Ms. S (a woman in her 50’s) Ｓさん、５０歳代

September 8, 2016 In the morning of 3.11, I was working to seed oysters at the pier. My husband was gone to Mangokuura. After work, I went to my parents’ house with my daughter to borrow some rice as we didn’t have any for dinner that day. I felt a strong tremor while I was there. Their house wasn’t damaged since it was built on a strong ground. I heard a siren warning for a large Tsunami. After that, for two months we stayed there. I knew water supply would stop after the earthquake, so I started to save up water within 20 minutes of the earthquake. People who lived near the beach were supposed to evacuate to the temple on the hill. At night, I saw ships and cars burning with flames. On the third day, my husband came to pick us up by a small truck. I was worried because there was no information. A stranger kept engine of the car running and let us charge our mobile phones even gasoline was scarce. I waited in a line for three hours to charge. The water came up to the ceiling of the 2nd floor of our house. After I came back to the house near the beach, I was thinking that it would be nice if we had a workshop and a meeting place. Then a support organization provided a stowage which inside was a room setting. From a long time before the disaster, I was hoping to make processed foods using local fresh fish such as vacuum packed salt water eels. We wanted to utilize the oysters that were saved from the disaster and offer them for free to the volunteers. So, we organized something called “Reconstruction Appreciation Festival” in 2012 and offered the oysters free. It turned out that many people discretely left money for them. After that, we held a tent for free oysters every weekend. Since our oyster farm was destroyed, I had no job for a while but came up with many ideas. First, an oyster shelling work place was completed. And, I opened the restaurant where grilled oysters, oyster noodles, oyster gratin, etc. were served. People who were here from far away were impressed with their deliciousness. My restaurant was a temporary set up, but one day an entertainer came and taught me how to cook gratin. Even before the 3.11, four women from four beaches had a get together once a year and had fun having girls’ talk. I used to look forward to it very much. This restaurant couldn’t have been run alone, but we could with the four of us. We also cooked smoked oysters, Takikomi gohan (rice cooked with oysters), Tsukudani (oysters boiled down in sweetened soy sauce). Additionally, we provided bento (lunch/dinner boxes) for tourists from a big tour company. We included a small portion of Tsukudani oysters to the bento, which was well received. Because of that, our restaurant was chosen to be a lunch place for this tour. This tour was so popular that only 40 out of 100 applicants were able to attend. We once served all you can eat oyster lunch, too. The tour company helped us market “Beach moms Tsukudani”, by assisting us with creating labels, bottles, cost analysis and website. Even today, volunteers come by bus and buy our delicious bento and souvenirs. Four of us have been exchanging ideas to make a variety of food including autumn salmon, salmon roe, mackerel rice, soup made from the bony parts of fish, scallop rice, rice bowl with two large pieces of scallops, and soup with minced horse mackerel balls. Our first intent was to make good local food using seasonal fresh fish. We work together by utilizing skills and strength of each other. My mother worked in a garment factory since she knew dressmaking. My father was born on the island. When I was a child, I used to eat bucketful of sea urchins. Then, I got married with my husband who was from the beach area. I experienced a lot working on newsletters and event planning as if I were belonging to a cultural club at PTA at a kindergarten and elementary school. Since schools were small, your turn to volunteer came often. I was very moved when we had an exchange program of events with people with disability. I don’t think ahead and just try to do my best with things in front of my eyes. I can’t do everything by myself, so I enjoy working with my friends. When you talk with people, ideas will come up. We can also release the stress by talking. We were hit by the disaster when our house was eight years old. When we were cleaning the house in order to tear it down, volunteers came to help and restored the house. Especially, an American organization repaired the pillar in the house very well. I appreciated the support from overseas. Korean people built a pathway from the street to the entrance of my house. I thanked them with the word I’ve learned by watching Korean TV dramas, “kamsahamnida”. As long as you have a good attitude, everything goes well even if something happens. Act quickly without thinking too much. When mothers are full of energy, our community will become lively. Mothers are so strong in this town may be because the fishing industry has ups and downs, having a good catch one year but a back catch another year.