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Japanese Scuba Diver Forms A 25-Year Friendship With A Fish
Every time they meet, the man greets the fish with a kiss.
D.G. Sciortino
06.28.17

Meet Hiroyuki Arakawa heโ€™s a scuba diver whoโ€™s been entrusted with protecting a Torii Shinto shrine thatโ€™s a part of the Hasama Underwater Park near Tateyama, Japan.

And noโ€ฆ an underwater park isnโ€™t the weirdest part of this story.

The most unusual part of the story is the friend that Arakawa has made during his decades of overseeing the shrine and guiding those who wish to visit the shrine, according to Atlas Obscura.

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During this time, Arakawa has become besties with a fish.

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ๆณขๅทฆ้–“ๆตทไธญๅ…ฌๅœ’
Source:
ๆณขๅทฆ้–“ๆตทไธญๅ…ฌๅœ’

Meet Yoriko, an Asian sheepshead wrasse who always greets Arakawa when he dives below the waves to visit the shrine. Whenever Arakawa arrives he bangs on a metal pipe to summon Yoriko.

When Yoriko arrives, Arakawa plants a big oleโ€™ kiss on her.

These two have hung out pretty much every single day for the last 25 to 30 years.

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โ€œIโ€™d say we understand each other,โ€ Arakawa, 79, told Great Bit Story. โ€œNot that we can talk to each other but, it just happened naturally. I kissed her once but Iโ€™m the only person she will let do it.โ€

Arakawa, who has been a scuba diver for more than 60 years, said that Yoriko lives by the shrineโ€™s gates which are about 56 feet underwater.

โ€œIf you look closely from the front, the look like they have a human face,โ€ Arakawa explains. โ€œWhen you look really close youโ€™ll think it looks like someone you know.โ€

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One day during his visit, Arakawa found Yoriko looking completely exhausted and unable to catch her own food. So, he made sure to hand feed her five crabs a day for 10 days until she was well again.

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ๆณขๅทฆ้–“ๆตทไธญๅ…ฌๅœ’
Source:
ๆณขๅทฆ้–“ๆตทไธญๅ…ฌๅœ’

โ€œI guess she knows that I save her, that I helped her when she was badly injured,โ€ Arakawa explains. โ€œFor me to be able to do that, I am proud. I have an amazing sense of accomplishment in my heart.โ€

In addition to kisses, Yoriko also lets Arakawa snaps selfies of them.

โ€œI think anyone can get an animalโ€™s attention by feeding them, but to touch or interact with them is harder to accomplish,โ€ Arakawa says. โ€œIโ€™m not sure if itโ€™s the nature of kobudai or not but itโ€™s probably because there is a sense of trust between us.โ€

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You can tell that Yoriko definitely does trust and love Arakawa in the video below. Enjoy the lovefest.

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