Stories about people.

Stories about life.

Hometown Stories.

Remember the song about port towns?
♪ "Miyako, Kamaishi, Kesennuma!"

Kesennuma is the last one people stay in.

Here's one of the taxis that serves the northeastern port city of Kesennuma.

For the drivers, it's another day of keeping a quiet watch over their hometown from their cars.

- How's your mother?
- She's well. At the day-care today.

I'll see you later.

Many of the drivers are locals. They know their customers well.

- My glasses broke suddenly.
- Oh, no.

Let me tell you what happened.

To me, the seawall is like Ultraman.

In March, with spring approaching, we followed some of these chatty drivers as they went about their day.

I'm wearing a tiny mic.
I'd better watch what I say!

Let's find out what Kesennuma looks like through the eyes of taxi drivers.

This is Gojuban Taxi.
Thank you for calling.

Car 127, to Big House supermarket.

The Gojuban Taxi company has been serving Kesennuma for over 70 years.

Watch out for the dust.

Hi there.

The average age of the drivers is 63.

Many of them were born and raised here.

They've known each other for a long time.

We went to the same schools.
I think that's a good thing.

We bad-mouthed each other.

You can put that in the program!

One of the taxis is off already.

The driver is picking up a passenger at the city hospital.

Hello.Thank you.

- Where to?
- Daiichi pachinko parlor.

I'll drop you off right outside.

- See all these cameras?
- What cameras?

- What are they filming?
- How I'm driving?

Konno Kyoichi always has a smile on his face; he's 64 years old.

Hello there.

- Where to?
- Maiya supermarket.

- It's a bit windy today.
- But it's rather warm.

- 18 °C?
- That's right.

Many of the destinations are hospitals, supermarkets and other central locations.

- Thank you.
- 610 yen (about $4), please.

Take your time. No need to rush.

Kyoichi says 70 percent of his customers are elderly people, living in public housing for disaster victims.

Many passengers stop by that supermarket
after coming to this hospital.

Then we take them home, too.

A lot of short rides, but we're busy.
We have a lot to do.

There are taxis lined up outside Kesennuma Station, the gateway to the town.

This driver seems different to his colleagues.

72-year-old Sato Kiyoshige waits for customers by the station.

He's a natty dresser, isn't he?

My daughter doesn't like it
if I don't look good.

If she approves, so do customers.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 arrivals...
The 11:45 train has the most passengers.

Kiyoshige's target customers are tourists arriving on trains.

There are seven arrivals a day.

Sometimes, people get off.
Other times, there's no one.

This is not a big city.
So, I try not to expect too much.

A train has finally arrived.

It's a special one, adorned with a popular game character.

Some of the passengers getting off look cute.

Hello, and welcome.

Hi!

- Where are you from?
- Yokohama.

To Asahi-zushi near Kesennuma Port.

The customers are headed to a sushi restaurant about five minutes from the station.

Enjoy the food. It's delicious!

Since the earthquake and tsunami in 2011, a host of new tourist spots have sprung up in the port area.

It's fun to take a walk
and enjoy the ocean view.

While driving tourists to their destination, Kiyoshige offers some helpful tips.

The 2nd floor has an exhibit on
a TV drama about this area.

I get different customers every day,
and chat with them.

People say it's the perfect job for me.
I never get tired of it.

He became a taxi driver in 2020.

He used to drive a sightseeing bus and a mobile library.

But he says he's a rookie when it comes to driving a taxi.

- Excuse me, but where to again?
- Anchor Coffee.

Right. I was too busy talking.
We're going in the right direction.

Come on, Kiyoshige!

Hello there.

He sometimes gets foreign customers.

Where are you from?

I see.

I visited Hong Kong a long time ago.

He can't speak their language. But he does his best to communicate.

Hmm? Oops!
Thank you.

The first 300 meters is free!

I'm Sato. Car 127.

- You're Sato-san.
- Thank you.

Enjoy your stay.

You've made a connection, Kiyoshige!

Have fun.

- Can you come by at 5 p.m.?
- At 5? Today?

Where to?

- I'm glad to find you, Kiyomi.
- I'll see you.

Someone spotted 74-year-old Kumagai Kiyomi and talked to him.

He's a veteran driver with 49 years of experience and many regular customers.

How many years? I don't remember.
We're on our fourth company president now.

This area is called Minami-machi.

There used to be a fish market here.

It used to be booming with lots of boats.
There were many customers, too.

Kiyomi became a taxi driver in the 1970s.

Around that time, fish hauls in Kesennuma were at their peak.

He recalls how the city was lively and bustling with fishermen from around the country.

There were hostess clubs.
They were quite busy, too.

We'd regularly earn around $300 a day.

Now, it's around $200, tops.
And that doesn't always happen.

On top of the recession, the town was also struck by a massive quake and tsunami.

Then the coronavirus pandemic.

Kiyomi kept driving through these troubled times.

He turned 74 in the spring of 2023.

There may be tough times ahead.

I'm not looking forward to that.
But it can't be helped.

- Thank you for waiting.
- Hello.

"Being filmed by NHK"?

- I don't want to be on TV.
- Why not?

Choose someone cuter.

- You're cute.
- No way!

He seems on very good terms with this customer, who appears to be on her way home from a shopping trip.

- Your mom told me she was hospitalized.
- That's right.

She has a hard time falling asleep at night.
Could be stress.

The doctor suggested a change of scene.
But that's difficult.

The drive to her home takes only four minutes.

All the while, Kiyomi quietly lends an ear to what she has to say.

I asked my son, "Can I dye my hair red
for your graduation ceremony?"

He said, "Not red. No way!"

