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You may or may not know that in March 2011, when Japan's Tohoku area was hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami (which of course caused the nuclear disaster in Fukushima), I traveled from Tokyo to Tohoku to pitch in - and ultimately film a charity film entitled "Pray for Japan". This documentary focuses on four perspectives - Shelter, Volunteers, School, and Family.
As my post last week covered, our world's tragedies come and go in the media, but for the victims there is no "go" - only "stay".
Since 2011, I visit Tohoku regularly to monitor the progress as well as patronize the local establishments (which I encourage everyone to do).
Thankfully, much of the region is recovering, especially the larger towns (Ishinomaki, Ofunato, Kamaishi), however the smaller and more remote areas may never recover. And there are almost 100,000 victims still living in temporary housing.
If you never had the chance to watch the movie, you can do so on Netflix, Hulu or now on Viewster. Pics from the film here.
As lovers of anime, manga and Asian Pop Culture, I hope you continue to support Tohoku as their recovery continues, long after the story has disappeared from the media. (And voting for "Pray for Japan" as part of Viewster's Film Festival helps directly since 100% of the profits go to non-profits such as JEN).
On behalf of the tsunami victims, ありがとうございます！(arigatou gozaimasu!)
--Stu
