Fukushima-Maru

I spent my second day at Kaisai High School (Kaisai Koko in Japanese) today. Last week I got a ride from another teacher both to and from the school (which was very much appreciated). Today was my first day taking the bus to the school – and the first time using a public bus in Japan. The ride is about 50 minutes, which is a bit long for me, but I enjoy visiting a different area of Iwaki. Also, the school, being of a marine studies focus, is located right on the water and is quite beautiful.

In Japan, bus patrons board from the rear doors, where they grab a ticket with a number on it. At the front of the bus is a board that is lit with numbers that range from about 1-40. Under each number is an amount that is calculated based on the distance traveled. This gets paid when disembarking. I didn’t want to be late and so I think I freaked the 15-year old student beside me when at every stop, for the last 15 minutes of the right, I would ask repeatedly, “Kaisai Koko? Kaisai Koko?”





It was a shortened teaching day as the third year students were given time to practice their interviewing skills for the last hour of school. This worked out well in that not only did I get to leave early, but a couple of teachers had time to take me on a tour of Fukushima Maru, the school’s fishing boat. I was originally just going to ‘see’ the boat, but just before we left, another teacher who is more involved with the goings-on of the ship, asked one of the crew members to show us around. The following is an excerpt from a handout the school gave to me (type-o’s and all).

The new training vessel “FUKUSHIMA-MARU” was built as the fifth one operated by IWAKI KAISEI HIGH SCHOOL located in IWAKI CITY, FUKUSHIMA PREFECTURE and as a international voyage training vessel for the purpose of train and research the following matters;

1. Actual Training on Long Line Fishing for Tuna
2. Practical Studies for Navigation, Engineering and Radio Communication
3. Oceanographic Studies and Research on Oceanographic Life
4. Sailing for Actual Experiences

The new “FUKUSHIMA-MARU” was built with attaching importance to studies and life circumstances on board and safey of actual training on sea for students as the VESSEL FOR STUDY (DYNAMIC CLASSROOM) of basic concept for building the vessel.






Twice each school year, the ship carries about 80 students and staff on a three month fishing trip to Hawaii. The journey takes about 2 weeks and they fish mostly north of the Hawaiian Islands. At sometime during this trip, I think that they spend some time in Waikiki.

The ship itself can carry a load of tuna weighing 40 tons and is equipped with its own freezing hold. On deck, I could see the boom that they use to lift the fish out of the water and then eventually into the holds. The tuna themselves are often 200-300lbs. Before they are stored here, they are cleaned and gutted on the wooden planks of the ship’s deck. The holds themselves are over 4m deep and require a ladder to be assembled in order to get down into them. Once a week, the ship’s crew is allowed to eat tuna for dinner.

After seeing the ship’s deck, we got to go up to the bridge. Like any other room in Japan, we removed our shoes as we stepped in.. I saw my first sonar image of the ship’s harbour; we read a weather report from the weather imaging system that showed an incoming typhoon – which is why the boat was tied down to the extent that it was; I spent some time at the helm, which I remember has a turning radius of 70 degrees (not sure how this compares to other fishing boats, but the crewmember seemed to be boasting at this). I also sported some impressive Nikon binoculars, checked the emergency S.O.S system, and was shown a map of the journey that the boat makes during its fishing voyages.

Below decks, we explored the crew’s cabins, mess hall, kitchen, engine room, and storage areas. There wasn’t as much crew down here to show us the details of the equipment, but it was interesting all the same. Overall, I think that this ship and the program that it operates within must be a fascinating experience for the students who partake in it.

I wish I could think of a fascinating or at least witty closing to this, but really, this is just a post about a boat.