Help Japan t-shirts

Lots of people asked me where they could get a Help Japan t-shirt like the ones I wear on my school talks. They can now be ordered at http://www.printfection.com/HelpJapanUK. $1 has been added to the cost of the t-shirts, and will be donated toward the cost of rebuilding of homes on Oshika-hanto. If you want to order in bulk and have the $1 added to your own fundraising for an Oshika-hanto home please let me know.

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One month in Tohoku: goodbye Oshika, and thank you

Today was my last day on Oshika and I spent most of it relaxing; after Saturday’s six hours of food preparation, and yesterday’s five hours of cooking I am glad I didn’t plan anything for today so I could just spend a bit of time at the Sasakis’ and watch my last Ohara sunset (at [...]

One month in Tohoku: where your money went!

I came here to offer a bit of practical and emotional support and to maintain awareness, but I also came here to find some small projects to fund from donations I collected in the UK and also in Japan. I found three projects costing ¥75,000, ¥150,000, and ¥100,000; each making a big difference to people [...]

One month in Tohoku: then and now photos

I’ve been rather inspired by some Tohoku before and after photos going around on Facebook and thought I’d like to start recording Oshika’s progress for the Ohara community. The photos aren’t always as uplifting as some of the ones circulating on the Internet, but that’s the reality here — the shrine is falling apart, people [...]

One month in Tohoku: tears

I knew the tears would come at some point, but I didn’t expect them to come three times in 24 hours. I’ll leave the third time for another blog entry, as it relates to the Sasakis and I have so much more to say about them. So for now….. The first time was quite unexpectedly, [...]

One month in Tohoku: Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day! Even though I wasn’t with Mr W my day was absolutely filled with love! I spent about five hours handing out the chocolates and Valentine’s gifts that so many people had sent up from Tokyo (and some from overseas). There were literally hundreds of gifts to hand out — they filled three [...]

One month in Tohoku: healing

Yesterday, one of my closest friends and her husband travelled up from Tokyo to spend 24 hours with me here — she has seen me through everything that’s happened in the last twelve months (as well as everything back during the stroke years) and really wanted to see me here. It was nice to be [...]

One month in Tohoku: the matsuri

Today was a very special day for the tiny shrine at the top of Ohara, and as such, there was a matsuri. Of all the days I’ve spent here so far, today probably provided the best evidence of just how warm and welcoming the Ohara people are, and how much the people from outside of [...]

One month in Tohoku: land for sale

So far I’ve been focusing my energies on the human impact of the tsunami on a very individual level; just trying to make a tiny difference to the people that I meet during my time here. Along the way I have discovered quite a few things that simply don’t make sense to me, and make [...]

One month in Tohoku: a sleepover with Mrs Sasaki

Sasaki-san has invited me to her home for a sleepover tonight. I pop in on her every few days to say hi, drop off some things she might like, and have a chat. Today she happily showed off the shoes and fingerless gloves she was wearing; I gave them to her on a previous visit. [...]

One month in Tohoku: putting donations to good use

Tomorrow I get to spend the money raised by Bratton Fleming Primary School in North Devon, Northowram Primary School in Yorkshire, and Notre Dame in Plymouth. I’ve been here two weeks with money from these schools as well as other schools and also individuals, and I have been looking out for the right kind of [...]