從新聞得知日本重開福島受核地區，這卻令我想起一位去年在阿根廷南部 El Calafate 曾經遇上的日本旅人。
From the news today, I read that Japan has reopened part of the radiation-hit area in Fukushima today. It reminds me a Japanese traveler I met in El Calafate in south Argentina last year.
當時閑談得知他家鄉在福島，但他說他一早已搬了去東京，所以地震時他不在家鄉，但他的母親和祖父母都在。接著他便從電腦上找了他在福島老家、還有他母親和祖父母的照片給我看。看著看著，由最先完完整整溫暖的家和仨老，到最後只有地震後滿目瘡痍的家鄉，和已夷為平地的老家。雖然已是數年前之事，但看著這些照片卻仍然令我心頭震動。因為災難已不再是電視上那遙遠而不著邊際的事，是近在眼前一位有血有肉有過去有歷史的受災家屬的不幸經歷。那時我看他這麼輕鬆平常的道來，所以還白痴地問他的家人可好。然後我就看到他裝著很淡然，但卻眼帶淚光的說：「他們都走了」。
當時的我無言，因為除了感到愕然之後，還深深明白失去至親的痛苦，不是傍人一兩句說話能安慰什麼的。
地震後他當然第一時間打電話回家，但電話一直不通，所以他便回家鄉找家人，但他回到家鄉時，找到的都只是一推頽垣敗瓦，他們仨老從此就不知所蹤。他說應該是海嘯來時連人帶家一併捲走了。看相片他的祖父是要坐輸椅的，所以我想就算有時間逃生，他母親一人之力無論如何也不可能帶他們一起跑吧。
可能是因為從此孑然一身，也可能是因為想忘記悲痛，自此他便辭了職，展開了環球之旅。遇到他時，他已經走過了亞洲、歐洲、中東、非洲等地了。
一個萍水相逢的旅人，我已記不起他的名字，但當我想起他時，出現我腦中的就是當時他那哀傷的眼神和當中閃過的淚光。可能從此他就是一個心頭帶洞的人，希望他和其他受過災痛的人，最後都能從人生中找到平安和快樂，然後把洞慢慢的補起來。
He’s from Fukushima but he had moved to Tokyo for long. He wasn’t there during the earthquake in 2011 but unfortunately his mother and grandparents were. He then showed me some photos from his computer. From pictures of his lovely old home and smily family members to completely destroyed hometown and collapsed old house. No sight of his family members from the pictures again. He said in a very peaceful and tranquil voice, “They’er gone”, though I noticed his eyes seemed shinning with tear.
“I called home after the earthquake but the line was never connected and so I went home to look for them.” All he found was only rubbles in the site of his old home. The three of them just vanished from there. He guessed the tsunami just swept away everything, the house and his mother and grandparents. From the photos before, his grandpa was on a wheelchair, there’s no chance for his mother to save any of their lives.
Maybe because he’s all by himself now, or maybe in the hope to ease the pain of losing the loved ones, he quit his job and started to travel around the world after. He’s already been to Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa by the time I met him.
Although it happened some years ago, it’s still very sad and unsettling to realize the brutality of a natural disaster no longer from a distanced TV news but from a personal encounter with a victims’ family member.
We only met by chance and I don’t even remember his name now. But every time I think of him, the first thing that comes to my mind is always the sadness I saw in his eyes. I hope he and also anyone who has suffered from any natural or manmade disaster can all find peace and happiness in life.
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