Photo/Illutration Hikari Matsuno reads her "declaration of commitment" at a ceremony for new employees of the Wajima city government in Ishikawa Prefecture on April 1. (Koichiro Yoshida)

On the first day at her new job at the Wajima city office on April 1, Hikari Matsuno touched on what she brings for residents. 

“Just a short while ago, I was the one receiving support as a Wajima resident," she said in her "declaration of commitment" after her name was called as a representative of the 14 new city employees.

April 1 marked the third month since the deadly Noto Peninsula earthquake that ravaged Wajima and other cities along the coast in Ishikawa Prefecture. 

But for some young people in the affected region, the day also meant a start of a new chapter in their lives helping rebuild their communities and businesses. 

Matsuno, 18, grew up playing on the scenic Kamogaura beach in the city. She used to have miso soup in a Wajima-nuri bowl, a famed type of traditional lacquerware made in the city. She loves the nature and culture of Wajima.

However, the elementary school she attended had no new students at times, and she has seen fewer and fewer young people.

Her sense of crisis over Wajima's depopulation grew, and her desire to contribute to the local community expanded.

In December, she received a job offer from the city office. But the earthquake struck on New Year’s Day, making her question her ability to fulfill her upcoming responsibilities. 

At the evacuation shelter where she took refuge immediately after the quake, she could do nothing more than help prepare meals for the evacuees. That experience made her wonder if she would ever be able to serve as a city official.

But as she moved to a secondary evacuation site, she received kindness from people outside the city. That experience gave her the new goal of making them want to visit Wajima someday.

“For me, ‘recovery’ means not only restoring things to the way they were, but also making Wajima a better place,” Matsuno said. “More than my anxiety, I now feel a stronger sense of duty to do my best.”

She has been assigned to the city hall’s citizens division, the point of contact for local residents.

Matsuno ended her statement by saying, “I am truly proud to be an employee of the city of Wajima and to be able to help the community. I will do my best in my work.”

GETTING SAKE BREWERY BACK ON ITS FEET

Ayame Noka, 18, spent the three-month anniversary of the quake at Sogen Sake Brewery Co., dressed in work clothing. 

The sake brewery in Suzu in the prefecture, which was severely damaged, welcomed two new employees and one was Noka.

She said in her introductory speech, "I know it will be tough, but I will do my best.”

The two new employees toured the company building and the sake brewery. The earthquake caused the mountain behind the brewery to collapse, and earth and sand poured into two of the three brewery facilities. The sake storage tanks inside are still tilted.

“It is amazing that the brewery continues to make sake despite such severe damage," Noka said. "It makes me feel strongly that I want to help this company.”

She moved from Kanazawa to Suzu, where her mother’s family lived, when she was in junior high school. She participated in local festivals and was attracted by the richness of nature. She has grown to love Suzu.

In the quake, she lost four relatives. Her home was flooded, and her family took shelter at a relative’s house in Kanazawa.

Life in the prefectural capital should have been a familiar one to her. But she found herself feeling restless and anxious.

She thought there were too many cars and people walked hurriedly. In her refuge, she watched videos and photos of Suzu that she had taken over and over again, missing her hometown.

In mid-March, electricity was restored and she returned to Suzu. The water is still cut off and the roads are cracked.

But the inconvenience did not bother Noka.

“I still love Suzu. I want to continue living here,” she said.

Her mother manages a liquor store that had been run by her great-grandfather.

Noka has envisioned a future in which she would take over the family business and has wanted to “learn about sake to help (the business) in the future,” and that is why she decided to take the job.

At the Sogen brewery, Noka has been assigned to the sales department and is also responsible for in-store sales, which resumed on April 1.

She will also help with bottling, which has been done manually since the power was cut off in the landslide.

“I want to get used to my job quickly so that many people will know the charm of Suzu,” she said.

HELPING SEAFOOD COMPANY PERSEVERE 

Sugiyo Co., a seafood processing company that produces “kanikama” imitation crab meat in Nanao in the prefecture, welcomed eight new employees on April 1.

The company, which represents the Okunoto region, had to suspend production for two months after three of its plants were damaged in the disaster.

Tetsuya Sugino, president of the company, said at the ceremony to welcome the eight, “Just as there is no night that does not fall, there is no difficulty that cannot be overcome.”

Kota Tokuno, 22, a native of Nanao, was one of the eight new hires.

He decided to work for the company in the hopes of contributing to his hometown.

Although Tokuno's home was not severely damaged, the water is still cut off and the surrounding roads are badly damaged.

“I don’t want to see the area fall further and further into disrepair,” he said. “Through Sugiyo, I want to work toward recovery and reconstruction from the earthquake.”

(This article was written by Amane Shimazaki, Shoko Tamaki and Mayumi Ueda.)