Actor Ken Watanabe’s Cafe Closes after Supporting Reconstruction

Kesennuma, Miyagi Pref., Dec. 22 (Jiji Press)–A cafe set up by Japanese actor Ken Watanabe in 2013 has closed down after supporting the reconstruction of Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, hit hard by tsunami from the March 2011 major earthquake. The cafe, K-port, in the northeastern Japan city gained popularity among not only local residents but also visitors from outside the prefecture, which is part of the Tohoku northeastern region. “I decided to close the cafe (due to my age) and look for someone younger who would like to take it over,” Watanabe, 66, told reporters Saturday, a day before the closure. Watanabe began to visit evacuation centers in affected areas soon after the disaster and opted to open the cafe just in front of Kesennuma’s fishing port to offer a place where people could enjoy chatting with smiles. Watanabe served customers about once every two months while sending handwritten messages to the cafe by fax almost every day. The internationally acclaimed actor said he did this “to say that I think about Kesennuma, even if only for five minutes a day, and continue to be connected (with the city and afflicted people).” He emphasized the importance of the “precious relationships” he made with Tohoku, including Kesennuma, saying, “I’m not going to cut them off.” He added that he will continue to visit the city. “I’m truly grateful to him for creating such a good cafe and running it for more than 10 years,” said Kosei Asano, a 62-year-old Kesennuma resident, who visited the cafe Sunday. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]