"The money is good, it's good," said a man who continues to repair bicycles without receiving payment from customers.
A video taken in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture on March 19, 2011 shows a man who keeps moving his hands to fix his bicycle, along with a record of unimaginable damage.
He opened the shop at 6:00 a.m. and repaired 40 bicycles every day for a month, free of charge.
At this time, just over a week after the disaster, I was impressed by how busy they were and how positive they were.
"It's cold, so don't go inside."
On February 2nd, I visited the bicycle shop that was shown in the video.
Unusually for Ishinomaki City, which faces the Pacific Ocean, the roads were lightly covered with snow.
It was past 8:00 am when I visited.
The owner, Mr. Isao Hiratsuka, warmly welcomed us, saying, "It's cold, so let's go inside."
In the video from 12 years ago, he continued to work with a stern look on his face, but when I met him today, his calm expression and youthfulness left an impression on me.
You can see his gentle personality from the way he smiles and says "Good morning" to children on their way to school.
The car was washed away, and the gas ran out
Ishinomaki City was devastated by the tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
My car was washed away and there was a shortage of gasoline, so I had to use my bicycle to get around in the immediate aftermath of the disaster.
Footage from the time shows people biking back and forth on roads littered with swept cars and household goods.
It is said that the tires often punctured when stepping on glass or nails.
1m tsunami floods products and tools
Mr. Hiratsuka's house, which also serves as his shop, is about two kilometers away from the sea.
Even so, a tsunami with a height of about 1 meter surged.
About 20 of the product bicycles were submerged in water, and the tools covered with seawater were useless.
Still, he pulled out the tools left in his car and reopened the shop two days after the disaster.
Customers who were in trouble with punctures brought in bicycles one after another.
“Most of the other bicycle shops were closed right after the earthquake, right? I think they started around 6:00 in the morning and repaired about 40 bikes in one day. One person even fixed 11 flat tires. There were customers who came from Onagawa or Ogatsu, which are more than 30 minutes away by car, to have their bicycles repaired.” Mr. Hiratsuka recalled those days and talked about them one by one
.
He says that when he sees customers bring their bikes in for repairs, money is a secondary concern.
``I was only acting with the desire to help customers in trouble.'' At
this time, Mr. Hiratsuka was worried about something.
She had lost contact with her relatives who live in the neighboring town of Onagawa.
“At the time, I was preoccupied with fixing things, but when I got home after work, I thought of everyone. In total, eight cousins died. Four of them are still found today. I won't listen to you."
While praying for the safety of my relatives...
Mr. Hiratsuka himself was affected by the disaster and prayed for the safety of his relatives, but continued to work for those in need.
I asked Mr. Hiratsuka how he was able to do so.
“I wonder why.
A circle of support that spreads naturally
Neighbors who saw Mr. Hiratsuka began to help little by little.
One by one, the number of friends increased, and in the end, about six people came to repair and replace tires.
For about a month, I continued to repair the bicycle that was brought in every day without receiving payment.
“Meeting place” where friends gather
It's been 12 years since then.
Mr. Hiratsuka continues to run the restaurant at the same location.
The date was written on the pillar of the store at the same height as the tsunami that hit that day.
"This is a gathering place," he said jokingly, and at 3:00 pm, the neighbors gathered as if they had promised.
The story of fertilizer used for vegetables in the home garden.
Talk about a local baseball team.
Each one happily talks about trivial events in their daily lives.
If anything, Mr. Hiratsuka plays the role of being teased.
Even when they laughed at me, saying, "I'm not in the mood for business."
Mr. Onodera who supported Mr. Hiratsuka
One of his friends, Mr. Kiichiro Onodera, was helping out at Mr. Hiratsuka's shop at the time.
He is a neighbor who has been with us for over 30 years.
After the earthquake, I took refuge with my daughter, but when I came back to check on her home, I saw more than 100 bicycles lined up in front of Mr. Hiratsuka's shop.
He thought that there must be something he could do, so he approached Mr. Hiratsuka.
“Customers brought in bicycles all the time, but Mr. Hiratsuka specialized in repairs and didn’t have time to deal with customers, so I was the one who received the bicycles. I wasn't able to repair it, but when I saw Mr. Hiratsuka working to help those in need, I naturally felt the urge to help." Mr. Hiratsuka's thoughts were conveyed, and a place to support and help each other has been around for 12 years
. I found out again that it was in this place before.
Even if it's stepped on or pulled out...
After the neighbors left, I asked Mr. Hiratsuka what had changed since 12 years ago.
After thinking about it for a while, she said, "Maybe nothing has changed. I'm not going to change."
"I like the word 'weeds.' I from."
Interview postscript
Twelve years ago, when an unprecedented disaster struck, there were people who thought, "What can I do now?" and took action to help someone in need.
“Life is like a bicycle, you can't go backwards, so you have no choice but to look forward.”
Even if I can't be like Mr. Hiratsuka, I will continue to have the kindness to act for someone other than myself, and I will continue to search for my own way of conveying the disaster.
(Video center cameraman Toshiyasu Sato)