OKAZAKI, Aichi Prefecture Inn staff steeped in the art of “omotenashi,” Japanese for hospitality, can “read” the facial expressions of patrons more acutely than those who have never worked in the hospitality industry, a study found.
Yosuke Futomi uses underwater drones in his searches for remains and items of people missing since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. (Shigetaka Kodama)
WATARI, Miyagi Prefecture Haunting memories of the death of his brother have pushed Yosuke Futomi to continue searching the seabed here to help tsunami survivors gain a sense of closure.
Futomi runs a marine sports facility in the town of Watari. But since 2016, he has volunteered to dive into the ocean for clues of those who disappeared in the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.
Around 2,500 people remain unaccounted for, mainly in the Tohoku region, since the disaster, and the chances of finding their remains decrease every day.