Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2014
Cycling for Change
Many honorable volunteers have come together for projects both big and small to help the people of Tohoku on the road to recovery following the March 2011 disaster. Some unlikely heroes emerged last year when a group of expat businessmen cycled 320 kilometers over two-and-a-half days to Tohoku to raise funds for the Save Minamisoma Project.
This year, the self-styled Knights in White Lycra are making a second tour in a bid to raise funds for Ortiz Global Academy for Aid (OGA), an NPO founded by international kindergarten Ortiz Global Academy that does work in Minamisanriku. The destination is further up the coast, meaning 465 kilometers over four days. “We wanted to challenge ourselves more,” says organizer Robert Williams. “It is a way to encourage people to sponsor us yet again this year”.
The group started under the moniker Tokyo Brits, since the 2013 ride—by coincidence rather than design—was made of up ten British riders. After the group expanded to include Japanese, Americans and Aussies, the name no longer fit and a Moody Blues song during a karaoke session inspired the new nickname.
On May 15, the 21-strong group will meet in Tokyo, put down their beers, don their lycra shorts and head off for Tohoku, where they will be greeted by the residents of Minamisanriku. The goal of this trek is to raise ¥5 million toward the construction of vegetable processing factory to provide a sustainable future for the people in the region.
The group is accepting donations through the OGA for Aid website. They are also planning a fundraising dinner at the Conrad Hotel on April 25. The mayor of Minamisanriku will attend and Williams reports that the team “may appear in lycra shorts and dinner jackets to sing to the crowd.”
www.ogaforaid.org/en/kiwl.html
Recording Recovery
In the wake of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in in Japan, Brian Scott Peterson and Yuko Yoshikawa started a volunteer photo project to help survivors replace family photo albums that had been lost in the catastrophe. Using instant film, they were able to take and hand photos directly to their subject, giving them a sense of security in uncertain times. Nearly three years later, Photohoku is still going strong, having made over 30 visits to affected regions. Over 100 photographers from around the world have taken around 7,000 shots for 700 new photo albums for Tohoku families.
To find out how you can get involved, visit photohoku.org and facebook.com/photohoku
Rememberance 3/11
OGA for Aid invites you to an evening boat cruise on the Sumida River to mark the third anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake. You’ll be in a traditional Yakatabune boat and enjoy an all-you-can eat and drink dinner party. Guides will recount fascinating tales from Edo-Japan and OGA will discuss what’s been done in Tohoku since 2011 and their recovery plans for 2014, helping thousands of people rebuild their lives.
March 11, 6:30-9pm, ¥18,000.
Email angela@ogaforaid.org for reservations
