For ten years, Yasuo Takamatsu has plunged into the depths of the ocean, diving 650 times in a determined effort to find the remains of his wife, fulfilling her final wish: “I want to come home.”
In 2011, the northeastern coast of Japan was devastated by a powerful earthquake and tsunami. Among the thousands of lives lost or forever altered, Yasuo Takamatsu, a retired bus driver, was left searching for his wife, Yuko, who went missing that day. Driven by the desire to honor her last words to him, “I want to come home,” Takamatsu has spent the last decade diving in the same waters that took her away, hoping against hope to bring her back.
On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, triggering a massive tsunami that ravaged the coastal towns. Yuko Takamatsu was at work in a bank branch in Onagawa, a town in Miyagi Prefecture, when the tsunami warning was issued. Despite her manager’s quick thinking to evacuate the staff to the rooftop, the waves reached over 15 meters high, engulfing the building and sweeping away 12 people, including Yuko. While four of the victims were later found, Yuko and seven others remain missing.
The tragedy left Takamatsu, who was en route from a nearby hospital after visiting his mother-in-law, grappling with the sudden and heartbreaking loss. The couple had married in 1988 and raised two children in Onagawa, building a life together in the picturesque coastal town. The tsunami took that life away, leaving Takamatsu with nothing but memories and a message from Yuko: “Are you okay? I want to come home.”
Two years after the disaster, rescue teams recovered Yuko’s mobile phone from the debris, miraculously intact. On it, Takamatsu found an unsent message: “The tsunami is huge.” The discovery of this final message deepened his resolve to fulfill her last wish. He began taking diving lessons after retiring in 2014, determined to search for her remains himself.
Since then, Takamatsu has dived 650 times in the waters off Onagawa, where Yuko was last seen. Each dive is a testament to his unwavering love and commitment, a solitary journey in search of closure. Despite the overwhelming odds and the passage of time, he remains undeterred. “Even if it’s just a piece of her, I want to bring her home,” he says.
Takamatsu’s story is one of resilience and unyielding devotion. The earthquake and tsunami of 2011 claimed 19,759 lives and left 2,553 people missing, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in Japan’s history. For Takamatsu, the search for Yuko is not just about finding her remains; it’s about honoring the life they shared and the promise he made to bring her home.
As long as he is able, Takamatsu vows to continue diving, driven by the hope that he can finally fulfill Yuko’s last wish and bring her home, even if only in spirit. His story is a poignant reminder of the enduring power of love, even in the face of unimaginable loss.
