A local post office in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, reopened for business last month, 11 years after being completely destroyed in the tsunami following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. "I want this to be a ost office where anyone can drop by comfortably," says Yuzo Endo, now the third-generation postmaster of the post office in the Toyoma district.

　2011年の東日本大震災の津波で全壊した福島県いわき市豊間地区の豊間郵便局が先月、11年ぶりに営業を再開した。祖父、父に続き親子３代で局長に就任した遠藤雄三さん（50）は、「誰もが気軽に立ち寄れる郵便局にしたい」 と話している。

　The Toyoma Post Office was established prior to World War II by the 50-year-old Endo's grandfather Akira inside the family's home. For nearly four decades from 1964 to 2002, his father Shoichiro served as the postmaster.

　豊間郵便局は第２次世界大戦前、遠藤さんの祖父・章さんが特定郵便局として自宅に開設。その後、1964年から2002年まで40年近く、父親の庄一郎さんが局長を務めた。

　Endo's desire to work in his hometown led him to choose the same path as his grandfather and father, and he joined what is now the Japan Post Group in 1997. In 2011, he was serving as postmaster of a different post office in Iwaki when the massive earthquake struck eastern Japan. His family emerged unscathed, but the family home that had housed the Toyoma Post office was completely destroyed by the tsunami.

　遠藤さんは地元で働きたいという思いから祖父や父と同じ道を選び、1997年に現在の日本郵便グループに入社した。2011年、東日本大震災が起こったときは、いわき市内の別の郵便局で局長を務めていた。家族は無事だったが、実家の豊間郵便局は津波で全壊した。

　It would be a few years later that Endo learned of a plan to reopen the post office in a new location in the Toyoma district, which made his bond with his hometown grow stronger.
　When he told Shoichiro about his desire to work at the new post office, his father, making a comparison to the Shioyasaki Lighthouse, a symbol of the area, replied, "The post office must be one that lights up the area."
　Shoichiro had been looking forward to seeing the new Toyoma Post Office, but passed away from an illness two years ago.

　それから数年、豊間地区に郵便局を移転再開する計画を知り、地元を思う気持ちが一段と強くなった。庄一郎さんに「再開する郵便局での勤務を希望する」と打ち明けると、父は地域のシンボルの塩屋埼灯台に例え、「地域を明るく照らすような郵便局にしなければならない」と話した。庄一郎さんは新たな豊間郵便局を見ることを願っていたが、２年前に病気で亡くなった。

　During this year's Golden Week holidays, Endo personally visited about 200 homes in the area on foot to announce the reopening. Endo was prepared to be scolded by residents over the inconvenience of not having a local post office for 11 years, but they welcomed him warmly, saying they have been waiting for the reopening.
　The residents also recalled fond memories about his father, making him realize again how a post office is rooted in the community.

　4月末からの大型連休中、遠藤さんは地区の約200戸を歩いて回り、営業再開を知らせた。11年間、郵便局がないことで不便をかけ、叱られると覚悟していたが、住民は「待っていた」と温かく迎えてくれた。同時に庄一郎さんを懐かしむ声を聞き、郵便局が地域に根付いていたこと改めて感じた。

　"I'm happy to be able to work in Toyoma" Endo said at the opening ceremony for the new Toyoma Post Office in May. "I will do everything I can to have residents say, 'This post office is the best.'"

（　Translated by The Japan News　）

　5月に行われた開局式典で遠藤さんは、「豊間で仕事ができることをうれしく思う。地域の人に『この郵便局が一番』と言ってもらえるよう全力を尽くしたい」と誓った。

　【　２０２２年５月１１日付・福島民友新聞掲載　】