine that the dispatch address was from the city of Nagano, where he attended an academic conference last year.
"I want to tell whoever sent this, 'thank you,' '' said Suno. "This gift really encourages us, particularly when our spirits are low."
The fish market is now doing business in temporarily erected tents, and new facilities will be complete in the spring of 2015.
"If we find out who sent the bars, I will invite the senders to visit us and see the new market," Suno said.