Every Little Bit Counts - Volunteering at Second Hand

 On Saturday April 23rd, K-FUN took nine volunteers to Second Hand to help them prepare their all important quarterly newsletter.  The newsletter goes out to more than 4,500 organizations and individuals throughout Japan, keeping them updated on how they can help this Takamatsu-based non-profit organization continue to help victims of the Eastern Japan Earthquake and developing communities in Cambodia.

Be sure to read our previous article about what Second Hand is doing to help the people of northeastern Japan deal with recovering from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. 

Second Hand is active with lots of events in Takamatsu (including their "Retro Fair" from April 25 through May 7, 2011) and Marugame (including a booth at the Marugame Castle Festival on May 3 and May 4, 2011).   If you want to know how you can volunteer with Second Hand, then check out their homepage, send them and e-mail or give them a call at the following:

Homepage: http://2nd-hand.main.jp/
E-mail : jimukyoku2hand@yahoo.co.jp
TEL:  087-861-9928

Acting Locally, Making a Difference Right Now: Second Hand Helping Tohoku

Second Hand is an non-profit organization that provides sustainable development assistance to Cambodia via its Japanese second hand stores and fund-raising efforts, and its headquarters are located right here in Takamatsu, Kagawa.  They are currently putting a massive focus on helping the victims of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.  Below is a three-point outline of what they are doing and how you can help:

Second Hand Homepage:
http://2nd-hand.main.jp/index.php?English

Second Hand Tohoku Disaster Relief Blog:
http://nposecondhand.wordpress.com/

 

Contents of this Article:
1.  Donation Drives
2.  Cash for Work Project – How You Can Contribute
3.  Volunteers Needed!!!
4.  Outline of Relief Activities

Poems from the 4th Kagawa English Haiku Event!

We held the 4th Kagawa English Haiku Gathering at Ritsurin Garden’s Kikugetsutei Tea House on Sunday March 27, 2011.  Five local Japanese residents and 14 international residents from 9 different countries (including the U.K., Bangladesh, Vietnam, Zimbabwe, etc.) participated.

Under the instruction of Fumiko Hara-sensei, Vice-President of the Kagawa Branch of the Haiku Poet’s Association, everyone challenged themselves to write beautiful haiku poems.  This was the largest English Haiku Gathering yet to be held in Kagawa, and the atmosphere truly had an international feel to it.  Below you can find all of the haiku that was composed in the serene space of the Tea House – please enjoy!

平成23年3月27日、栗林公園の掬月亭で第４回英語の俳句会を行い、イギリス、バングラデシュ、ベトナム、ジンバブエなど９カ国から14名の県在住外国人と５名の県民が参加しました。

俳人協会香川県支部副支部長の原文子先生の指導をいただきながら、全員で英語による俳句づくりにチャレンジしました。これまでで参加者数最大で、とても国際的な顔ぶれでした。句会の素晴らしい作品を掲載しますので、是非ご覧ください。

Must Read Article About Japanese Earthquake, Heroism, and Suffering - English translation in text

Original article, with photo, can be found here:
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/politics/news/110329/lcl11032913240000-n1.htm

English Translation:

East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami:
Female Worker Gives Life Broadcasting Emergency Information Until the Last Second
- Mother of the young woman, who was making preparations for her upcoming wedding ceremony: “She gave everything for us.”-

March 29, 2011   13:19

She single-mindedly continued to broadcast evacuation information, telling people to evacuate to higher ground and escape the incoming tsunami wave that followed the massive quake that shook the town.  Miki Endo (24) was the civil servant in charge of Disaster Information Broadcasting in Miyagi Prefecture’s Minami Sanriku, one of the towns devastated by the tsunami that followed the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011.  Her whereabouts are still unknown.  “She always gave her all, in whatever she was doing.  But to give her life like this...,” her mother’s voice trembles with sorrow and regret.  Ms. Endo had been making preparations for her wedding ceremony this autumn.

Kagawa Prefecture's 6th Henro Pilgrimage Experience

On Sunday November 14, 2010, Kagawa's International Affairs Division held the 6th Henro Experience for International Residents and Visitors.  We returned to the route of the inaugural experience from three years earlier - the beautiful Goshikidai Plateau in Sakaide.

Three years ago, we traveled through the plateau's lush greenery on a suprisingly hot late spring day.  This time, we enjoyed the cool weather of late fall and the stunning foliage of the autumn leaves surrounding us.  Though we walked the exact same path on each experience, the change in the atmosphere between the two was truly a testament to the power of nature and the beauty of its seasonal changes.

Sakaide Fall Matsuri

                                  (Photo courtesy of Justin Bussies)

Continuing the proud Sakaide Festival Tradition, we set out on October 17th (in a large group of two!!) to haul a two-ton o-mikoshi (portable festival shrine) around town again with a friendly team of locals.  This time, the main event was a massive gathering in front of the Hachiman Shrine.  There was something quite powerful and cultural about lifting the o-mikoshi here.  Beer and karage (fried chicken) helped fuel the festivities!

                                  (Photo courtesy of Justin Bussies)

Teshima Island Art Trip

As we set out to enjoy the Setouchi International Art Festival at its halfway point, the perfect weather on this day was both a blessing and a curse: it brought a nice comfortable day of exploration around Teshima, but it also brought a slew of other people to the island with us.  However, the waiting in line for boats, busses, food, etc. was all well worth it.  The art and the surrounding nature on Teshima were gorgeous!

                                  (Photo courtesy of Julia Mace)

Our group of 13 foreign and local residents hopped the boat from Takamatsu to Teshima and arrived at the teeming port of Ieura.  We enjoyed the art at the port and then managed to get our whole group on the bus and to the Kou Area on the island's south side.  Over the course of the day, we made our way around the whole island, and conquered a majority of Teshima's artwork..

Among the highlights of the day were:

Cameron Robbins's "Sea-Songs of the Subconscious" in which the sea's waves were mysteriously transmitted through an overturned boat to become a sadly beautiful F-minor chord wafting through the air.

                                  (Photo courtesy of Kurt Nepogoda)