Fukushima Pref. family's spirits lifted by giant stone robot after 3.11 disasters

The Mainichi

22-04-2025

FUKUSHIMA -- Along the way to the famed Takayu Onsen hot springs in this northeast Japan city, this reporter spotted a giant stone robot statue that seemed out of place in an unassuming residential area -- as if it had come straight out of an anime.
The robot, posing with its fists raised along a prefectural highway, was constructed over 20 years ago by a stone supplier. It stands about 3.2 meters tall and is said to weigh at least 2 metric tons.
A group which once included the stone company's shop was part of a housing franchise that provided design and construction expertise to local builders, and the statue was originally erected in the parking lot of a show home. However, this was all over two decades ago. An official with the group said, "No one knows what happened back then, and we don't know who built it or why." The official conjectured that it may have been built as a piece to show off the shop's expertise.
Why is there a robot here?
The house by the statue is now home to Shinichi Takamatsu, 49, and his family, who evacuated from Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, after the town was severely hit by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and meltdowns at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. As the entire town was evacuated, all five members of his family relocated to temporary housing in the city of Fukushima.
Takamatsu continued to commute over two hours each way to the kitchen equipment manufacturer he ran in the prefectural city of Minamisoma. He and his employees worked for two months to resume accepting orders for products like commercial gas ranges.
Takamatsu's stay in the temporary housing expired in 2016, after which he moved to an apartment in the city of Fukushima, near the stone statue. As a fan of sci-fi anime like "Mobile Suit Gundam" since he was a kid, it caught his attention as he was passing by. "Why is there such an incredible robot here?" he wondered.
At the time, Takamatsu, his wife and three kids were forced to sleep side by side in a cramped apartment. He longed for his hometown of Namie, but he recalled, "I grew attached to this area too, and started looking for a place where my family could settle down together."
However, the search for a new house was not easy. In 2021, just when the family was about to give up and consider moving elsewhere, his wife Michiyo, 48, saw online that the show home was due to go up for sale.
A happy surprise
The statue's deep foundation had been buried underground to prevent it from toppling over, making removal a major challenge. At the time, the home had been passed to another construction firm from the housing franchise, and the company offered to remove the statue at no cost.
Takamatsu politely declined the offer. "Honestly, I did not want it removed at all. In fact, I was worried they might take it away, so it was a happy surprise," he said.
Meanwhile, Takamatsu's renewed company continued to struggle with chronic staff shortages, as not all employees returned after the nuclear disaster. He split his time between the city of Fukushima and public housing in Minamisoma which had only the bare basics. "I just used the room in Minamisoma to sleep," he said.
One day, an exhausted Takamatsu returned to Fukushima to find his wife had lit up the robot statue outside their house. "Since he didn't come home every day, I wanted to make him feel a little better when he did," she explained.
"It lifted my spirits and made me feel like I could keep going," said Takamatsu.
Saved by the stone robot
The road in front of the house has heavy traffic and a narrow sidewalk, making it unsuitable for sightseeing. Yet, elderly neighbors can sometimes be seen sitting beside the statue and gazing at it during their walks.
Fourteen years have passed since the disasters, but Takamatsu's family home in the mountains of Namie is in an area where people are restricted from returning. The rice fields his father used to cultivate have completely collapsed, and there is no clear prospect of going back.
Takamatsu continues to live between Minamisoma and Fukushima, only returning to his home to the prefectural capital about once a week -- but seeing the robot's face along the route always brings him comfort.
Takamatsu said while gazing at the statue, "I was saved by this robot. Rather than a symbolic tree, I've got a symbolic stone statue. I'd like to set up a bench or something so that lots of people can enjoy it."