Background:

The triple disaster on 11 March 2011 inflicted unprecedented damage on the coastal towns and took away tens of thousands of lives. However, the revitalization efforts from both the locals, Japanese from other prefectures, as well as foreigners, blew a fresh breath of renewed hope to these towns. Even before the disaster, many coastal towns in Tohoku were suffering from ageing population, and a declining population due to outer migration to bigger cities. The disaster had ironically given the people a chance to rebuild their hometowns to something better and more sustainable than the original.

“Sustainability” became a key word in various fields, including agriculture and energy. This includes cooperation among local farms, the use of innovative technology to solve environmental problems, as well as the utilization of branding to market their products and tourism.

Japan might have lost its leadership in economics terms, but it has taken up a new role in the world- Kadai-Senshin-Koku (Frontier in Solving Global Problems). Japan faces a myriad of problems- ageing population, low birth rate, dealing with natural disasters, depopulation in rural areas, replacing limited energy sources with renewable energy and so on. However, these problems are not restricted only to Japan. Many, if not all, developed countries will be facing similar problems in the next 10, 20 years. In other words, Japan is in a position to discover the solutions of these problems ahead of the world.

The Next Step:

I have been to the disaster-stricken places several times, and met with various people from the local towns. The people have since then gotten back up on their feet and started/ restarted their businesses. . What the people need now is not merely financial support in the form of donations, but an increased awareness and interest in what they are currently doing.

So combining the need to learn about the current developments and revitalization efforts, with the little help we can provide by increasing awareness on what they are doing, I have organized a study tour with 10 people from 10 different countries in August.

We have joined forced with the locals from the Minami-Sanriku region (including a local NGO and people involved in agriculture and other industries). We will be there to learn what they have to offer, not just to us, but to the rest of the world too.

I foresee this to be the start of a larger trend of people (whether Japanese or not) going to Tohoku to learn from them.

Crowd Funding:

To kickstart this little initiative, I have started a crowd funding project to gather funds, and more importantly, awareness to this issue/ project.

https://readyfor.jp/projects/tohoku_study_tour

The crowd funding site is all in Japanese, but if you are interested to lend a hand to help, you will be more than welcomed!!

The details of the tour are as follows:

– Discussion with O.G.A for AID (O.G.A is a NGO established 1 week after the tsunami by an American who grew up in Japan. They have been helping with the town’s agriculture and product branding since then.)

– Visiting Locals Leading the Resurgence

Iriyado: A hostel that provides not just accommodation and meals, but also a chance to learn about their revitalization efforts in the local agriculture, fishing and other industries.

Astoro Tech: Established in July 2003 as a manufacturer of electrical components, but was destroyed by the tsunami in 2011. However it restarted its business one month later in Tome city. In September 2011, it started producing high quality chic leather bags that gained attention from both within and outside Japan.

– A Visit to OGA’s farm and learning about their Green Farmer’s Project

Returns:

You will get the following “returns” according to the amount you donate.

1. A Thank You Mail

2. An invitation to our presentation cum discussion session after the tour

3. A Small Kindness Movement Set (Including a certificate, badge sticker and clear file)

4. A compilation of the after-tour reports of the participants

5. WATALIS strawberry strap

6. Miyagi-no-arare (Japanese crackers from Watari-cho in Miyagi Prefecture)

Amounts available for funding:

For 3000 yen, you get (1). For 10,000 yen, you get (1), (2), (3) and (4). For 30,000 yen, you get (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) OR (6). For 50,000 yen, you get all 6 of them!

Participants of this tour:

Name: Chia Mu Kai Dennis

Nationality: Singaporean

– Traveled to all 47 prefectures and self-published a book about it named “Japan From Inside/ 日本人に思い出してもらいたいニッポン”

– Entering School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies ITASIA Program, University of Tokyo Graduate School

– Actively involved in volunteer activities after 311 Japan Disaster

– Deeply interested in the revitalization efforts of Tohoku and how Tohoku could serve to become a frontier in global issues such as achieving sustainable development.

– Organizer and Co-ordinator of this Tohoku Study Trip

Name: Lee Jang Boo James

Nationality: Korean

– 3^rd Year at School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University

– Leader of SILS Sempai Project

– Intern at Refugees International Japan

– Ultra/ Trail Runner, 100K Ultra Trail

– Human beatboxer, Top 3 in Japan in Hamonepu 2011

Name: Lin Yen Ting Chase

Nationality: Taiwanese

– Senior Student at School of Political Science and Economics, Waseda Univeristy

– Ex- Vice President of Waseda Taiwanese Students Association

– Amateur Marathon Runner (Completed 2 full marathon and 3 half-marathon courses)

 

 

 

 

 

Name: Sonam Choden

Nationality: Bhutanese

– Student at Nihon Kyoiku Center

– Former Leo Club Member

– Participated in Model UN 2011, Doha, Qatar

– Cellphone Novelist

 

 

 

 

Name: Sara Ariafar

Nationality: Iranian

– 4^th Year Student at School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University

– Reporter at NHK World going around various countryside towns of Japan, introducing Japanese culture to international audience.

