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| An article about Mr. Saga and his effort to bring happiness to the people of Tohoku |
This is the owner and operator of Taiko Chaya, located near Asakusabashi Station in Tokyo. I first came across Mr. Saga during my morning commute from Inzai to Tokyo. Since I change trains at Asakusabashi Station, I sometimes find Mr. Saga at the bottom of the stairs, in his festival coat (happi) giving everyone a hearty "GUTS!" cheer in the morning in order to encourage them on during their difficult day at work.
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| Mr. Saga at the bottom of the stairs at Asakusabashi Station |
He has been doing this for years. Most people just ignore him, I for one am thankful for him.
Soon after posting a video on Youtube of him doing this, I had a friend inform me that he was the owner of an Izakaya (A Japanese Bar) nearby the station. She even sent me a link to their web page. With this I organized a drinking party with friends from work that take the same route through this station. Not only is he a great guy but the food and the drinks at this place are SECOND TO NONE! If you want to experience the true old Tokyo, this is the place.
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| Myself and my co-workers getting a lift in spirit from Mr. Saga |
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| The sashimi moriawase at Taiko Chaya |
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| My happy co-workers at Taiko Chaya |
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| Guts Ojisan himself, Mr. Saga taking a break and having a drink with us. |
However, a more important thing you need to know about Mr. Saga is that he is from Tohoku and his hometown has lost many lives and is devastated from the recent quake and tsunami. Mr. Saga recently took it upon himself to determine what could he do to help. As a result, he bought two giant Tuna (each about 1,000,000yen or about $12,000 a piece) and took them up to his home town. For the past month, the people of the region have had a diet of rice balls and curry rice. If you have ever been here, you know the Japanese love their fish, and he came to deliver.
During disasters, one thing to remember is what YOU can do to help. Mr. Saga helps by bringing smiles where they are desperately needed, and he his great for doing so.
Please click here for a link to
Taiko Chaya
Also, if you go to Taiko Chaya, make sure you send me a message because I will always jump at a chance to go.
