OTSUCHI, Iwate Prefecture--With tears streaming down his face, Tadashi Sato lamented that all he wanted to do was go fishing again.
OTSUCHI, Iwate Prefecture--With tears streaming down his face, Tadashi Sato lamented that all he wanted to do was go fishing again.
Like many fishermen in northeastern Japan, Sato, 56, lost his boat in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.
The last thing Sato probably ever expected was that an alcohol-fueled session in which he voiced his despair would trigger a fund-raising effort to provide this stricken community with a new fishing boat.
On June 15, Sato’s cheeks were wet again--but this time out of happiness.
It was the day of the launch ceremony of a 19-ton fishing boat constructed specially for the stricken town of Otsuchi through donations.
The boat, called Seya Maru, will likely put to sea in September.
The change of fortune came in the aftermath of the disaster when Haruo Tsuyuki, a resident of Seya Ward in Yokohama, visited Otsuchi as a volunteer to help deliver cooked rice and soup to disaster survivors. It was through these endeavors that Tsuyuki, 33, met Sato.
Tsuyuki, who runs a sheet-plate business, repeatedly visited the town. By October, six months after the disaster, the two men had become fast friends. One night over drinking, Tsuyuki tearfully confided that all he wanted was a boat so he could go fishing.
“I just want to go to sea,” he said.
Shortly after 10 a.m. on June 15, a crowd that included about 140 from Seya gathered to welcome the 25-meter Seya Maru, decked out in colorful flags for a good catch, as it approached the port and locals belted out “Iwai-bune,” a festive boat song.
Among the crowd were fishermen from Otsuchi fisheries cooperative, the owner, and donors from Yokohama.
Haruko Ogawa, 63, operator of a futon bedding shop in Seya Ward who contributed to the cause, was delighted with the outcome.
“I can’t wait to eat fish caught by this boat,” she said.
Many fishermen in Otsuchi’s Ando district, where Sato lives, lost their homes and boats in the disaster that is believed to have claimed some 20,000 lives.
Tsuyuki recalled that after Sato broke down over drinking to talk about his longing to go to sea again, he decided: “We will give a gift of a boat from Seya!”
Tsuyuki said 40 men, including a printer, a doctor and a certified tax accountant, in Seya responded to his call to help the devastated fishing community.
They formed a group to provide a fishing boat that could be operated in the rich fishing waters of the Sanriku sea.
The group aimed to raise 30 million yen ($315,000) from March last year. The members devoted their free time for fund-raising in the streets of Seya Ward day after day.
Their efforts eventually raised 36.25 million yen, which was used as part of the construction costs. The construction of the boat started in March at a shipbuilder in Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture.
On June 14, Sato watched Seya Maru approach the shore. Once again, his eyes welled with tears.
“I can’t believe it’s really true,” he said. “It’s the best form of encouragement. It is unbelievable.”