Remnants of homes are scattered near the seaside in Kesennuma, while fishing nets remain hanging from tall trees, reminders of the tremendous power of the tsunami that caused so much misery in 2011.
But on part of a beach that juts out into the water, around 30 women wearing colorful scarves on their heads smiled brightly as they sorted oysters at a new processing plant.
“First try one,” one of the women said proudly, offering a juicy oyster.
The oyster industry has revived in disaster-stricken Kesennuma, thanks largely to the perseverance of the survivors–and financial help from a foreign company known more for luxury handbags and designer shoes.
French fashion house Louis Vuitton offered to lend a hand to Kesennuma after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami struck the northeastern coast of Japan on March 11, 2011. The generosity stemmed from the bonds formed between Japanese and French fish farmers, and the fact that Miyagi oysters once saved the French oyster industry from a crisis.
“There was never any way we could have rebuilt on our own,” says Shigeatsu Hatakeyama, a 69-year-old representative of Mizuyama Oyster Farm in the Nishimone area of Kesennuma.
The tsunami swept away all but a few of the 50 or so homes in Nishimone. Mizuyama Oyster Farm’s processing plant, machinery, eight boats and 70 rafts of oysters in the midst of being harvested were destroyed by the waves, causing more than 200 million yen ($2.2 million) in damage.
Hatakeyama talked with many organizations about assistance, but the proposal he chose was the one put forward by Louis Vuitton.
One reason Louis Vuitton wanted to help was because of Hatakeyama’s work with Mori wa Umi no Koibito, a nonprofit organization that plants deciduous trees in forests that provide nutrients that flow to the ocean.
Louis Vuitton is also involved in protecting forests.
“Our brand supports cherishing local traditions as well as passing on the intangibles, not just objects and money, to the next generation,” Yves Carcelle, the former chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, said on Nov. 11 during his first visit to Kesennuma. I want to continue providing various kinds of assistance in many places so we can progress and see the future.”
Another reason for Louis Vuitton’s help is that Japan is one of the company’s oldest and largest markets in the world.
The Asahi Shimbun Company