Earthquake Support Event: WE ARE HERE – Little voice and art 311 Japan (NYC)
Art, Earthquake Tsunami, Events, Fundraising, Photography 
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Posted at the request of CLAIR New York:
WE ARE HERE – Little voice and art 311 JAPAN is an exhibition of messages from Japanese children of areas affected by the disaster as well as photos of the area. The exhibition is being held at the AIGA Gallery in New York on 22nd St and 5th Avenue in Manhattan from today through May 20. They are also collecting messages from visitors to those children.
SeattleJapanRelief.org 05/16/2011
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Pacific Northwest JETAA has been forwarding updates from SeattleJapanRelief.org, which is a collection of Japan earthquake/tsunami-related fundraising events and activities in the Seattle area. Below is the latest, and there’s more good info here as well. These are not necessarily JETAA events, but I’m guessing various JET alums are involved in some of these.
***********
Weekly Highlights:
May 16 – 22, 2011
What’s happening around town?
Fri (5/20) 1st Annual Japan ISD Matsuri
6-8pm @ Commons- Issaquah High School (Issaquah)
Japanese clubs and classes will be presenting many family-friendly activities. Donations to Peace Winds. Contact: Tammy Haldeman 425-837-7792
Sat (5/21) Japan Relief Now: University Street Fair
4:15pm @ music stage- 42nd & University St (Seattle)
See The People Now for event details
Sat (5/21) The Sun Always Rises: Japan Relief Benefit Concert
7pm @ ACT Fall’s Theatre (Downtown, Seattle)
Artists: Sarah Rudinoff , Miss Mamie Lavona the Exotic Mullatta and Her White Boy Band, The Live Girls! Ladies Choir, Jacqueline Tabor, One World Taiko, Kaze Daiko, and Seattle Kokon Taiko. For tickets: www.acttheatre.org
Upcoming!
Thu (5/26) One Night: Relief Concert
8pm @ Neumos (Capitol Hill, Seattle)
See Nuemos for event details & tickets
Smile Kids Japan’s Mike Maher-King to speak at TEDxTokyo
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Mike Maher-King (Fukui), founder of Smile Kids Japan, will be one of the speakers at TEDxTokyo: Entering the Unknown on Saturday, May 21 at Miraikan Tokyo.
Here’s some background on Mike from the TEDxTokyo website which does a nice job summarizing some of the good work he’s been doing since the Tohoku Earthquake/Tsunami:
Mike Maher-King
Network Organizer, Fundraiser and CatalystChanneling good intentions is tougher than it looks, but Michael Maher King seems to possess the knack. The young British founder and CEO of Smile Kids Japan—which has now joined Living Dreams—was a teacher in Fukui when his wife informed him that some of their students were orphans. In May 2008, they started up Smile Kids to lend their time, skills and care to Fukui’s orphanages.
The March 11 Tohoku disaster broadened the group’s focus and ambitions. Working alongside the Living Dreams NPO, Michael is now taking their network concept to 18 orphanages in Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima through the Smiles and Dreams: Tohoku Kids’ Project. They plan to set up regular fun and interactive volunteer visits, distribute donated items, and spark long-term projects that cover everything from computers to mentoring to scholarships. Michael hopes to go nationwide and help Japan’s other orphans shape their own destinies.
And here’s the event description from the TEDxTokyo website:
Join us
The entire event will be streamed live here on:
- May 21st from 9am JST
- May 20th from 8pm EDT
Join us for all of the talks as they happen, and exclusive backstage interviews.
On Saturday May 21st from 9am JST (Friday May 20th from 8pm EDT) the curtain will rise on our third annual event, Entering the Unknown, which is set to be bigger and better than ever as we bring together an even wider range of speakers and participants to share ideas and inspiration.
In the wake of the devastating March 11th earthquake and subsequent tsunami & radiation menace, we abruptly altered our focus to explore practical and inventive ways of rebuilding and renewing Japan, and uplifting the spirits of its people.
Over 30 speakers and 300 participants will be joining us at Tokyo’s iconic Miraikan, with thousands more around the world watching on the day via our bilingual live streams, whilst taking part through our social media channels.
We invite you to be a part of this special event – put the date in your diary, follow our latest updates on Twitter, and join us here live from Tokyo on the day as we Enter the Unknown.
