Kita-Shiobara, Japan - At his father's direction, Fumihiko Wada began professional training to make soba noodles when he was 18 years old. But he left his hometown at 19 to become a manga artist. “I almost ran away from home to go to Tokyo,” he said.
Now, at the age of 76, he is back in Kita-Shiobara, a part of Fukushima Prefecture renowned for its buckwheat, where he is acclaimed as a master soba maker.
The village of Kita-Shiobara and the surrounding area are called Urabandai. The name means “behind Mt. Bandai,” as it is just north of the famous mountain dubbed the Mt. Fuji of Aizu due to its magnificent beauty. Aizu is the old name for the western region of the prefecture.
Wada is a native of this area even though he has spent much of his life elsewhere.
In the big city, he did not become a successful manga artist. Instead, he had made a living by drawing illustrations for academic books and advertisements. He became acquainted with renowned manga artist Osamu Tezuka. As he was good at making soba by hand, Wada made and served them to Tezuka and many other manga artists.
When he turned 60, he returned to his hometown. “I didn't plan to make a living making soba,” he said. “I made it as a pastime and gave some to my neighbours. One day, I was asked by the president of a local tourist hotel to open a soba restaurant in the hotel.”
Wada accepted the offer and the restaurant eventually became very popular.
He could prepare only 30 to 40 portions of soba a day because he had no employees or assistants. He also had many clients in the Tokyo metropolitan area. They often phoned him to say: “I'll come to you by Shinkansen (high-speed train). So leave a portion for me.”
However, after the Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011, the number of customers at his soba restaurant decreased significantly.
When the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in a different part of the prefecture was damaged by tsunami after the quake, radioactive material escaped into the environment.
“Soba flour [to make the noodles] is made by grinding buckwheat harvested the previous year. There was no [contamination by] nuclear substances,” Wada said. “But people suddenly stopped coming here because the power plant is located in the same Fukushima Prefecture.”
Although the radiation dose detected in the Urabandai district were low, the district was greatly affected by misinformation that it had been contaminated. The tourist hotel was forced to close. His soba restaurant also shut down.
“I'd made soba for pleasure because I wanted to see my customers happily eating my noodles,” he said.
In another blow, in May, the popular food manga “Oishinbo” controversially linked health problems with the nuclear accident by depicting the lead character suffering a nosebleed after a visit to Fukushima Prefecture.
“As I drew manga in the past, I understand what it wanted to express. But [the point] could have been made with a milder, gentler expression,” Wada said, smiling sadly.
Two years ago, he started distributing his noodles to accommodation facilities in the neighbourhood. He makes the soba early in the morning at home.
I had an opportunity to eat his soba at a restaurant at Kyukamura Urabandai (National Park Resort Urabandai). It was a bit sweet and appropriately firm to the bite. It also felt satisfyingly smooth when I swallowed it.
“In Urabandai, the temperature difference within the day is significant. That makes locally grown soba sweet and tasty,” Wada said.
The next day, I visited the Mt. Bandai Eruption Memorial Museum. The mountain is an active volcano that has erupted many times in the past. The museum displays many materials, such as a valuable photo documenting a large-scale eruption in 1888 that killed 477 people.
The eruption caused a rock avalanche, which blocked many local rivers. As a result, about 300 lakes and ponds were created.
Hiroshi Sato, vice director general of the museum, said: “The Bandai Highlands are known for beautiful greenery and lakes. I want people not to forget the highlands were created by the eruption.”
At nearby Lake Hibara, I saw many people gliding across the water in two-person canoes.
Ryo Watanabe, 39, a local outdoor guide, told to visitors before boarding: “The person who sits on the back seat is the captain. The captain should provide good navigation for the person in the front seat.”
If the two people aboard coordinate with each other well, their canoe can travel straight ahead or turn as they want.
On the last day of my visit, I trekked up a mountain path to see Onogawa Fudo Taki, a scenic waterfall. The view of the water cascading down from a height of 40 meters was truly magnificent. Feeling its spray over my entire body, I felt thoroughly relaxed.
I hope more people will better understand the situation of Fukushima Prefecture today and enjoy a visit there. This will contribute to its recovery.
Travel tips: From JR Tokyo Station, take a Tohoku Shinkansen train to Koriyama Station. From there, a 33-minute ride on a rapid train on the Banetsusaisen line takes you to Inawashiro Station. From there it is a 45-minute bus ride to the Kyukamura Urabandai area.
For more information, call the Urabandai Tourist Association at (0241) 32-2349 or Kyukamura Urabandai at (0241) 32-2421. - Washington Post