Mizuki Fukushi of the Yamada Specialties Market

Mizuki Fukushi
Yamada Specialty Products Market Co-Op
Floor Staff

Mizuki is originally from Yamada. She attended elementary and middle school in Yamada. In high school, she commuted to Miyako from Yamada.After graduating high school, she moved to join her sister in Akita City in order to get her journalism license. She returned to Yamada in the summer of 2015 and started working the register at the rest stop Michi no Eki Yamada, where she promotes Yamada's charms and local products.

Praying for reconstruction in Yamada

Ms. Fukushi was in her third year of junior high when the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami hit. She recalls that she didn't have a graduation ceremony. "Roads have been built so it's a lot easier getting around, but the seawalls are still being constructed, so I feel a little uneasy thinking that another disaster could occur. There are still a lot of people around me living in temporary housing. I hope that construction on homes will go quicker so that these people can return to their lives.”

Ms. Fukushi, who had lived in Akita City briefly, reflected on her return to her hometown. "Shopping is really convenient in the city, but in Yamada, you're really close to everyone. It's easy to talk to people in the neighborhood, and I think it's a really comfortable place to live."

Michi no Eki Yamada is one of the more popular rest stops along the coast, and many people come to stop by for a look. Ms. Fukushi greets customers and works at the cash register.

From support for the reconstruction to tourism

"I didn't know this until I started working at the Michi no Eki, but Yamada has a lot of really delicious local foods. We have matsutake mushrooms in fall, shiitake mushrooms and oysters in winter, and sea urchins in summer. Right now we have a lot of tourists coming in to see the reconstruction efforts. I hope that more and more people will fall in love with Yamada after seeing the beautiful scenery and delicious food we have here," she said with a smile. She interacts with customers energetically every day to promote the wonders of Yamada.