Japan Earthquake Relief Disaster Idea Exchange
Earthquake Tsunami, Fundraising 
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JET alum Emily Duncan (Hyogo-ken, 2005-08) and a fellow Hyogo JET alum friend have set up a Facebook page called “Japan Earthquake Relief Disaster Idea Exchange“ to encourage JETs and others to share and discuss ideas.
There’s already a good discussion going, so have a look.
NYCaresForJapan.com
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Mitsuhiro Inada of the Japan Foundation in New York has put together this helpful website to keep New Yorkers up to date on Japan-related fundraising activities there:
Volunteer: Provide housing to earthquake evacuees
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I saw this link on the Nagasaki JET email group. I don’t know anything about it other than what’s on the website:
Calling for “Homestay for Earthquake Evacuees”
Please offer your “home” to ease hardships of the earthquake evacuees.
This calling is basically to people living in Japan currently only.
More info here: http://earthdaymoney.org/topics_dt.php?id=391
JET organizes “5ToSurvive” to encourage JETs to fundraise throughout Japan
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An idea conceived by JET Tom Cole and supported by AJET and Smile Kids Japan:
As someone who lives in Japan, I have been both shocked at the destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami, and amazed at how people are coming together to help those in need. Watching these events unfold, I’ve had one continuous thought on my mind, ‘How can I help?’. And when I sat down to think about what I could do, I turned to what I know best: running.
As a keen runner from a young age, I have entered many races and seen what charity runs can do. Each year the London marathon raises millions for charities, and now its our turn to make a difference for Japan.
So…here’s your chance. On Sunday, April 10th, at 3:11pm I am challenging myself to run 5toSurvive — 5kms to benefit earthquake/tsunami relief — and I’m asking all of you to join me. This is an event created for everyone, no matter who or where you are, to join forces and help.
If you’re a serious runner then go for it, if you’re not then have fun! Invite some friends, put on a costume, and walk the distance with a bucket for donations along the way. The great thing is you can decide the details of your event, but you’ll be doing it with others from around the world.
The idea is to run or walk 5km and raise money by doing it. Trust me, this really is where you can make a difference. There are 47 prefectures in Japan. If one person can raise 10,000 yen per prefecture, it will be 470,000 yen. Imagine what a group of 5 or 10 of you can do! (And now imagine runs in New York, London, Toronto, LA and you see what we are going to achieve!)
It’s easy to raise money — just join the 5toSurvive team on justgiving.com and your friends and family can easily donate to GlobalGiving’s earthquake relief efforts. Here’s how you get started in a few easy steps:
STEP 1: Go to www.justgiving.com and click ‘Get Started.’ and ‘Make Your Page.’ Choose ‘Personal Challenge’ and follow the directions. Now go to https://www.justgiving.com/teams/5tosurvive/ and click ‘Join Team.’ (Down at the bottom where it lists the team members). Select the page that you just made and join the team!
STEP 2: Create your 5km course. (There’s a number of websites you can use for this, I would recommend mapmyrun.com).
STEP 3: Plan your event — Big or small, its up to you. Feel free to run on your own. Or find people to run with you: a few friends or your local AJET group, running club, or college’s Japanese Culture Association. (To add an extra element of fun, plan to wear costumes!)
STEP 4: Raise awareness and tell people to sponsor you through your justgiving.com page so you can track your progress.
STEP 5: Go out and do it!
If you have any questions or are having trouble getting your 5km together, please contact contactus@5tosurvive.org.
I’m urging you to do what you can to raise donations and awareness! There really is no quick fix, and rebuilding the region will take years. By joining 5toSurvive and running or walking what is probably less than your everyday commute to work, you can be a part of a worldwide effort to remember the victims of the tsunami and give the people still struggling in the face of such devastation a helping hand. If running isn’t your thing or you want to do more then follow in mine and others footsteps, I’d encourage you to organise something by yourself or with your friends!
Thanks! And I’ll see you on the starting line.
– Tom
Brought to you by Mr. Tom Cole, AJET, Smile Kids Japan, JetWit and JETAA.
JETAA Bluegrass Subchapter holds successful fundraiser in Lexington, KY
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Via JET alum Roy Harrison of JETAA Music City‘s Bluegrass subchapter in Kentucky.
“Together we raised over $3100 for the Red Cross through our Soundbar event and online fundraising. It’s was great to see a large number of alums come out to the event, too!”
************
Radio Interview about JET and Japan on WOR 710 AM New York
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I was interviewed on a radio program earlier this week on New York radio station 710 AM and asked to talk about the JET Program and some of the cultural context for what’s going on in Japan. As I explained about the JET Program to Denise Richardson, the interviewer, I realized how impressed she and others there were to learn that something like the JET Program even existed, that there are currently between 4,000 and 5,000 JETs in Japan and 55,000+ JET alumni worldwide.
