This was a truly insightful visit. Not only did I learn much regarding the food industry in Fukushima, but I also had the chance to meet a very charismatic local worker in Iwaki. As soon as we arrived at the kamaboko factory, we were greeted by a very energetic young worker named Mr. Komatsu. First he explained the current situation of the food industry in Fukushima with diagrams and talked about his own aspirations regarding the factory he works at. According to Mr. Komatsu, after the disaster, they were unable to transport products due to the roads suffering major damage, which resulted in supermarkets buying kamaboko from outside Fukushima Prefecture. As kamaboko produced all over Japan are almost exactly the same, there was no incentive for supermarkets to start buying from Fukushima again after infrastructure such as the roads was restored. Fears that nobody would buy Fukushima’s kamaboko due to the nuclear power plant accident also had a negative influence on the situation. Even though they were produced in Iwaki, the fish that used as ingredients when making kamaboko is not from Fukushima. This has always been the case, however as nobody has access to this information, there was naturally a significant negative impact on sales after the disaster. Listening to Mr. Komatsu’s tale, I was able to get a feeling for how harmful rumors are affecting Fukushima Prefecture. However, Kisen did not use harmful rumors as an excuse for the loss in sales; they instead took the opportunity to reevaluate their products, along with their corporate strategy. This included the creation of original, better tasting kamaboko, as opposed to just continuing to make the same old kamaboko as usual. Kisen also started a PR campaign introducing their products as ‘Kamaboko from Iwaki, Fukushima, as they believed they could make their products better known, due to the current focus on Fukushima. At any rate, after the disaster there was no change in Mr. Komatsu’, and the rest of the team at the factory’s motto of putting their hearts into making delicious kamaboko. “I personally want people to come to our factory, try our kamaboko and recognize their quality. I want them to buy our kamaboko!” During our tour of the factory, Mr. Komatsu’s words had a great impact on me. They were words uttered by someone who is positive and full of inspiration. Standing beside him interpreting made me think that there are people in Iwaki, who still have hopes for their hometown and are working hard to better the situation by looking at it from different perspectives. I was very moved by Mr. Komatsu’s enthusiasm. Among all the places we visited, this was the place that I learned the most from. It was not only the delicious kamaboko that caught my eye, but also the people living here in Fukushima. These are the people who actually moving forward and making things happen. （Poseted by ：Vivian） |  |
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