Staff writer
Rocks, clay and a dried up river -- these were all Seiji Kasahara found when he arrived at the Foreign Ministry affiliate-touted "Caribbean paradise" of the Dominican Republic 43 years ago.
A native of Fukushima Prefecture, Kasahara emigrated to the country at age 33 as part of a ministry-led emigration program, taking his wife, who was suffering from a heart disorder, and three children.