– Leader of RIJ Students, Refugees International Japan

 

 

 

 

Name: Pan Lichen Pete

Nationality: Chinese

– 5^th Year Student at School of Human Science, Waseda University

– Major in Information and Communication Technology

– Leader of Waseda Lunch Organization.

 

 

 

 

 

Name: David Nguyen

Nationality: American

– International Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University

 

 

 

 

 

Name: Roxanne Niveri

Nationality: Australian

– Graduated from University of Queensland

– Working as an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) and CIR (Coordinator of International Relations) at Oyama City’s Board of Education/ City Hall

 

 

 

 

 

Name: Truong Trung Nghia

Nationality: Vietnam

– Studying Japanese at Yohan Waseda Foreign Language School

– Major in IT – Software Engineering

 

 

 

 

 

Name: Kodai Suzuki

Nationality: Japanese

– Born in Minami-Sanriku

– 3^rd Year Student at Utsunomiya University

– President of Acapella Circle U-MiC

– Intern at Iriyado (Minami-Sanriku Manbi-no-Sato)

And so I have turned 27 years old, and it’s my 7th year in Japan.

Having graduated from university 2 years ago, I should be working and living a fairly comfortable life now, if I had chosen the normal path- the normal path of a university graduate with excellent academic record for almost all his life, rich wealth of experience and a fairly good working attitude.

But fortunately or unfortunately, I chose to take a different path.

People of my age are racking up successes in their careers, or at least are building up work experience, as they watch their bank balance soar. I am quite the opposite- having switched jobs too many times in the past 2 years, I don’t really have credible work experience (though it depends on how I perceive it), and my savings are gradually going down instead, as I struggle to make ends meet doing part-time.

Don’t worry, it is not as bad as it sounds. I am pretty sure the not-too-common experiences I am slowly accumulating now will come to use in the future. Besides, I am enjoying my life at the moment, though financially unstable.

“So, Dennis, what are you doing now?” is probably the most commonly asked question when I meet up with friends. So it’s time to update everyone about what I am currently doing.

1. Entering Graduate School in Tokyo in October- Yes, that would be the next milestone. I thought of going to Europe or US for graduate studies but since I am financially incapable of doing so, I shall stay put in Japan at least for the next 2 years. Looking forward to it.

2. Working Part-Time at a Singapore Restaurant- This is probably one of the things I can be really proud of: introducing and serving Singapore food to Japanese and other foreign customers. Although it can be very tiring physically sometimes, it is always a joy to watch customers enjoy eating Singapore food, listen to conversations about their experiences in Singapore or join in their conversations as a Singaporean. Another plus is that the restaurant is located in the high class district in Tokyo where celebrities and stylish people roam. It is just a joy to be working there.

3. Translation work for aeru- aeru is a company that I have been closely working with since 3 years ago. They are a start-up company by a lady 1 year younger than me, but with an atrociously huge vision and determination to revive the dwindling Japanese craft industry. She and her company have become hot topics in the media recently as they watch her joining forces with the Japanese craftsman all over Japan, create novel and useful products that can be used in our modern daily lives. I am certain that they will continue to grow, perhaps overseas in the near future. I have been helping them with translating their catalogues, websites and other documents into English, and perhaps opening them up to the world!

4. Internship at Peace Boat- Not just yet, but I will be doing internship at a Japan-based international NGO called Peace Boat. They are actively involved in peacekeeping efforts, sustainable development and other related projects. It would be a great experience interning over there!

5. Last but not least, I will be organizing a trip to Tohoku (where the earthquake and tsunami struck 3 years ago) with 10 people from 10 different countries. I have been to Tohoku several times, and witnessed their growth, especially their revitalization efforts involving women and young people. They have also gained attention in terms of sustainable development as they are experimenting with new technology and management systems.

I will be doing a crowd-funding project to fund this trip starting next week. In a sense, it is to fund our transport and accommodation in the 2 Days 1 Night trip, but more importantly, it is to bring attention to the developments in Tohoku, which I believe has great potential in leading the developments of new technology, businesses, mechanism and structure of agriculture, fishing and disaster prevention.

The crowd-funding project will be targeted at the Japanese, but you are more than welcomed to support us!

That is all for now. Till then, let’s enjoy the World Cup!