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In this corner, we will have a Kesennuma resident appear as our teacher. Our teacher this time is Hiroyasu Yamauchi, director of the Rias Ark Museum of Art. Yamauchi, a "veteran immigrant" who has lived in Kesennuma for 27 years, will talk about the charms of Kesennuma and the reasons for continuing to live there, under the theme of "The Good Things About Kesennuma."
Thank you very much, Professor Yamauchi!
The entrance to deep Kesennuma
▲The old snack bar district (Ota, Irisawa)
Kesennuma City has been said to have an unusually large number of snack bars compared to its population. The reason for this is that when fishing boats for bonito, saury, and other fish call at the port and unload their catches, fishermen seek out such bars to take a break, or brokers come to entertain the fishermen.
Of course there are izakayas and restaurants, but snack bars are not just places to eat and drink; they are also places to spend a good time with familiar mamas and okama, and are social gathering places for adults. When fishermen come ashore from their boats, they take a bath at a public bath near the inner bay, have a light meal, and then go to meet the mamas and okama. That is the way of life in the port town of Kesennuma.
▲Kesennuma snack bars are social gatherings for adults
Now, when I came to Kesennuma at the age of 23, I was guided by unique ladies who seemed to know the area inside and out, and I ended up visiting the many restaurants and snack bars that crowded the inner bay. For example, when it was time for a drinking party or after-party at work, I would be taken to a snack bar by my boss's lady. It was a snack bar right from the start.
▲A snack bar where familiar faces gather.
I was a student until just before, so I had never been to a typical bar with a hostess, so it was a very fresh experience for me. I have never been to a bar in the city, so it is difficult to compare, but in Kesennuma, when it comes to bars that my companion is familiar with, in most cases, the companion and the hostess are old friends. For example, it is a classmate, a classmate's younger sister, or an older sister, so it is a very homely situation. In addition, such bars have regulars, who are usually friends of the companion. For me, it felt like I was drinking with the older sisters and mothers at a class reunion. You might think that young people prefer bars with young women, but that is not the case. Kesennuma's bars, where local "aunties" serve customers, are an oasis for young people. I think that the traditions of a fishing town and a port town have preserved this atmosphere. For these young fishermen who live far from their hometowns, the town of Kesennuma, their port of call, has likely long been a warm place.
I've been living in Kesennuma for 10 years now, and by the time I was around 35 years old (this was about 15 years ago), my friendships with local residents had expanded considerably. In my 20s, I often went bar-hopping with people close to my parents' age, but gradually I started spending more time with people my age. Most of them were about 5 to 10 years older than me. I became friends with people of that age group mainly through community development activities.
As a museum curator, I worked hard to manage the museum, but I also did a lot of outreach activities (personal activities?) separate from the museum's work. My relationship with the local residents was deepened through these activities. The "older brothers and sisters" who showed interest in me were quite unique, and were involved in cultural activities as a hobby or side job. I was "drawn" into these activities, and I used my skills as an artist to draw illustrations, which led to me designing tourist information signs for the town, helping with the activities of local theater companies and art groups, and so on.
▲Illustration of the explanatory version of "Koibito Square"
One of the activities that greatly expanded our relationships with local residents was the Slow Food movement.
▲Scenes from the Kesennuma Slow Food Festival 2010 Autumn.
The Slow Food movement in Kesennuma is not merely the personal hobby of a few residents, but a city development initiative that has been promoted by both the public and private sectors. The Slow Food movement has been promoted as an ideological and cultural axis for Kesennuma, a "city of food," to reach even greater heights. The young local entrepreneurs who have supported this movement are stylish people who love Kesennuma and are willing to spend their own money for its sake, and I have participated in this movement from the beginning and helped out in various ways. It is because of people like this that I have come to cherish Kesennuma even more. The spirit of people who love their hometown is the greatest driving force behind making their hometown shine. Kesennuma, which has that kind of power, is truly wonderful.
(to be continued…)
This article will be divided into four parts.
"Good things about Kesennuma (from a veteran immigrant who has lived here for 27 years)"
Part 1: "Encounter with Kesennuma"
Part 3: "Kesennuma's treasures, its unique people"
Part 4: "Conclusion: 10 years on, back to beloved Kesennuma"
We will have Kesennuma citizens appear as teachers.
You can view the "Teach me, Mr./Ms. XX!" series here.
https://kesennuma-kanko.jp/category/marumarusensei/
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