From April 19 to April 21, 10 British and Australian expats will cycle approximately 330 kilometers from Tokyo to Minamisoma in Fukushima Prefecture, hoping to raise 1 million yen for the Save Minamisoma Project.
The project was set up by a group of expats in the aftermath of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and makes fortnightly trips to Minamisoma with donations of food and water to help the 7,000 residents who are still living in temporary housing units nearly 2 years after the tsunami struck.
A more long-term project has been set up by another British expat based in Tokyo, Jo Wilkinson, who has set up a company called Vintage Kimonos to create jobs in Tohoku and provide a long term source of funding to help rebuild communities worst affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Their profits are being donated to schools and orphanages in the Tohoku region.
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© Japan Today
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hereforever
Good on you, guys. Great to see some still cares about those unfortunate to be still living in shelters. My thoughts and prayers with you all. Keep warm and God Speed.
kurisupisu
What has happened to the billions of yen donated to the homeless and dispossessed in Fukushima ?
It has been used to buy heavy machinery for prisons and to make contact lens factories etc!!!!!!
It is people that are at grassroots like Wilkinson that are really making a difference
Dave Lawrence
I'm one of the riders taking part in this charity ride and would like to thank everybody in advance for their support. Any donation, no matter how big or small, is greatly appreciated.
As well as the link in the article above, you can follow our progress at https://www.facebook.com/TokyoBrits and also https://twitter.com/TokyoBrits!
Heda_Madness
Good luck Dave and all of the others who are involved.
Save Minami Soma Project is an excellent organisation that is currently preparing for it's 43rd trip to MinamiSoma to deliver fresh food and bottled water to the residents. On top of these bi weekly trips there have also been a couple of 'Santa Runs' where all of the kids have received Christmas presents. It's a great cause.
Well done to everyone involved in making this happen and continuing to support the people of Minami Soma.
Heda_Madness
No it hasn't. The money donated to groups like Save MinamiSoma, OGA for Aid etc - ALL of it has gone into supporting the affected people. The money spent on contact lens factories etc came from the government's budgets. NOT from private donations.
Shou3012
Thank you for your positive support. It is a great shame that we have to raise money for Minamisoma if you understand what I mean. Our ride will be documented in various local publications amnd media over the coming weeks and months and as Dave says, please follow us on our links. Now all we need is a TV station to make this newsworthy so we can spread the word and get more donations.