Citizen-based Relief & Reconstruction
Solidarity with Tohoku Japan
Foreign Volunteers of Japan
Japan Emergency NGO (JEN)
International Disaster Relief Organization Japan
Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support (JEARS)
Japan volunteers (Resource site for people who want to support earthquake/tsunami relief efforts in Japan)
neco no te Disaster Relief Volunteer Group
Peace Boat Emergency Disaster Relief Operation
Second Harvest Japan
Ishinomaki-based volunteer organizations
Ishinomaki Volunteer Support Base: Kizuna (Japanese only)
Toshihiko Fujita’s volunteer troupe (FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Koganehama/; e-mail: i77lav77u@gmail.com)
Animal Friends of Niigata
Association for Saving Affected Farm Animals of Fukushima (ASAFAF) on FB (established in February 2012 by Zenkouji Buddhist Temple to support livestock farmers who would like to rescue abandoned livestock)
More Community
Senri no Michi (千里の道)
Namida Project
A Beacon of Rebirth Poster Project
Strong Children Japan (Strong Children is a continuing collaborative art project by English artist Geoff Read)
TA Project (TA stands for Tanoshiku Asobou. Translated into English it means "Let’s play and have fun." S group of young Japanese professional living in Osaka who organize an annual summer camp for children who live in Fukushima.)
News & Information
Japan’s 3.11 Earthquake, Tsunami, Atomic Meltdown - Guide to Resources (The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus)
Tohoku Planning Forum (List of Initiatives, NGOs)
Recovering Tohoku
Tohoku Planning Forum (List of Initiatives, NGOs)
Recovering Tohoku
Our Posts:
"One-year commemoration of 3.11 disaster spans range of human emotion in disaster-hit region" (Kimberly Hughes, March 18, 2012)
"...Shortly thereafter, as we made our way to the bus to return to Tokyo, a light snow began to fall, gradually picking up and covering the ground with a freezing slush... As we pulled away from the city, it was this sense of deep empathy for their continuing sense of loss and pain, together with the warmth of the goodbye/see you again soon that we had just shared with everyone at the kimono shop, that settled in a strangely poignant combination inside my heart that would remain for days to come."
"City slowly returns to life after disaster" (Kimberly Hughes, Jan. 21, 2012)
On our first day, we were assigned to help with a takidashi, or a communal meal served outside; a soup kitchen, of sorts. The morning was spent chopping carrots, slicing tofu, dicing daikon radish, and then throwing it all into an enormous pot together with pork, satoimo (a root vegetable similar to a potato) and miso to let it simmer into a rich, mouth-watering stew. The takidashi is held every Saturday afternoon along with a bingo game, and the locals with whom I spoke—many of whom are living in temporary housing units as they await more permanent living situations—said that the event was one of the greatest highlights of their week.
"Eight Months after disaster, tsunami survivors taking things as they come" (Kimberly Hughes, Nov. 19, 2011):
“It’s crucial to build community through activities such as common meals and café events, so that no one will succumb to loneliness and isolation.” The community center is used as a gathering space for local citizens and volunteers alike, and often hosts events for locals put on by NGO volunteers, such as art therapy workshops, massage sessions, community meetings, and more."
