By Steve Corless

Several days before the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, I had the pleasure of spending a night at one of Miyagi Prefecture’s most delightful ryokan traditional inns.  Gaga Onsen is nestled high in the snow-covered mountains of Miyagi Prefecture. Although the ryokan is about an hour’s drive from the city of Sendai, this ryokan is a world away from the hustle and bustle of modern Japan. Our brief stay was a wonderful escape for body and soul. 
I recently spoke with the sixth-generation proprietor of Gaga Onsen, Mr. Hiroyuki Takeuchi.  I was pleased to learn that his family and ryokan staff are well, and the property, which needed only minor repairs, has reopened.  Many of the first guests to return are regular customers from Tokyo and other parts of the country who wish to visit their favorite ryokan and by doing so support the economic recovery of the region they have become so fond of from previous visits.
Gaga Onsen and several other ryokan are collaborating on a program to transport their therapeutic natural hot springs water by truck to evacuation centers where it is reheated, providing mobile hot baths for evacuees.  Following a soothing bath, evacuees receive a massage by professional massage therapists who donate their time and skills.  Mr. Takeuchi says that he hopes their efforts will be helpful in relieving some of the stress and anxiety the victims are enduring. 
The Takeuchi family considers its ryokan to be an integral part of the community and environment.  The ryokan’s many regular guests visit not only for the soothing and therapeutic hot springs, the clean mountain air and surrounding natural beauty, but also the fine meals served here.  Local vegetables and rice grown by family members of the ryokan staff are served here, and the cuisine is true to the unique style of this region of Japan.
Mr. Takeuchi welcomes visitors from all over the world.  “For a truly memorable and authentic cultural experience, I encourage travelers to visit the more remote places, away from the cities and well-traveled tourist destinations,” he says.  “Although our ryokan is in the mountains and far from the city, our location and environment offer the visitor the opportunity to delve a bit deeper into our culture and experience firsthand the unique culture of Japan as well as our region’s customs, history and local cuisine.”  I heartily agree.

Sakan Ryokan, located about 30 minutes from downtown Sendai, has also been supporting recovery efforts.  The hot springs here have a history that spans more that 1,000 years.  The family of proprietor Mr. Kanzaburo Sato has owned the ryokan for 34 generations.  Although the ryokan did suffer some damage, Sakan is currently hosting 300 relief workers who are staying at the property.  Many local residents have no gas or water services, so Sakan has opened its baths to the public, welcoming more than 500 people per day. The ryokan also opened its hot-springs baths to people staying at shelters who traveled to the ryokan by bus arranged by the city of Sendai. 
“It was very fortunate that we had minimum damage to our buildings. Thanks to all the recovery workers, we restored all the life lines we need for our business by now,” said Mr. Kanzaburo Saito, the 34th-generation owner of Sakan. “It is our responsibility to do our best for the recovery and support the community. The reason is simple. We still have our lives, which is fortunate for myself and all of our employees and the remaining buildings and hot-spring facilities. We have to do it when we consider that there are so many people who lost their own lives, families and everything they had.”

Print media and especially video reports of the earthquake and tsunami tend to paint a bleak and depressing picture of the situation in Japan today.  However, speaking with those who have experienced the disaster and who are now focusing on recovery and rebuilding, I am inspired by their resilience, determination and the unique Japanese communal spirit of collaboration and cooperation.  If you are traveling to Japan in the future, consider a visit to Tohoku; what better way to support the economic recovery and experience firsthand the inspiring story of recovery and rebuilding?