- Here’s the link to the interview (Length 5 to 10 minutes): http://podcast.wor710.com/wor/2854301.mp3
- If you have problems with that link, go here and click on the March 20 show: http://www.wor710.com/pages/8387310.php?
Correction: In the interview, I realized afterward that incorrectly agreed with the statement that there are 4,000 to 5,000 JETs from the US in Japan. That number actually includes JETs from all countries.
WIT Life #157: Bye Bye Kitty!!!
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03). She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Last week I had the opportunity to attend the opening for the Japan Society’s newest exhibit, Bye Bye Kitty!!! The title refers to opposition towards the domination of Japan’s kawaii-ness, the idea of cuteness that has become Japan’s major export as represented by Hello Kitty. It features 16 artists, many of them quite young and not household names, and their interpretation of this concept. I was particularly drawn in by the intricacy of the works of 38-year old Manabu Ikeda, whose pen and ink masterpieces were incredibly detailed and required several minutes of close examination to take in all of their elements.
Equally interesting was the large-scale Read More
JETAA Chapter Beat: Disaster Relief Efforts
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After the devastation in Japan last week, JETAA chapters around the world have stepped up with a variety of efforts to aid those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. Check out what your chapter is doing and lend your support to a place you once called home.
- JETAA USA Relief Fund – The “JETAA USA Japan Earthquake Relief Fund” is the official relief fund of the all-volunteer Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program Alumni Association of America (JETAA USA). JET alumni have experience living and working in communities across Japan, so the disaster has struck very close to home. All 19 JET alumni chapters across the U.S. are currently working together to raise funds to aid in the disaster relief and recovery efforts. JETAANY, the New York chapter of JETAA USA, is hosting the fund. JETAANY is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code, and PayPal has graciously offered to waive all transaction fees from March 11 to April 10. The proceeds will go to supporting earthquake relief and recovery efforts in Japan and fees related to administering the fund.
- Town Hall Meeting and Fundraising Event – Wednesday, March 23rd, 6-8 at L’Enfant Cafe and Bar. This event will serve not only as a fundraiser to generate income for the JETAAUSA Earthquake Fund, but also as a platform to gather the JET community and to discuss ideas about how we can develop consistent, high-quality events throughout the year to maintain awareness about the situation in Japan.
- Japan Relief Donation Night – Monday, March 21st, 6-9, at PiQ Italian Bakery and Cafe. PiQ is collaborating with the Red Cross @ CAL, represented also will be Red Cross USA, and the JETAANC, representing JETAA USA. All individual donations and all sales for the night will be pooled together into the PiQ Japan Relief Donation Fund. Half of that will go to the Res Cross who will distribute it to the Japan Red Cross. The other half will go to the JETAA USA Japan Earthquake Relief Fund.
- Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund – Sponsored by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, this relief fund goes directly towards citizen relief efforts in most affected areas.
- Chibi Chan Preschool Auction – Chibi Chan Preschool, a program of the non-profit organization Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC) in SF Japantown, is holding their annual auction fundraiser. This year they will donate 10% of the proceeds to the Japan earthquake relief efforts.
- Earthquake Relief Fundraiser – Wednesday, March 23rd, 6-8 at O! Izakaya. JETAANC will be hosting a community fundraising event in the upstairs mezzanine of O! Izakaya, located in the Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco’s Japantown. Donations will go to the JETAA USA Japan Earthquake Relief Fund and 100% of of the proceeds will be used to support earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan.
- Give a Day for Japan – JETAA UK is asking all former JET Programme participants to support relief efforts in Japan by giving a day’s pay to the Japan Society Fund. The Japan Society Tohoku Earthquake Relief Fund link will channel all donations received to the ongoing work of voluntary and community organizations(NPOs) working in the most affected prefectures. Donations can be made via the Japan society website or by phone.
- Seattle Japan Relief – SeattleJapanRelief is a collaboration of Japanese American and Japan related cultural, educational, and civic organizations standing together to promote relief and recovery following the devastating earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan. We are committed to mobilizing funds quickly in support of immediate relief efforts. We are also steadfast in our resolve to remain involved with long-term recovery efforts.
- Xaverian High School Concert for Japan (alma mater of Inuyama City Councilman and JET alum Anthony Bianchi (Aichi)) – Thursday, March 31st, 7:00 at Xaverian High School in Brooklyn. In an effort to help friends in need, Mr. Joseph Loposky, Director of Music at Xaverian, has announced a benefit concert that will take place at the school. Admission will be $10 per person. In addition, a clothing drive has been organized in cooperation with Catholic Relief Services. If you’d like to participate, you can drop off any garments you’ll be donating at the performance. Coinciding with our event, will be another in Japan, organized by Anthony Bianchi ’76, Inuyama City Council Member.
- Run for Japan – Sunday, March 20th, 8:30, 10, and 11:30 at Central Park at the 72nd and 5th Ave Entrance. Dosokai, a group of NY runners from Hokkaido, will run for victims of the unprecedented disaster that happened last week in Northeast Japan. It won’t be a competition, but will be a peaceful group run.
