Ship owner and bassist Hiromitsu Owada in front of one of his 'tairyobata' big catch banners. (Louis Templado)BY LOUIS TEMPLADO STAFF WRITER
YOTSUKURA, Fukushima Prefecture--Imagine, amid piles of tsunami wreckage in this fishing town about 200 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, the rippling guitar sounds of surf classics such as "Cruel Sea" and the theme from "Hawaii Five-O." That was the scene on April 17 here.
On March 11, minutes after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the port was hit by waves nearly 6 meters high.
Yet on this night, despite being situated about 35 kilometers south of the damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the locals were eager to show they are still in business. The town, although hard-hit by the tsunami, lies outside the radiation evacuation zone.
They staged a rockin' reopening party for the town's roadside souvenir stop. Farmers gathered to sell produce while fishermen--a few of them at least--churned out Ventures riffs on authentic Mosrite electric guitars.
The electricity was supplied by a portable generator.
"You'd be surprised how many Ventures copy bands there are around here," says bass player Hiromitsu Owada. "There are at least five or six, and we're all doing what we can to cheer up this place."
A fishing fleet shipowner, Owada also provided the colorful "tairyobata" flags that served as makeshift walls for the Michi no Eki Yotsukurako souvenir facility.
It lost its walls when the tsunami slammed a ship and a car into the building.
"The flags are meant to ensure good business, and you get them from the people involved when you launch a new boat," Owada explains. Usually, the flags are run up a ship's mast after a particularly good haul.
"I don't know if I feel happy or sad seeing these flags hanging here," he says. "And I don't know what effect they'll have. But even if it's very small, maybe people can build on it and carry on."
Half the 60 boats he operates were damaged or run aground in various ports by the tsunami, says the shipowner, who considers himself fortunate. Most of his fleet works the waters off Hokkaido Prefecture, following schools of saury, so business will go on. The same can't be said for Fukushima.
"If you're from around here, there's no reason to go back to the sea," he says.
"All the shipbuilding and maintenance shops around here were knocked out, so I've moved my ships to Kushiro (in Hokkaido)," Owada says. "Here, even if your boat survived, there is no reason to bring it out to sea. No one is going to buy your catch."
With that he rejoined his band mates, who were performing in front of the souvenir shop. They also plan to play a show at the end of summer, to replace the town's firework festival.
"Any requests?" one fat-fingered
YOTSUKURA, Fukushima Prefecture--Imagine, amid piles of tsunami wreckage in this fishing town about 200 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, the rippling guitar sounds of surf classics such as "Cruel Sea" and the theme from "Hawaii Five-O." That was the scene on April 17 here.
On March 11, minutes after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the port was hit by waves nearly 6 meters high.
Yet on this night, despite being situated about 35 kilometers south of the damaged Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the locals were eager to show they are still in business. The town, although hard-hit by the tsunami, lies outside the radiation evacuation zone.
They staged a rockin' reopening party for the town's roadside souvenir stop. Farmers gathered to sell produce while fishermen--a few of them at least--churned out Ventures riffs on authentic Mosrite electric guitars.
The electricity was supplied by a portable generator.
"You'd be surprised how many Ventures copy bands there are around here," says bass player Hiromitsu Owada. "There are at least five or six, and we're all doing what we can to cheer up this place."
A fishing fleet shipowner, Owada also provided the colorful "tairyobata" flags that served as makeshift walls for the Michi no Eki Yotsukurako souvenir facility.
It lost its walls when the tsunami slammed a ship and a car into the building.
"The flags are meant to ensure good business, and you get them from the people involved when you launch a new boat," Owada explains. Usually, the flags are run up a ship's mast after a particularly good haul.
"I don't know if I feel happy or sad seeing these flags hanging here," he says. "And I don't know what effect they'll have. But even if it's very small, maybe people can build on it and carry on."
Half the 60 boats he operates were damaged or run aground in various ports by the tsunami, says the shipowner, who considers himself fortunate. Most of his fleet works the waters off Hokkaido Prefecture, following schools of saury, so business will go on. The same can't be said for Fukushima.
"If you're from around here, there's no reason to go back to the sea," he says.
"All the shipbuilding and maintenance shops around here were knocked out, so I've moved my ships to Kushiro (in Hokkaido)," Owada says. "Here, even if your boat survived, there is no reason to bring it out to sea. No one is going to buy your catch."
With that he rejoined his band mates, who were performing in front of the souvenir shop. They also plan to play a show at the end of summer, to replace the town's firework festival.
"Any requests?" one fat-fingered
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