IWAKI, Fukushima -- A female graduate student who moved to Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, after the Great East Japan Earthquake, recently opened a fish market jointly with local fishermen as part of efforts to support the disaster-hit city.
The prefecture's fishing industry continues to face restrictions because of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant that was triggered by the 2011 disaster. However, Hiromi Sakaki, a 27 year-old who attends Saitama University and is the market's main manager, said, "I want to sell delicious fish that people can buy only here."
In the early morning hours on Saturday, the day of the grand opening, staff members put up signs and banners bearing the store name "Osakana Hiroba Hamasui" (Fish plaza Hamasui) and displayed fish, such as sea bass and flounder, they had procured.
When Sakaki, a native of Aomori Prefecture, was an undergrad, she participated in a volunteer activity to send used bicycles to Iwaki and got to know fishermen in the Hisanohama area in the city.
Fishermen in the prefecture are currently allowed to operate on a trial basis under which they face limitations on the species, fishing areas and the number of days they can catch.
According to the city's fisheries cooperative association, there were seven fish markets and four fishery processing companies in Hisanohama before the disaster. However, after the big quake, there has only been one fish retailer, and its business is centered around being a traveling fish market.
"Although this is a port town, fishing here has been on the decline. So I started thinking about creating a place where children would aspire to become fishermen in the future," Sakaki said.
Sakaki moved to Iwaki in 2017. While taking a leave of absence from her graduate school and working at a local nonprofit organization that strives to convey the appeal of fish to children, she decided to open a fish market and worked hard to raise the money to do so. She successfully crowdfunded her goal of 3 million yen.
At her shop in Hisanohama, customers get transparency as they watch through a window as fish are processed. This is intended to help children get an idea about who caught the fish and what happens to bring them to the dining table. Sakaki at some point in the future also intends to offer breakfast featuring fresh fish at the shop under the name "Ryoshi shokudo" (Fisherman's diner).
"Sakaki's enthusiasm for fish is immense, and thinks of Hisanohama like it's her hometown," said Yosuke Endo, a 38 year-old fisherman who helped open the market. "We will work together to build this business up."
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