We drive back out of Onagawa in silence and back into Ishinomaki. Emi does a turn and we can see buildings with doors open and walls cracked everywhere. It is a lot like a ghost town and a view of Japan I have never seen before. There is no such thing as unused space here. The school is boarded up and Emi tells me from her experience here that the gymnasium was used as a morgue. I have heard similar stories from Hachiya sensei as well. We continue driving and head up the mountain to get to the temple which gives a full view of the city. By the empty spaces, it is easy to see which parts got hit hardest. They have posted pictures of the before and you get to see the after. This used to be a pretty, quaint fishing village. No longer. Emi and Yuko pay their respects at the temple by washing their hands, throwing a 10 yen coin in the box, ringing the bell, and clapping their hands three times before bowing. We ate at a local restaurant and I got to have ishinomaki yakisoba which is a lot like regular yakisoba. I ask Yuko if she made any new gaijin friends after I left and she says no. I make the mistake of asking why and she tells me that she had gotten tired of foreignors to which they both exploded with laughter. I had met them at a Canada Day party back in July 1998 and they were hilarious, high-energy people but I didn`t hear from them after that party. Around February 2000, I got dumped by my girlfriend and was particularly depressed. Out of the blue, they called me up and we went skiing. It was one of my best days in Japan! I`m not sure I have ever laughed so hard in my life and it was just the cure for my blues. I enjoy their biting sarcasm as it is such a rare thing in a Japanese person, especially women. I feel lucky that we have been able to stay in touch and that they are safe. We finished off the meal with a cream puff and like most meals so far, was treated. Emi and Yuko drive me back to get dropped off in downtown Sendai. Its been a great day to get together with them even with the sobering backdrop of the tsunami.
|
David SchulteBon vivant and internationally acclaimed recording musician and preoducer. ArchivesCategories |