Kenji Kusunoki, who lost his wife, a daughter and his business in the Noto Peninsula earthquake, opens an izakaya restaurant named Wajimanma in Kawasaki on June 10. (Takaya Kobayashi)

Photo/Illutration Kenji Kusunoki serves customers at his newly opened izakaya called Wajimanma in Kawasaki on June 10. (Tatsuo Kanai)

KAWASAKI--A wooden sign reading “reconstruction in progress” hangs at the entrance of a Japanese-style “izakaya” pub here, a seemingly odd message to display on opening day of the business.

Kenji Kusunoki, 56, the owner of the Wajimanma pub, explained the meaning.

“It is partly because my heart is still recovering. But I also feel that people forget that Noto is still recovering,” he said.

Wajimanma was also the name of an izakaya that Kusunoki had operated on the first two floors of his home in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture.

Kusunoki and four family members were inside that home on New Year’s Day, when the magnitude-7.6 earthquake rocked the Noto Peninsula region. A neighboring building collapsed on the family’s home.

Kusunoki, his second son and second daughter managed to escape. However, his wife, Yukari, 48, and eldest daughter, Jura, 19, were trapped in the rubble and later died.

Kusunoki stayed at an evacuation center in Wajima until April. At night, memories of the disaster came back to haunt him.

But he felt he had to work for the sake of his remaining family members, including the second son, who has a disability.

Kusunoki decided to open another izakaya in Kawasaki, where he and his family used to live.

Kawasaki was the place where he first met Yukari about 30 years ago as well as the site of his first restaurant, called Manma, which means, “You are fine just as you are.”

Yukari came up with name for the restaurant.

She was originally from the Noto region, and the family eventually moved to Wajima, where Kusunoki opened Wajimanma on June 10, 2018.

Exactly six years later, on June 10, he opened the new Wajimanma in Kawasaki.

The pub serves Noto specialties, such as puffer fish, oysters and local sake drinks.

“I want to show people the charms of Wajima so that the earthquake will not be forgotten,” Kusunoki said.

The doors opened at 5:30 p.m. Kusunoki stood in the kitchen wearing a T-shirt with a “Wajimanma” logo, which he had retrieved from the rubble of his crushed home.

The very first customer was a 64-year-old self-employed man, who said, “I want to support not only the restaurant but also the entire Okunoto region.”

Within an hour, Wajimanma was filled to capacity.

“I did not expect so many people to come,” Kusunoki said.

Although Kusunoki said he will never forget the past, he also has plans for the future.

“I want to open a restaurant in Wajima someday, even if it is a small one,” he said.

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