JETAA Minnesota
- Fundraiser Event – Tentatively scheduled for April 15th or 16th, Minnesota JET will be putting together a benefit event for disaster relief in Japan. Funds will go to the USA national JET Alumni Association to be donated to a TBD cause in Japan. More details to be announced.
- Tsunami Fundraising Brainstorming Event – Saturday, March 19th, 4-7 at Yotsuba Restaurant.
JETAA New Orleans
- NOLA Japan Quake Fund – Having survived Hurricane Katrina, the people of our community share a special bond with the people in Japan whose lives will be forever changed by this disaster. The NOLA Japan Quake Fund Coalition’s hope is that we can assist the Japanese in their time of need, just as they did for us following Katrina.
Kyodo News: Little Tokyo Community (LA) Mourns Tragedy, Rallies Support – by JET alum Jody Godoy
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Kyodo News article by LA-based JET alum and Kyodo News reporter Jody Godoy (Fukui-ken):
Little Tokyo Community Mourns Tragedy, Rallies Support
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa joined Japanese Consul General Junichi Ihara and more than 600 attendees at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in the Little Tokyo area on Thursday evening to mourn Japan’s quake and tsunami victims and show solidarity with the shaken country.
CLICK HERE to read full article.
Ways JET Alums Can Help: Wear a button that says, “Ask Me About Japan”
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AS a JET alum, you know far more about Japan than most people in your country (unless you live in Japan of course). One of the really helpful thing you can do in the coming weeks and months is to help keep up awareness and understanding of Japan. Help people continue to feel connected to and empathetic toward Japan, even after the story falls from the headlines. Because support is going to be needed for a long while. This is not a short term effort.
Here’s one more way you can help:
- Wear a button (or a t-shirt or other wearable item) that simply says: “Ask me about Japan”.
- Do this not just now but in the coming weeks and months as well.
This will:
a) Keep Japan in everyone’s consciousness
b) Turn JET alums (and others who have lived in Japan) into a resource for people who want to know more about Japan, to connect with Japan, to support Japan.
This is something all JET alums can do to help.
Ways JET Alums Can Help: Make yourself available to talk to schools, churches, companies, other organizations
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AS a JET alum, you know far more about Japan than most people in your country (unless you live in Japan of course). One of the really helpful thing you can do in the coming weeks and months is to help keep up awareness and understanding of Japan. Help people continue to feel connected to and empathetic toward Japan, even after the story falls from the headlines. Because support is going to be needed for a long while. This is not a short term effort.
Here’s one more way you can help:
- Make yourself available to talk to schools, churches, companies or other organizations in your community. People do not know a lot about Japan, but many will want to know more. Put yourself out there and offer to be a link. To answer questions for students. To share some personal experiences about what it was like to live in Japan.
- Better yet, work with your local JET Alumni Association chapter and/or Japanese Consulate to make it a more organized effort.
This is something all JET alums can do to help.
Ways JET alums can help: Engage your grad school or college alumni offices
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JET alumni are helping in so many ways–fundraising, volunteering, translating, communicating, etc–that it’s hard to keep track of. (Which makes me feel prouder than ever to have served as a JET.)
If you’re looking for ways to help, here’s one more:
- Get in touch with your grad school or college alumni office.
- Let them know you’re a JET alum (you might have to explain what that is).
- Offer to be a resource for helping them to support Japan in some way. Or encourage them to do so.
Your school most likely has some form of connection with Japan. But they may not be focused on the details of what’s going on. Or how to engage their alumni in an appropriate way.
Be a resource for your school’s alumni organization. Offer to write something, to share helpful links or information, to explain things, to translate, to be a point person for reaching out to other alumni. Figure out whatever their needs (or obstacles) are in connection with supporting Japan and figure out a way to be helpful to them.
Many people who don’t have a connection to Japan want to help but may not know how. Be the person that enables them to help. And to do that, make sure you’re up to date and educated. Reading JetWit is a good start. Also check the websites of your nearest JET Alumni Association chapter as well as any other Japan-related organizations in your area.
This is a role all JET alumni can play.
Japanese Moms United – Union Square, NYC
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A group of Japanese moms in NYC held a fundraising event in Union Square on Thursday. Here’s the article along with a video worth watching:
http://www.ny1.com/?ArID=135758
Pacific Northwest JETAA – Yoku ganbatta!
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Pacific Northwest JETAA was involved in a fundraising event at Uwajimaya (the big Japanese food store in Seattle). Here’s a recap from PNW JETAA officer Shun Endo:
“I don’t have official numbers, but at the end of the day we had over $10,000 in donations! I was so moved at everybody’s concern and kindness. Even high school kids and junior high school kids were giving! People really do care, and are looking for an opportunity to give. It really moved me.”
Video: Escaping the tsunami
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