vol.12
The day my dream of two years came true

Hi! I am the Official Furuno Ambassador, Captain Sakana.
Usually, I make and sing fish songs on the TV Tokyo show, publish books as a picture book creator, and spread the word to children about the wonders of fish in fun and exciting ways.

Today, I want to talk about a day that was like a miracle at one of those events.

The story begins two years ago, with a little girl.

The year was 2022, the venue was a fish event held at Nishinomiya Hankyu.
Among the children who had come to have fun, there was a third-year elementary school girl.

"When I grow up, I want to be a dolphin trainer!"
This little girl was nervous as she held my book, and her eyes sparkled. Afterwards, she started coming to events often.

Then, one day, the next step in the story happened.
At the elementary school that girl attended, she knocked on the door of the principal's office with a friend, and requested directly to the principal, "I want you to invite Captain Sakana to our school! I want everyone to hear him talk about fish and the environment, and for everyone to become friends in our mission to protect the sea."

The principal was a wonderful person as well, and right away he said, "All right, then," and immediately came to the next event at Nishinomiya Shrine, and told me about the request.
When he told me he wanted me to come speak at the school, I replied, "Definitely! I'd love to go right away!" But, because the school education program was planned for several years in advance, the opportunity did not materialize right away...

However, Furuno also wanted this plan to work out, so the next year, Furuno's President: Mr Furuno and I paid a courtesy call on the Mayor of Nishinomiya, and we told the Mayor and the Board of Education about our thoughts about the children.
We received a strong response of, "Let's help make this work!" and the plan started to move quickly towards fruition.

The next chapter started in June 2024, two years after that little girl knocked on the principal's office door.

When I visited the school in the morning, along with a welcome message, a large screen and sound system had been set up in the gym, and the principal said, smiling in a happy voice, "Today, just like that girl wanted, all 420 students in the school are going to listen."

Before the talk began, the girl stood up before all the other students and talked about her feelings leading up to that day.
"...and I am so glad that this day has finally come." Seeing the girl who had been shy only two years ago now speak with the confidence of a fifth grader, my heart warmed. I was also moved by her growth and the feelings she expressed.

When the talk finally began, all of the students cheered with genuine excitement, from the first graders to the sixth graders!

Not only did they focus intently on the four-panel fish quiz, they also participated with serious thought about the sea environment. After it was over, the girl and her friend rushed to me and said, "That was so fun! And everyone in our class was so happy!!"

Everyone saw me off with warm smiles, and as I headed to my next job, my mind was filled with reflections.

I thought about how so many adults came together to help make children's dreams come true.
How the courage of one little girl sparked a movement that grew into a powerful wave of change.
And how, on that very day, principals from various schools gathered and spoke about expanding the program to more schools across Nishinomiya.

It was a truly precious moment, one that filled me with deep happiness. I felt, from the bottom of my heart, that continuing my work as Captain Sakana was the right path.

To the principal who supported us, to the city of Nishinomiya, to all the children's guardians, and to everyone at Furuno, who always stand behind me as their Official Ambassador, I am sincerely grateful.

And most of all, I want to say thank you Hirona and Keiji who were brave enough to speak in front of everybody!

I will be rooting for you and your futures, and I will keep the feelings I received from both of you in my heart, and remember them as I continue working as Captain Sakana!

Thank you for reading all the way to the end. If there is something you love in your life, I want you to try to take some sort of action about it. Because, you see, for me this was a day like a dream where the children taught me, "It is the small actions that have the power to change the bigger world."

“If children grow to love fish, the future of the sea will flourish.”
Official Furuno Ambassador Captain Sakana