vol.4
Captain Sakana
The secret origin story

This installment includes part of an interview that was sent out in an internal company bulletin.
(Conducted at the Furuno Electric South Wing)

Hello! I'm Captain Sakana. I share the wonders of fish with children in a fun and easy-to-understand way. In addition to that, I’m also active as an announcer, radio DJ, singer, and illustrator.

Today, I've achieved all of these dreams—but the journey wasn't easy. I faced countless setbacks, and there were times I thought, “Maybe I’ll never make it.” But like a skipping stone bouncing across water, I kept moving forward—thanks to the support of many people. And through it all, I’ve held on to my own sense of what matters most: my love for the sea, for fish, for music, and for drawing.

Today, I’d like to share some of the meaningful encounters with people who helped shape the person I am now.

Early childhood: I developed a love for nature and was obsessed with the amazingness of fish!

When I was born, there was a large water tank, about a meter wide, placed near the front door of our house. Inside it lived Kuchan, a whale we were supposedly raising. At least, that’s what I believed. One day, a friend casually said, “That’s not a whale. That’s a catfish.” I rushed to confirm with my dad, and to my shock, he admitted, “Actually, that’s Nachan the namazu (catfish).” (laughs)

From early on, I was surrounded by fish and animals, and I grew up loving them deeply. But the person who truly sparked my passion was that same childhood friend—the one who exposed Kuchan’s true identity. He was a fish enthusiast, and we spent countless days visiting aquariums and going fishing together. Sadly, in fourth grade, he moved away and I was heartbroken.

Before he left, he gave me an illustrated encyclopedia of fish. After he was gone, I spent hours every day flipping through its pages. That’s when it hit me: “These are all fish, but their colors and shapes are so different!” I became completely fascinated by the diversity and wonder of fish.

During all of that, when I reached elementary school age, on the weekends I would go experience living in the countryside with my family. We would go to Makino Town in Shiga Prefecture, cut wood and build a hut, chop firewood, build an oven... I spent six years having primitive weekends like that! I would run away because I hated chopping firewood, go to the reservoir and fish, catch salamanders, and have a good time. (laugh) In the early summer I would be amazed at the sight of the river fish glistening like jewels, or get stung by a bee and have a painful time. Each of these experiences taught me the real side of nature you cannot see in an illustrated encyclopedia.

Setback period: The experience I had on a remote island when my dream was crushed and I vowed to make a new start

I went to Nishinomiya schools for junior high school, high school, and university. In high school and university, I was in the Kwansei Gakuin Glee Club!
We actively recruited members, tried our hands at a cappella, and even appeared on the television show Hamonep. That opportunity blasted open my world in a flash, and I felt the calling to make people happy with songs, and decided to try to become a singer.
But my dream did not come true, and I experienced my first setback. But even still, I wanted to do some kind of work that would bring people joy with my voice, so I took television channel announcer tests at dozens of companies, but I always failed on the final interview, and thus experienced a setback again... I thought, "Up until now, I've lived doing the things I want to do, so it's time for me to just live a normal life now," and decided to look for work at general companies.

I had about half a year before my job started, so I thought, "I'm going to do what I want to do just this one last time," and got a live-in part time job at an inn on a remote island in Hiroshima. The sea was right there in front of the inn! I enjoyed fishing almost every night together with an old man who worked at the port. We would catch squid and cook it, and give some to the old women on the island. Then, the old women took to hanging island mikan and daikon on the door knob of the front door. And I kept making lots of friends with people in the area.

The part time job finished, and on a cold December day right before the day I would finally leave the island, the old man from the harbor came to the inn and, saying, "Let's fish again together some time," he handed me two cans of warm coffee. When the boat was about to depart, the old women came to see me off and, waving their hands, said, "I'm looking forward to seeing you on television." While gazing at the orange-tinged sea lit by the setting sun and the view of the island floating up out of that ocean, I thought, "I've never received that much support before. If I don't do something while these old women are still alive to make them feel glad about supporting me, it will feel like I was lying to them." And right then and there, I decided to head towards my dream one more time.

Becoming an announcer: Captain Sakana is born

When I returned from the island, I began working as a freelance announcer to start pursuing my dream. Bit by bit, going through auditions opened up more opportunities for me to appear on various shows. One day, after passionately talking about fish and how much I love them on a program, a new show was born on Kiss FM KOBE!

This happened around the same time I started calling myself [Sakana no Oniisan Kawachan] in Japanese, which means the Fish bro. Just like the Uta no Oniisan (the Singing Bro) who teaches kids the joy of music, I wanted to be someone who teaches children how amazing fish are. I figured that by using the name Fish Bro here, people would associate me with familiar figures like the Taiso no Oniisan (The Exercise Bro) and Uta no Oniisan. (laughs)

Then one day, a letter arrived at the show from the mother of a four-year-old boy. She wrote: “When we went to the beach as a family, my son started picking up trash. When I praised him, he simply said, ‘Captain Sakana said there are lots of fish in the sea. Fish are our friends, so it’s sad if their home is full of garbage.’ I was so touched.”

That moment made me realize that my love for fish had turned into something meaningful in the real world. For over twenty years, I had simply followed my passion, but now, that passion had inspired a child to care for the ocean and its creatures. I was overwhelmed with joy.

The sea has comforted me so many times during the tough days when my dreams felt out of reach. Being able to give something back to it felt like a small way to repay that kindness. From that moment on, I made a promise to myself: I would dedicate my life to inspiring children to love fish, as Captain Sakana, and continue giving back to the sea that gave me so much.

Meeting FURUNO: I want to build a better future for the sea.

In the summer of 2022, I first encountered the Furuno company at a Nishinomiya event. And after that, through multiple occasions of working together, I learned that not only does Furuno have technology that supports the fishing industry, it also has technology to prevent fish from being harvested more than necessary, and that made a deep impression on me.

I spread the word about fish to children in a fun way. Furuno protects the safety of the sea with technology like the fish finder and the radar. The things that we do are different, but our goal of protecting the future of the sea is the same. I want to expand our activities to protect the sea together! I was appointed their Official Ambassador in the summer of 2023, and I participate in the Sea Pulse Project.

What I want to accomplish with Furuno now is to inspire children all over the world to love the sea. I think that if those children spread a love for the sea to the people around them just like I do, and if that winds up making another child happy, then we have not only enriched the sea, but we have also enriched the entire life of that child. Moving forward, I want to join forces with Furuno to increase the number of friends who can spread the word about the amazingness of the sea, and link our efforts to the future of the sea 100 years, or maybe even 200 years, later.

Captain Sakana exists thanks to the support and spirit of al

From my high school days until now, I’ve had many dreams, and faced just as many setbacks. But today, those dreams have come true, all centered around my role as Captain Sakana. I’m finally able to do the things I’ve always wanted to do.

Just the other day, I performed at a concert for the TV show Synapusyu, singing in front of 6,000 parents and children. The applause and cheers were overwhelming. In that moment, I realized, I’ve even become a "Singing Bro"!

The identity of Captain Sakana has truly guided my life. But it’s not something I created alone. It’s a role that was nurtured and shaped by the support of so many people. I carry deep gratitude for everyone who has encouraged my journey, and for the cycle of support that continues to build a brighter future, for the sea, and for the world.

With that feeling in my heart, I will keep moving forward, dedicating myself to protecting the ocean and inspiring others to love it too.