It was a dream come true. I was a huge Otaku and Nippon-phile. I was teaching myself Japanese, snacking on Pocky, forcing my white bread family to take me to sushi, planning ways to get Dad to take me to a matcha ceremony, to Shinjuku, to temples, to an onsen (traditional spa). I was beside myself with excitement.
Two days before my flight was scheduled to leave for Hong Kong (where I'd meet my father who was coming in from Karachi, since I'd had to cancel that leg of my trip due to security concerns), my mother found me on the floor, unable to swallow, barely able to breathe, hallucinating from a 105 degree fever. I was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with mono.
I never made it to Japan.
It's been the trip I swore I would take by the time I was thirty, the trip that haunts me. I'm not so sad about missing out on Hong Kong, but Tokyo? Talk about regret.
After college, plotting my escape from DC and politics, I'd figured if I didn't get into law school, I'd go teach in Japan. Then I met Nick, got into Baltimore Law- again, directed away from making good on my dream.
Hearing about the earthquake and tsunami broke my heart. While Japan's incredible engineering and preparation saved millions of lives, thousands are dead. Villages and towns are decimated. The added threat to those families immediately around the nuclear power plant- to a country that knows the costs of radiation all too well- furthers the tragic consequences and heartbreak of the Japanese.
The Japanese are an incredibly strong people. They live in the spirit of "gaman", a Japanese word that, very roughly, means keep going, don't stop, stay strong, prevail. It is why the Japanese haven't had the looting and violence we saw in New Orleans, it is why we've seen a sense of community across the country as everyone chips in to help. It is beyond admirable, it is a trait that I hope Americans take note of- and learn.
However, the Japanese still need the world's help. CNN and Fox might be busy covering whether Gaddafi is wearing a green Cap O' Crazy or a red Cap O' Crazy today; whether they have the best bombing footage- but the Japanese crisis has continued, left behind by 24 hour news. Watch NHK, or look at the English Asahi news site. Two weeks after the disaster, many are still in shelters, the nuclear crisis continues, and 10,000 are dead. Elderly are dying in shelters because of a lack of medicine. Food is scarce.
I've donated, both to the Red Cross and through Westlaw by giving all my student reward points to purchase donations to Japan's Red Cross Fund. I wanted to do more, despite my limited financial resources.
So, I crafted. I made three notebooks from my 1969 atlas of Japan, I made kanji cards with a gaman theme. I put them on Etsy at my Lizzycakes shop, and will be donating all of the proceeds to the Japanese Red Cross (courtesy of the link given by NHK). None of the money will be going to me.
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| Love Japan |
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| Tokyo and Chiba |
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| Hokkaido and the north end of Honshu. |
If you're interested in purchasing, click here to go to my Lizzycakes shop.
If you'd rather donate on your own, please consider these charities working in Japan:
Japanese Red Cross
Doctors Without Borders
Japan Tsunami Animal Help
Additionally, there are tons of other Etsy sellers making stuff to benefit Japan. Threadless also has two fantastic t-shirts, one for the Japanese recovery, the other for the Christchurch (NZ) quake [which hit at the end of February and devastated Christchurch].
Together, we can help keep Japan and it's people strong. Please help make a difference.
ありがとう [Arigato!]
x-posted on liz in life.
