On June 22, 2012, Mr. and Mrs. Murata picked me up from Nikaho, Akita Prefecture and invited me to drink tea with them in their home in Akita city. Mr. Murata’s hobby is making and playing a music instrument made from bamboo which is called Shakuhachi. Mrs. Murata plays the Koto, a stringed instrument. I … Continue reading
August 6: Today I thought to visit the Pacific coast and take some photographs of the tsunami aftermath. Fukushima Prefecture is neighbor to Niigata Prefecture where I live. As the crow flies it’s about 185 kilometers from home to the Pacific. I hoped to hitchhike there and be back home the same day. Later I … Continue reading
I haven’t felt it appropriate to write about my adventures meeting people hitchhiking in Japan since the catastrophe of March 11th. People are still suffering and I want to do what I can to help those who are going directly to the disaster areas to treat people with Post Tramatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This is … Continue reading
A couple days after the massive magnitude 9 earthquake in the Pacific 70 kilometres (43 mi) east of the Oshika Peninsula of Northeast Japan which caused a massive tsumami destroying the northeast coast of the Tohoku region, I was asked to make a website http://helpjapan2011.net for the purpose of raising aid to buy goods and … Continue reading
On March 26, Charles Begley and I drove to the city of Sendai to bring supplies to a small Christian community of 6 adults and 7 children. It was a 4 hour drive along the Banetsu and Tohoku expressways and was through Fukushima prefecture. As you see from the map, the Tohoku expressway is about … Continue reading
Tomorrow, Saturday March 26th, Charles Begley, the director of Begley Productions and I will travel to the city of Sendai, the largest city in northeast Japan that was affected by the earthquake, to bring supplies to a large family of 4 adults and 7 children. They are sitting in a cold house wearing their winter … Continue reading
I received the following email from a friend about the situation of the nuclear power-plant in Fukushima. Dear everyone, I have an urgent request for prayer. Right now there are people who are giving their all to save our country, its people, and you and your family at the risk of their lives at Fukushima … Continue reading
So far Help Japan 2011 has raised nearly $600 in donations through Palpal! Most of the donors are in America. One is in Australia, only in the UK, and one in Tokyo. A family I have known through the years in Sendai report that they have electricity again, but still no kerosene to keep their … Continue reading
My brother Mike sent me the following link: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/03/13/world/asia/satellite-photos-japan-before-and-after-tsunami.html One of the photos on that page: Each photo has a slider in the middle. Move the slider back and forth by putting your mouse pointer in the middle of the center bar and holding down the left mouse button, and you will see the tremendous … Continue reading
I live in Niigata Prefecture which is the neighboring prefecture to Fukushima. Thankfully there is a mountain range between us, and because the wind normally blows from the west to the east, I do not anticipate any radioactive fallout from the nuclear power plants in my area. A friend sent me this link http://bravenewclimate.com/2011/03/13/fukushima-simple-explanation/ which … Continue reading