- How about pink?
- He said not pink, either.

He told me to make it a quiet color.

- The ceremony is on Friday?
- Yes. I'll see you then.

Good morning.

You're after me, Kyoichi.

These are for the tsunami commemoration.

March 11th is drawing near.

The taxi firm is starting to get reservation requests from people who want to go around the tsunami-hit area.

The disaster struck in 2011.

The tsunami washed away the company's office, along with the town.

Some of the drivers were among the victims.

The driver of Car 119 passed away.

We've also retired No. 111,
so we won't forget.

Have a safe ride.

Please show us around.
We don't know the area.

Most tourists are first-time visitors here.

Kyoichi was assigned to take customers from Tokyo on a local tour.

This is a usual route for him, but today he has another role.

He's driving around Kesennuma seen as a disaster area.

Those two buildings are public housing
for disaster victims.

Are the residents local people
who used to live around here?

Not all of them.
They were selected by lottery.

The foundations are still there.

There might've been a bath or kitchen.
Maybe a basement, too.

My house was washed away, too.
I was in a nearby city.

Kyoichi returned to his hometown in 2010 to care for his mother and became a taxi driver.

The earthquake and tsunami happened soon after that.

He has spent his whole career as a driver in the disaster-stricken town.

He says he's willing to act as a tourist guide on occasions like this.

We ran just as we were.

I just grabbed my
driver's license and cell phone.

Even here, Kyoichi has his usual smile.

There's a big dent on the 3rd floor
made by a fridge that got swept away.

It smelled of fish for about a year.
In the city, too.

I try not to cry.

If I sound gloomy, I wonder
how the customers will take it.

Talking about it in a sad way
just makes it worse.

You just need to see it
with your own eyes.

I'd be glad if these customers tell
their parents and children about today.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.
I have tears in my eyes.

Say cheese!

I feel wonderful.
I'm glad they enjoyed the tour.

There's a lot of pollen today.

- Do you have hay fever?
- No. I'm an Australopithecus.

- What's that?
- An ape.

Kiyomi, the veteran driver, has a reservation from a regular customer.

- Where to today?
- Kofukuji Temple via Sansaka, please.

This March is the 12th commemoration
for the disaster victims.

The passenger wants to take a detour through a place that holds a personal significance.

You know the bypass bridge ahead?
A friend went missing around there.

In 2011, the tsunami flowed up a river and swamped the place now coming into view.

Your friend was washed away around here?

I know she was here.
But I'm not sure after that.

Usually, I don't want to take this road.

- Here we are.
- I'll be back. Please wait.

It's a meaningful day for the customer.

Kiyomi and his taxi are there for her again.

I feel sad if I walk alone.
But Kiyomi and I share the same pain.

We pray in front of
victims' graves at the cemetery.

But we also need to remember them,
and offer our thoughts from time to time.

I want my friend to come back,
so we can laugh about our graying hair.

The 12th commemoration...

"Today marks 12 years since the disaster.
In a coastal district in Sendai City..."

Hello.

Where to today?

- The central community center.
- For the memorial service?

- What was the age gap with your husband?
- 5 years.

- Did you always get along?
- Usually. But we'd sometimes quarrel.

Lost her husband to the tsunami.

Gave flowers at the city memorial service.

Kyoichi is off duty on March 11.

Please drink your fill.

He was my best friend.
We'd hit local bars almost every week.

His wife called and asked me
to identify the body. That was hard.

I realized he was dead.

Oh, Kyoichi?

- Junichi's friend.
- I'm his classmate.

Time passes so quickly.

I wonder what I've been doing.

Not many customers today.

Kiyoshige, the driver who covers Kesennuma Station, is making something at the office.

This is perfect.

I love night scenes that are lit up.
Like Kesennuma's fireworks.

He has depicted the townscape of Kesennuma, using hand-made collages of torn paper.

He says they will be gifts for his customers.

I'd be happy if people look at
my collages and say...

"I want to come again," or
"I'll bring my grandchildren next time."

Kiyoshige was born and raised in Kesennuma.

The tsunami washed away the house that he used to live in.

His collages show fondly-remembered views from before the disaster,

as well as parts of the reborn town.

They're packed with all sorts of memories.

With three years of experience as a taxi driver,

Kiyoshige enjoys the different views of Kesennuma through his car windows, with customers from distant places.

- The sea and mountains are so close.
- That's right.

The complex geographical features
make for beautiful scenery.

I made this myself.
It's for you as a memento of your trip.

Thank you. It's wonderful.

In 2018, Kiyoshige moved from temporary housing to a place up on a hill.

I love the evening glow,
as the sun sets.

He says he's proud of the view from his home.

You can see the new port, roads and fish market.

Now, I feel safe up here.

I can see the light of the future,
rather than what has gone before.

I've moved to a beautiful place.
This is a beautiful town.

- Where are you working now?
- At a fish market site.

Lately, a young man involved in reconstruction work has been taking Kiyomi's taxi.

I sometimes tell newcomers,
"We did the construction here."

That's a great feeling.

I'm used to it now.
But it was hard when I first came here.

- People do get used to things.
- I agree.

- It's nice and warm.
- Yes, spring is here.

People in Kesennuma face up to the changes in their daily lives, each at their own pace.

The taxis leisurely take in all kinds of daily scenes.

The pachinko parlor is not crowded today.
You can choose any machine.

Hospital visits are cheap.
But taxi fares are too high.

This customer is talking about recent rises in the prices of so many things.

- Will the rent stay the same?
- It may go up after 10 years.

Thank you.
Oh, it's nice of you.

- A freebie for you.
- Thank you again.

It's chilly, so don't catch cold.
I'll see you.