![](\"https:\/\/go-naminori.com\/kirbyfukunaga\/wp-content\/uploads\/m11120110419082946.jpg\")
\ngood morning. yesterday was one of the most rewarding days of my
\nlife. even though i’ve been getting warned over and over to stay
\naway from the fukushima nuclear plant, our team had a mission. a
\nmission to meet the mayor of minami soma. if it wasn’t for the Mayor
\nSakurai-san, i wouldn’t be where i am today. it was his courage that
\ngave me courage to come into a zone that not too many people want to
\nenter.
\nso we walk into the office and as soon as Mayor Sakurai-san walked in,
\ni felt the best vibe ever. from the handshake to the smile, i knew he
\nwas a really kind man with a big heart. we sat down, we had a great
\ntalk, and we were so happy that he gave us so much of his time.
\nwe left, he called to say thank you. then he asked me where i was. i
\ntold him that we were going to eat ramen at the only ramen shop open
\nin minami soma. Mr. Sakurai told me, “wait, i’ll call the owner and
\nget you guys a discount.” i thought that was really cool. of course
\nwe said no thank you because the reason we ate in minami soma is to
\nsupport the businesses that have the courage to open at a time like
\nthis. we ate ramen, which was really good. then on the way out of
\nminami soma, i dropped by the city hall to give him some “WE ARE ONE”
\ntshirts and stickers. he walked me out, thanked our team, and said
\n“see you later.” in english. i am definitely going back to minami
\nsoma to meet the mayor again. and maybe i can teach him how to surf
\nsomeday?
\nwhile we were talking, he told us about the international media frenzy
\nthat has been coming to minami soma after the youtube video he put
\nout. he named every country in asia, along with many other european
\nmedia stopping by. from america, CNN, the los angelas times, and the
\nnew york times all did stories. i asked “what about hawaii?” he said
\nthat i was the first. i’m pretty stoked on that.
\nbefore leaving minami soma, we drove around dropping off supplies to
\nthe very few people we seen walking outside (which their not supposed
\nto do), or to people that are trying to get back to work (even though
\nthey live right outside the evacuation area), and to the only
\nevacuation center in minami soma that houses 119 people. we emptied
\nhalf of our van and when we were leaving, we all felt good. drove up
\nto sendai, loaded up again, and now it’s to iwate.
\nthe journey continues…..
\nphoto by shinsuke matsukawa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"