The Atlantic: Japan Two Months Later
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42 photos with captions.
http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/05/japan-earthquake-two-months-later/100062/
“Arigatou, America” ad runs in Washington Times
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Posted by Justin Manger to the JETAA DC yahoogroup:
Yesterday, in the May 10th edition of the Washington Times, there was a full page ad on the back of the first section. Below a sketched image of a firm handshake one simple word is written: Arigato.
This is one way the Japanese community, through the WA Project<http://www.facebook .com/WA.project>, is saying thank you to America and Americans for their support and help as Japan recovers from the tsunami that devastated the northeastern part of the country on March 11th. This of course includes a thank you for JETAADC’s help.
Take a look at the powerful image and message from a powerful grassroots project.
For background on the WA Project, read the Japanese press release<http://www.cepex. org/wp-content/ uploads/2011/ 05/WA-Project- Press-Release- Final-CEPEX- header-Japanese. pdf> and the English press release<http://www.cepex. org/wp-content/ uploads/2011/ 05/WA-Project- Press-Release- Final-CEPEX- header-English. pdf>
The project was also picked up by NHK (video): http://www3. nhk.or.jp/ news/html/ 20110511/ t10015809311000. html
東日本大震災を受けてアメリカの人たちから寄せられたさまざまな支援に対する感謝の気持ちを伝えようと、アメリカに住む日本人の有志らが、現地の新聞の紙面に大きな文字で「ＡＲＩＧＡＴＯ（ありがとう）」などと書いたメッセージを載せました。
JETAA Chicago raises over $7.7K for JETAA USA Fund for Earthquake Relief
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Thanks to JETAA Chicago Treasurer Thomas Osugi for sharing this recent post by JETAA Chicago President Robert Corder:
“On Saturday, April 9, JETAA Chicago held a fundraiser at the Floating World Gallery to benefit the earthquake relief effort. More than 120 people attended and we were able to raise $7,779.47. In addition to the drinks and appetizer, there were three live bands plus a silent auction and raffle.”
“Additionally, a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director-General of Public Diplomacy was sent to JETAA Chicago in regards to the work the JETAA Chicago community has performed by raising relief funds and awareness after the tragedy last month in Japan. Please read the full letter here.”
CLICK HERE to read the full post and more details on the JETAA Chicago website.
Sankei Shimbun article about Taylor Anderson
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Thanks to JETAA Music City President Terry Vo for sharing this an very moving article (in Japanese) written by Yoshihisa Komori about Taylor Anderson. Komori-san went to visit Taylor’s parents for the interview.
Update 05/10/11: Thanks to Jo McCarthy (Shimane-ken, Okuizumo-cho) of the JET Alum Translators/Interpreters group on LinkedIn for providing an English translation.
“The death of a woman who loved Ishinomaki”
by Yoshihisa Komori; translated by Jo McCarthy (Shimane-ken, Okuizumo-cho)
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/world/news/110504/amr11050402570003-n1.htm
I was immediately reminded of the old film “Gone With The Wind.”
This was because the large mansion I arrived at after leaving the extensive lush green woods had white pillars and a porch, which rose elegantly in the traditional style of the southern United States. At the rear of the residence, the green gently sloping gardens extended as far as the James River.
Why, I wondered, would a young American woman who grew up in an environment such as this, be fascinated by the town of Umibe in the Tohoku region of Japan?
This was the house of the parents of Taylor Anderson – the English teacher who was caught in a tsunami in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, following the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, and died.
It’s in the quiet hills on the outskirts of Richmond, capital of the state of Virginia.
In the spacious living room Taylor’s father Andy, who manages a real estate company, and her mother Jean, a housewife, (both 53) spoke quietly of their thoughts about their eldest daughter, who was 24 years old.
“Taylor learned Japanese history at elementary and junior high school from the same teacher, and became fascinated by Japan. Her teacher was an American, but they had been brought up in Japan, so also taught our daughter Japanese language and culture. It became our daughter’s dream to live and study in Japan.”
“Taylor liked Japanese anime and the novels of Haruki Murakami,” Andy adds to Jean’s explanation. “She seemed to love the elegance and subtleness of Japanese culture. And also often said she really liked the settled order and politeness, a unique character of Japanese society.”
Soon after graduating university, Taylor applied for and was accepted on the JET Program (a program open to foreign youth), and in the summer of 2008 moved to Ishinomaki. She taught English at 7 elementary schools in Ishinomaki, and the story of how she was loved by her students has even been reported in detail in this newspaper.
On the day of the earthquake, after ensuring that her students had been picked up by their caregivers, Taylor was heading home as usual on her bicycle.
