Almost September.
Flooding at Kuwagasaki from the spring tide. Because the ground sank 50 cm, many parts of the area are submerged. And this on a clear day. Imagine what it will be like if the typhoon strikes here.
September 1
Still worried as the typhoon approaches. If any waves come in, no boat will be able to stay in the Miyako port.
We received some saury fish today from the boats that unloaded their catch for the second time since March. Delicious! Virtually all the saury boats from here were washed away.
September 3
Found my ship’s flag hanging from the side of my son’s school building. Thank you to whoever picked it up and saved it. I think I’ll donate it to the school. Grass is growing over our old house site. This town may never be back to what it was.
September 11
My kids and I took a walk from the house to look at Kuwagasaki, our part of town. Nothing has changed. Time has stopped and the wounds of our hearts have not healed. We will be victims for a much longer time. The houses and debris have been cleaned up, but nothing else since then. The ground-works are still left behind. A bridge can be seen still broken in half.
This was the first time to take the kids with me to Kuwagasaki. My daughter used to say she didn’t want to see the broken houses, but today she seemed different. Weeds covering where the buildings used to be. Vegetables and flowers also growing. Tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin … My daughter seemed to enjoy picking the flowers.
Not a soul in sight as we walk around. My son said, “Dad, this town is finished. We have to get out of here.” He took me by surprise. He is still a child, but spoke such serious words. Wondering about the state of his heart shocked me.
Even with people from Miyako—depending upon whether they were affected by the tsunami or not—you can tell there is a difference between us.
We’re supposed to stay in our temporary houses for 2 years, but there are a lot of worries for our future. First, securing our next home. Is it going to be an apartment or rented house, or government housing? I don’t think there will be any openings 2 years from now. Frankly, I don’t think it’s possible. People living in temporary houses in Taro and Yamada have similar fears. If all the people rush into Miyako, there will be no vacancies left. No place to go. Since March, there has been a constant outflow of people leaving the disaster areas. Younger generations seek new opportunities in a new place. Such is reality.
Considering our future, leaving town may not be an option. But if younger people leave, the towns will not develop, and those who are left will have to work hard to amend that loss.
September 14
The sea wind in Sanriku was good today with a fast tide. Twenty-two Celsius in the water. Good thing there is no wind, but instead, a light shower. I tried to trawl with a net to find the tools that got cut off and washed away. They were washed toward land, and it took me 2 hours to find them. Debris had tangled in the rope and it was a mission to get it off. There was a lot of strain on the lines too. When out fishing, if the line ever gets tied up around you, then you are a dead man, dragged to the bottom of the ocean. Strictly speaking, this is an extremely dangerous job with death on your mind constantly. It wears you down. You just think, “I’m going to die. I’m going to die.” If the line gets caught around your arm, the flesh will be torn off and you’ll be left with the bone sticking out. The oil pressure line wheeler got stuck from the weight of the debris and made a terrible noise. “I don’t want to die” constantly pops into my head during cleanup. Times like these I wish I wasn’t a fisherman.
September 19
It’s much colder today than yesterday. Lowest was 15°C, too cold for short sleeves and sleeping with opened windows. It dropped from 30°C yesterday; today’s highest was 19°C. Rained today with strong winds.
With fall and winter approaching, I worry about the living conditions in the temporary housing. Especially older people living alone. There are many 65+ year old people who have been affected by the disaster. As days go by, they may need aid. There’s a person over 80, and I went to see if he was okay. After the Kobe earthquake, there were stories about lonely deaths inside the temp houses, and I worry that this will happen here. I feel that the bond, the ties and communication between survivors, has grown weaker. It was better when we were living in the evacuation centers. Winter is coming. Living in temporary housing may be very severe for us.
September 21
8:00 p.m. Typhoon coming up the coast. On the boat now. High tide was at 7 p.m. so we came to deal with it. The water is right up at the top of the seawall. Because there aren’t many waves, it hasn’t gone over the wall, but the wind and rain are getting stronger. I have to protect my boat so I’ll be working through the night. The pressure is getting to my nerves. So worried … If the Hei River increases, the boat will be in severe danger. This is grinding me down. My stomach aches from stress. Have to keep this up until morning.