Meet Hiroyuki Arakawa heโs a scuba diver whoโs been entrusted with protecting a Torii Shinto shrine thatโs a part of the Hasama Underwater Park near Tateyama, Japan.
And noโฆ an underwater park isnโt 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.
During this time, Arakawa has become besties with a fish.
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.
โIโd say we understand each other,โ Arakawa, 79, told Great Bit Story. โNot that we can talk to each other but, it just happened naturally. I kissed her once but Iโm 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 shrineโs gates which are about 56 feet underwater.
โIf you look closely from the front, the look like they have a human face,โ Arakawa explains. โWhen you look really close youโll think it looks like someone you know.โ
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.
โI guess she knows that I save her, that I helped her when she was badly injured,โ Arakawa explains. โFor 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.
โI think anyone can get an animalโs attention by feeding them, but to touch or interact with them is harder to accomplish,โ Arakawa says. โIโm not sure if itโs the nature of kobudai or not but itโs probably because there is a sense of trust between us.โ
You can tell that Yoriko definitely does trust and love Arakawa in the video below. Enjoy the lovefest.
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