However, Taylor went missing.
Her parents desperately made contact with a number of people in Japan. They heard she had been reported as having been found safe, but were unable to confirm it. Andy decided to go and search for Taylor with her boyfriend James.
On the day of their departure, March 21, about 2 hours before they planned to leave for the airport, they received news from the US Embassy in Tokyo that her body had been positively identified.
“It feels as though Taylor’s death has opened a hole in our hearts. But she would not want that for her parents. She was a person who always looked positively to the future, and made things enjoyable just by being there”.
As the first tears began to fall, Jean told how Taylor had planned to return to the US in August this year to get engaged to James, and to either start postgraduate study or look for Japan related work.
Well then, wouldn’t it have been better if she had ended her time in Japan after 2 years, and returned home last year?
However, Jean promptly replied “No. I visited Ishinomaki myself for about 5 days in spring last year, and was able to understand completely why my daughter wanted to be there long term. She was happy doing what she most wanted to do.”
The Andersons, in collaboration with their daughter’s alma mater St. Catherine’s High School, have started a foundation named the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund. So far, around $90,000 has been raised.
In accordance with Taylor’s wishes, all proceeds from the fund will be directed toward the restoration of Ishinomaki City’s elementary and junior high schools.
See below for the foundation’s website.
Translated by Jo McCarthy
【朝刊 1面】 ■【あめりかノート】ワシントン駐在編集特別委員・古森義久
■石巻を愛した女性の死
古い映画の「風と共に去りぬ」を一瞬、連想した。緑豊かな広大な林を抜けて着いた大邸宅
にはいかにもアメリカ南部ふうの伝統的な白い円柱とポーチが優雅にそびえていたからだ。邸宅の裏には緑の庭がジェームズ川の岸までなだらかに延びていた。こんな環境で育った若い米国人女性がなぜ日本の東北の海辺町に魅せられたのかと、いぶかった。
東日本大震災の３月１１日、宮城県石巻市で津波に巻き込まれて亡くなった英語教師の
テー ラー・アンダーソンさんの両親が住む家だった。バージニア州の州都リッチモンド郊外の閑静な丘陵である。 不動産会社を経営する父親のアンディさん、専業 主婦の母親のジーンさんはともに５３歳、ゆったりとした居間で２４歳だった長女、テーラーさんへの思いを穏やかに語った。
「テーラーは小中学校で同じ先生から日本の歴史を学び、日本に魅せられたのです。そ
の先生はアメリカ人ですが、日本で育ち、日本の言葉や文化までを娘に教えてくれました。日本に住んで学ぶことが娘の夢となったのです」
ジーンさんのこんな説明にアンディさんがつけ加える。
「テーラーは日本のアニメや村上春
樹の小説が好きでした。日本の文化の優雅さや繊細さを愛したようです。そして一定の秩序や礼節という日本社会の特徴も大好きだとよく話していました」
テーラーさんは大学卒業後すぐに日本のＪＥＴプログラム（外国青年招致事業）に応募して
採用され、２００８年夏に石巻に赴任した。石巻では小中学校計７校で英語を教え、生徒たちに愛されていた様子は本紙でも会田聡記者が詳しく報じた。大震災の日も彼女は生徒たちが保護者に引き取られるのを見届けてから、自転車で自宅へ向かったという。
だがテーラーさんは行方不明になった。両親は米国から必死で日本の多方面に問い合わせ
た。 無事でみつかったという情報も流れたが、確認できなかった。アンディさんはテーラーさんの恋人のジェームズさんと捜索に出かけることを決めた。その出発の 日の３月２１日、空港へ向かう予定の２時間ほど前に東京の米国大使館からテーラーさんの遺体が確認されたという通報があった。
「テーラーの死で私たちの心は穴があいた感じです。でも彼女自身は両親にそんなことは
望まない。彼女は前向きで明るく、ともにいるだけでこちらが楽しくなる子でした」
ジーンさんは初めて涙をにじませ、テーラーさんが今年８月には米国に帰り、ジェームズさ
んと婚約し、大学院か日本関係の職業を目指すことを決めていたのだと告げた。では日本滞在を２年ですませ、昨年帰国してもよかったのではないか。
だがジーンさんは即座に答えた。 「いいえ、私自身、昨年春に石巻を５日ほど訪れ、娘が
なぜそこに長くいたいか体全体で理解できました。自分が最もしたいことをしていた彼女は幸せだったのです」
アンダーソン夫妻は娘の母校セント・キャサリン高校と協力して「テーラー・アンダーソン追
悼基金」という募金を始めた。これまでに９万ドルほどが集まった。基金は故人の遺志を体してすべて石巻市の小中学校の復旧に充てる。同基金のサイトは以下だという。
Fukushima JETs make “I akabe Fukushima” t-shirts
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Some Fukushima JETs have created an “I ‘akabe’ Fukushima“ t-shirt for purchase online. Details here.
