Kitadaito, Juku-cho (北大東、塾長)

My friend, who was like a Japanese grandfather to me, and was the only one who listened to me and stood up for me in times of trouble when it seemed that the rest of the island was out to get me, is retiring from the Juku in Kitadaito after fourteen years. He is now 79 years old. I knew him when he was 75-77 years old. He had a special presence on the island. Even when my parents came to visit, they knew the moment they met him that he was "the man" on the island. He was always listened to when he spoke and people would respect his opinion when he spoke it. He is an avid reader, and would always hand me his copies of newsweek after he was done with them so that I could gain insight on what was going on in the world outside of the tiny island. We were on very good terms and would often go to the local beer garden once or twice a week to drink and talk about current events in the world. We would also dicuss many historical things as well. He has lived through some amazing times and experienced some interesting things. He was born in Taegu, South Korea under the Japanese occupation of Korea. He lived there until he was twenty. Then the Japanese returned Korean rule to the Koreans and he and his family returned to Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture where his family was from. There he lived through World War II. He was an English teacher for thirty years before he retired. After he retired he opened up the newspaper to find a new job to do and he saw the classified for the Juku-cho job in Kitadaito and applied. He got the job and him and his wife moved to Kitadaito where he has worked since. However, his wife became ill and had to return to Nagoya to be near the hospital for treatment, so by the time I met him, he was living in Kitadaito on his own. He would always travel back to Nagoya to see his wife and family on every vacation he got when school was not in session. Those were some of the most memorable times I had out there in Kitadaito. With him no longer in Kitadaito, he shall leave a huge gaping hole that cannot be filled or replaced easily by just anyone.