Thank you, Japan. Thank you from Japan.

Out for an appointment this week in Tokyo, I noticed something new on the front of the bus.

It's been one year since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Click on the photo to enlarge it. The sign says in English, "Japan. Thank you." Perhaps what is meant is "Thank you from Japan."

Anyway, thank you Japan for being a symbol of strength and dignity through this year! And thank you, World, for supporting Japan through this difficult time!

This sign appeared on a neighborhood yaki niku restaurant right after March 11th. It says, "Ganbarou Nihon." Some people translate it as, "Be strong Japan." Some say, "Hang in there, Japan." Others say, "Try to do your best, Japan."

This sign was on the shinkasen Big Sister and I took to Hakone in May, 2011. Ganbarou Nihon!

I saw signs everywhere. Keep it up Japan! And keep it up, World. Japan still needs our support!

N.B. The Japanese phrase is transliterated phonetically.

March 10th-- Launch of TOMO to Benefit Teens Affected by the 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disasters

Saturday, March 10, 2012
Tomo Anthology Launch:

An Evening of Readings, Discussion and Reflection

Time: Saturday, March 10, 2012, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Place: Tokyo Women's Plaza, Conference Room 1

5-53-67 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

(by the Children's Castle and United Nations University).
For a map see www.scbwi.jp/map.htm

Fee: Attendance only: 500 yen SCBWI members; 800 yen nonmembers

Attendance and Tomo book: 1,200 yen SCBWI members; 1,500 yen nonmembers

Reservations: Please send an email to contact (at) scbwi (dot) jp by Friday, March 9

This event will be in English.

March 10, 2012, is publication day for Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction—An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories (Stone Bridge Press). One year after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, this collection of short fiction brings teens worldwide closer to Japan and contributes to long-term relief efforts in Tohoku. Join us for this Tokyo Tomo launch event, which will feature readings by various Tomo authors, as well as panel discussion and reflection on this project.

Tomo (meaning "friend" in Japanese) is an anthology of young adult short fiction in prose, verse and graphic art set in or related to Japan. Edited and with a foreword by Holly Thompson, this collection for readers age 12 and up features thirty-six stories—including ten in translation—contributed by authors and artists from around the world, all of whom share a connection to Japan. Tomo includes a wide variety of unique stories, including tales of friendship, mystery, fantasy, science fiction and history. By sharing "friendship through fiction," Tomo aims to bring Japan stories to readers worldwide, and in so doing, to help support young people affected or displaced by the March 11, 2011, Japan earthquake and tsunami disasters. Proceeds from the sales of this book will go toward long-term relief efforts for teens in Tohoku. To begin with, Tomo fund donations will go to the Japan-based NPO Hope for Tomorrow (hope-tomorrow.jp), which in addition to providing educational expenses (including university entrance exam fees, travel costs to exam centers, etc.) also provides mentoring, tutoring, and foreign language support to high school students in hard-hit areas of Tohoku. Visit the Tomo Blog at http://tomoanthology.blogspot.com for interviews with contributors and more information about Tomo.

What may be lost....in Sendai...

a small Japanese inn overlooking the sea where I stayed 22 years ago,

small tree-covered islands dotting the shoreline,

a small shrine,

tourist boats where you could feed the seagulls, (oil refineries in the background),

hotels and a tourist industry.

That smile is rarely seen as we all deal with earthquakes and aftershocks in Tokyo since March 11th. There are fewer now but they keep reminding us that there are people in the north who are closer to the center of the earthquakes and the destruction. Many have lost their homes. Many have lost friends and family members. And not just in Sendai. So much has been lost.

N.B. I haven't seen pictures of this area after the earthquake and tsunami. I am assuming that it's been destroyed because it was right on the ocean and near the epicenter of the earthquake.

Hearts as Big as Texas

I called my mom yesterday to wish her a happy birthday. My cousin had something she wanted to tell me. She works for an elementary school in Duncanville, Texas where a class of fourth graders decided on their own to do something for the Japan earthquake and tsunami relief efforts. They organized a fundraising drive themselves and even made up a chant for it. They raised over $600 in their school to donate to the Red Cross. Thank you, everyone!

I am sure there are many more touching stories of children reaching out to Japan. If you know any, let me know in the comments.

St. Mary's International School Relief Efforts for the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

St. Mary's International School, Tokyo is collecting the following from their community of students, parents, teachers, and staff:

Toy Collection – Organized by Cub Scout Pack 15 under the direction of Mr. Dave Nakabayashi - Donations will be sent to the Japan Association of Play Therapy and transported to the disaster areas by UNICEF.

Ends Wednesday, April 6th

For shelters in Ishinomaki - Mr. Mike Rogers is working with his colleagues in the media to collect and deliver specific items to Ishinomaki

Ends this Friday, April 8th

Items needed:

· For kids: cello tape, gum tape, magic markers, pens, colored pencils, crayons, paper, scissors, stationery items.

· For adults: shoes, long boots, rain boots

· Please note that diapers are no longer needed for this shipment.

For shelters in Kesen-numa city in Miyagi – organized by Ms. Yuko Ono

Ends this Friday, April 8th

Items needed:

· Clothes:

Warm jackets for adults and children

New underwear for young boys (100-150 cm size)

New socks for boys

New underwear - long sleeve shirt for ladies (L or LL size are especially needed)

· Vegetable and fruit juices

· Picture books for school (in Japanese)

· Stationary: pencils, pens, erasers, pencil sharpeners, notebooks, colored pencils, markers

Fundraising for cash donations – organized by the high school Student Council

Creative fund raising events have already begun thanks to the involvement of many teachers and students. The high school Student Council will be organizing the collection of donations to the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Comment from Principal of Tsukuba International School in Ibaraki

Tsukuba International School (http://www.tis.ac.jp) in Ibaraki, Japan has collected food for the people in Kita-Ibaraki. The name of the earthquake in popular media is "Tohoku Earthquake", but parts of Ibaraki (the prefecture where my school is) have been seriously affected by the quake too, so we have been focusing our efforts on helping our (sometimes forgotten) neighbours to the north. The students wrote encouraging letters to the people of Ibaraki. It was so touching to read the letters and see how the students are so willing to help. One of the Grade 2 students wrote, "You need anything you tell me." I just love that spirit.

Shaney Crawford
Principal
Tsukuba International School