From the site:
“We have received permission from Aizu Kanko to use the logo. The T-shirts will be 2000 yen each. The proceeds will be donated to the Fukushima Disaster Countermeasures Office.”
Thank you to Vancouver-based JET alum Alison Dacia Brown (Iwate-ken, Rikuzentakata, 2005-2008) for sharing the below piece which she originally wrote for JETAA British Columbia:
“Rikuzentakata”
Rikuzentakata in Iwate prefecture is the best little town that you’ve never been to.
I think I can safely assume that. I think Vancouverites in particular would have appreciated it because to me, Rikuzentakata as of March 10, 2011, was Vancouver in miniature, complete with a beach and mountains in the background. It made me feel like I was just across the pond from Canada. I actually requested Iwate on my JET application, which hardly anyone does. I was more than lucky to be placed where I was, and not just in terms of geography.
It had a quaint little sake factory called Suisen that held hanami parties during the cherry blossom season. It had a gorgeous, sandy beach lined with thousands of slender, yet majestic pine trees. It had the best neighbours a foreigner could ever have when she is away from home. Neighbours who fed her when she was sick with a stomach infection. It had an amazing Japanese woman, who translated all of her farewell speeches from Japanese into English. It had a hard-working Board of Education. It had an amazing ALT from Alaska.
Suisen is gone but I was told that in the days after the tsunami, the smell of sake permeated the area. I’m sure it was hiding more insidious smells. All of the trees which lined the beach are gone except for one. This tree is now called ‘The Miracle Tree’ and it’s giving hope to tsunami survivors. Unfortunately, it’s become a tourist destination and it’s making transportation into Rikuzentakata difficult.
The neighbour who fed her when she was sick, sometimes 3 times a day, lost her house which also housed the family’s tatami business. Her son was a volunteer firefighter and went directly to the beach to close the tsunami wall. His body was found 4 days ago and he has been cremated. The woman who translated her farewell speeches into English, Mutsuko Ozawa, is alive but has lost her mother, sister, nephew and cousins to the tsunami. Only her sister was found. Her house is gone and she has sent her children to central Japan while she and her husband fix up a new house to live in.
21 out of the 26 people who worked at her Board of Education are dead. It was an emergency meeting point, but unfortunately, the building which housed the Board of Education, was only 3 stories high. The tsunami went over it. My good friend, Kie Murakami, was still working at the Board of Education when the tsunami hit. I was hoping she wasn’t, as people change jobs every 3 years, as many of you know. I prayed she was somewhere else, away from the shore. She was found two weeks ago, and she has left behind a daughter and a husband who will miss her immensely. Kie was with Monty Dickson, who was the current JET ALT. He had taken over my position a year after I left Japan, and I know he loved the place as much as I did. I have a picture of Kie and Monty on the top of the local mountain, and it’s very hard to look at, knowing what has happened to them.
I hope to return someday to help. I think many of the former Iwate JETs feel this way. Right now, the only way I can help is by donating money, which we have all been doing. I have given hugs to Japanese people on Granville street in exchange for money. I have bought t-shirts. I have done a charity walk for Japan to raise money through JETAABC. I have donated money directly. But of course it is not enough. I desperately want to return to my adopted city which took care of me for 3 years to let them know that they have not been forgotten.
Fukushima Publishes “United We Stand” Newsletter
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Via CLAIR New York’s Japan Local Government Center, here’s a special English-language newsletter from the Fukushima government about the current situation there. Read the inaugural issue at www.jlgc.org/pdfs/jp/20110501Fukushima.pdf.
Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) Update 04.28.11
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The Japan Center for International Exchange (JCIE/USA) has been an excellent source of updates via the earthquake section of its website as well as its Facebook page. The kind of info you’re likely not getting from CNN or network news. Notably, JET alum James Gannon (Ehime-ken, 1992-94) is the Executive Director of JCIE/USA’s New York office. Here’s the latest update:
4/28 Update: http://www.jcie.org/earthquakeupdate.html
* Peace Winds Japan helps chambers of commerce to get up and running as an important recovery step.
