Ofunato, a nice little town coming back to life. This is in part thanks to a generous group of individuals I was fortunate enough to spend several days with.
The base is a messy Fujiyama store transformed into an operating base. Although the exterior is rough, the place has heart, a different world exists here. No one steals, no one fights, everyone pitches in and everybody cares...a lot. It is a place like no other. A little exception to the ugly rules that pervade throughout the world.
Work Hard During the Day:
Our days start at 7am and they end around 5pm. Digging, gutting houses, fixing, cleaning things, it is all part of the job here. I assign myself to Salvage. This involves cleaning items found in the wreakeage so that locals may come and sift through them. Among them I find children's backpacks, religious statues and even a wedding video. The experience is both rewarding and saddening at the same time.
Party Hard During the Night:
I am shocked by the high level of integrity that seeps out of every nook and cranny of this place, so I decide to buy several of my newfound friends sakē. The second night we go out to a bar called The Hussle. Hilarious moments fill our nights, and I realize that I wished I had more time here.
Goodbyes:
I wish I had more time and battery to explain the kindness and friendliness of AllHands volunteers, but I do not. The third day, I say my goodbyes, vowing to see many of them one last time, in Tokyo. I spend half of the day getting my trusty metal steed fixed, and washing my clothes, at 1pm I depart. The base is practically empty at this point. Chris, the volunteers' fearless leader waves me goodbye as I ride off. Thanking the bike shop owner for fixing my bike, I leave Ofunato.
An Old Friend:
I am entering the next town when in the distance I see non other than a monk. It is Shigeru, the friendly, homeless, buddhist monk I met four days earlier. He made it to Ofunato despite the typhoon! We hug when we see each other and I spend the next hour chatting with him in front of a convenience store. I point out to him how strange he and I must look to the locals. Me, the bright-yellow clothed cycling gaijin, he, the homeless walking holy man. He laughs, nodding his head agreeing. He tells me he likes it better this way, and then it is my turn to nod.
Time is tight so I leave Shige. I wish him goodbye one last time. He tells me he will walk into the radioactive zone. I beg him not to, but his mind is fixed. I leave him a map of the no-man zone, but I know full well he will not use it. Stubborn monk.
The Mountain Damn:
I end up sleeping near a small damn or lake of some sort and all around me I see rice fields. For some reason, I do not sleep for more than a couple of hours, this place gives me the creeps, but no worries, I am ok.
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