4 days ago
Meet Sadao Obata: The Tsunami Survivor Volunteering To Clean Toilets for 30 Years
Working as
a
shuttle bus driver for
Tohoku Electric Power Company, Sadao Obata narrowly avoided death following the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011. His family also survived, but his home and car
didn't
. In the aftermath of the disaster,
he felt the best thing he could do as an individual was to help
his hometown of
Tagajo
in Miyagi Prefecture.
List of Contents:
A Letter From Japan's 'God of Toilet Cleaning'
Sadao Obata's Inspiring Story
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A Letter From Japan's 'God of Toilet Cleaning'
Obata then received a letter from Hidesaburo Kagiyama, the founder of the Japanese automotive accessory retail chain Yellow Hat, who is known for his strong belief in the power of cleaning, especially toilet cleaning. Kagiyama
asked
Obata what he needed. 'Cleaning tools' was the response. They arrived shortly after and Obata took them to the Tagajo City Gymnasium, where he had been cleaning the toilets once a week for the previous seven years.
The gym was being used as an evacuation center for around 500 displaced individuals. Obata was one of them. Concerned about the state of the toilets with so many people staying there, he made it his mission to keep them clean. He would pick up trash at 4 a.m., clean the toilets at 5 a.m. and then go to work. No exceptions. He continued this without missing a single day until the evacuation center was closed.
Obata, 69, sees the act of cleaning as a refinement of the soul. He has been cleaning toilets in public facilities and schools as a volunteer in
Tagajo city
for just under three decades, beginning at the age of 40. He was
inspired by
a radio program featuring Kagiyama. The entrepreneur spoke about how cleaning toilets can help cultivate discernment and develop a sense of appreciation and passion in people's lives.
Sadao Obata's Inspiring Story
Obata was hooked. He began cleaning the restrooms at a local junior high school and a park near his home. Providing him with a sense of accomplishment, he reached out to more locations. Some initially weren't welcoming. However, according to Obata, there has been a significant change over the years in the way people respond to him. And if there's a problem, he'll improvise, such as the time he used snow to scrub the floors and toilet bowls when the water supply froze.
Come rain or shine, Obata will stick to his schedule. He cleans toilets for a few hours after work on weekdays and in the mornings and afternoons on weekends. Hearing about his story, Chiharu Sugimoto, 67, a member of the Kagawa Cleaning Study Group, who also cleans toilets at tourist spots in Takamatsu city, decided to invite Obata to deliver lectures in various parts of Kagawa Prefecture on June 16. He will also demonstrate his toilet cleaning skills at Takamatsu's Kita Chuo Park.
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