* Another PWJ initiative, the free “Compassion Bus”, takes evacuees to supermarkets in Ofunato and others.
* Association for Aid and Relief also offers transportation services to those on the Oshika Peninsula, which sustained enormous damage to its roads.
4/26-27 Update: http://www.jcie.org/earthquakeupdate.html
* The Japan Association for Refugees (JAR) began offering legal consultations; evacuees have many concerns from lost family, businesses and even the mortgages on homes that were swept away.
* NICCO experts find that functioning batteries from cars that were destroyed can be used to power LED lights, which can then be hooked up to solar panels for all day use.
JETAA Florida to provide volunteers for South Florida events this weekend
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Thanks to JETAA Florida President Bahia Simons-Lane (Gunma-ken) for sharing the following:
JETAA Florida is providing volunteers for two events in South Florida this weekend:
1. Japan Culture Day at Florida International University
2. Miami Reggae Festival for Japan Relief in Coconut Grove
See Bahia’s blog for full details.
Fundraising: JETAA UK
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Via the JETAA UK website:
Thanks to all who have made our ‘Give a Day for Japan‘ scheme and the pub quiz last Thursday such a fantastic success. We’re all doing that we can in the light of Japan’s terrible losses. We have extended our invitation to the JETAA Ball this year (which is a fund-raising event and is thus not subsidised, as in previous years) to the wider Japan-UK community in London. Help us make this a night to remember!
JETAA May Ball in Aid of the Tohoku Earthquake Appeal
Tickets are going faster than limited edition Kate & Will china teacups – so get yours on the double! Check out the amazing conservatory venue – resplendent with fairy-light trimmed palms…
Hosted at the deluxe 4-star Millennium Gloucester Hotel & Conference Centre in the heart of Kensington, London, this year’s JETAA Ball will be raising funds for the Japan Society’s Tohoku Earthquake Appeal, which JETAA UK is also supporting through our Give a Day for Japan scheme.
Date: Saturday 14th May, 19:00 – 23:00
Tickets: £60 (this includes a 3-course buffet dinner with some drinks, a taiko performance from Kaikyo Taiko, music, dancing and a night of fundraising)
Dress Code: Black Tie and Evening Gown
Nearest Tube: Gloucester Road Underground Station (Piccadilly, Circle and District lines)
Overnight stay: Special rates are available for JETAA guests wishing to stay overnight at the hotel, please e-mail for further details.
To Register: Please fill in our online registration form. Read More
Fundraising: JETAA Northern California’s Earthquake Relief Efforts
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Via the JETAA Northern California website:
Thank you to everyone who came out to show their support for JETAANC’s Japan Earthquake Relief Benefit on March 23. The event was a great success, raising over $7,000 for Japan! In addition, JETAANC received a donation of over $1,800 from the PiQ Japan Relief Benefit event held in Berkeley on March 21.
Event: 2nd Japanese Heritage Night at Mets Citifield – Tues, June 21
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Via request of the Consulate General of Japan in New York:
2nd Japanese Heritage Night at Mets Citifield
Please let your members, colleagues, friends and family know that the 2nd Japanese Heritage Night at Mets Citifield will be held on Tuesday June 21st, 2011 when the Mets play the Oakland As with Hideki Matsui in attendance. This is a fundraising event – a portion of each ticket sold through our group will go to Japan relief efforts.
We will be sending out information about Group Sales as soon as the site is set up but this year, seats in three price categories will be grouped together:
- Baseline Box Silver seat =$54.00
- Pepsi Porch seat = $32.00
- Promenade Reserved Infield seat = $19.00
While we understand that not all of you are Mets fans, the Yankees do not provide a Heritage Night and we wanted to have a community event where Japanese and Japanese Americans and all those interested in “things Japanese” could get together and have a good time. We look forward to everyone’s participation again this year.
Last year 400 tickets were purchased. This year, let’s aim for 1,000!
If you are interested in helping out, please contact our organizing committee co-chairs: Ann Harakawa (aharakawa [at] twotwelve.com) or Marianne Yoshioka (mry5 [at] columbia.edu).
Thank you!!
Organizing Committee
Ann Harakawa, Marianne Yoshioka, Gary Moriwaki, Susan J. Onuma, George Hirose
Advisor: Donna Tsufura
