NPO JEN continues its efforts to assist the revival of the fishing industry in and around Ishinomaki. Their latest work focuses on the need to support those fishermen who now have to travel long distances from temporary housing to get to the sea. JEN is providing facilities known to fishermen as “banya“—essentially beach sheds where they can take a break or carry out their work. The first seaside banya was built in Momoura late last month on the former site of a fishing coop building. The coastal town of Momoura was largely wiped out by the tsunami. Currently, there are 16 fishing families that are working to restart their fishing businesses, but all of them are currently living far from the coast, with one person having to commute all the way from Sendai—80 km away! Particularly with the hot summer months ahead, the fishermen were extremely happy to have a place where they can take shelter from the sun. JEN will be setting up banya in five more locations as well.