It has been nearly a decade since a social gathering aimed at easing middle-aged and older men's dependence on alcohol in Japan was founded in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.On the second Sunday of each month, a steady stream of men trickles into a room on the first floor of a building in front of East Japan Railway Co.'s Ishinomaki Station to chat while playing games, such as shogi (Japanese chess) and mahjong.They gather to relieve some of their loneliness and despair from having lost family members and other loved ones to the devastating n…READ FULL ARTICLE
