If you are in Sapporo - please donate to this NPO 3/21 and 3/22

English is first - 日本語　二番目

A friend of a friend's NPO group is collecting things in Sapporo today and tomorrow and taking them to Iwate this week. If you live in Sapporo please read and donate.

NEOS (NPO in Sapporo) has started delivering relief supplies to the Tsunami victims in Iwate prefecture. NEOS is planning to deliver the items listed below, and would like to collect these items.

1. You MUST take these items to the NEOS office in Sapporo.

2. You MUST contact NEOS what items you can bring to NEOS before you go to NEOS. Otherwise, they WILL NOT accept the items. Some items may not be appropriative or needed anymore.

3. You MUST bring the items during the time below.

March 21 (Monday) 9:00 – 17:00

March 22 (Tuesday) 9:00 – 12:00 (noon)

NEOS Sapporo Office

011-615-3923

1-14, 2jo 14chome, Miyanomori, Chuo-ku

Map: http://www.neos.gr.jp/npo_0_upper/0_houjin_gaiyou.html

1. brand-new underwear: mostly L and M sizes, for men, women and children. (about 100 total will be needed)

2. brand-new socks: (about 100 of them will be needed)

3. athletic shoe: brand-new or new shoes. Around 25 and 26 cm. Big size shoes are also needed. (about 50 total will be needed)

4. Boots (Nagagutsu): about 50 nagagutsu for women and children are needed. Nagagutsu is the most needed item at this moment. They don’t have to be new. The survivors are going to the devastated area to try to find their missing family members in usual shoes. The area is wet by melting snow.

5. Vegetable: potato, radish (daikon), Chinese cabbage (hakusai), cabbage, cucumber, tomato, spinach and others which can be used to make vegetable soup. Various seasonings such as consommé are also needed.

6. Japanese tea, other kinds of tea, coffee

7. eye drops

8. detergent for kitchen

9. garbage bags

10. saran wrap

11. pants for women such as sweat. (about 50 of them will be needed)

12. Landry article (100 clothes hanger, clothespins (sentaku basami), hook, rope, detergent)

13. Cleansing foam and hand cream (a lot is needed)

This information was translated by World Youth Japan NPO

Contact: info@worldyouthjapan.org

NPO法人ねおす札幌事務局 小林です。

ねおすでは岩手県釜石市鵜住居・片岸地区で被災地支援活動を行っています。

3月22日（火）に現地への第4陣がワゴン車で出ます。

付きましては、みなさまから物資についてご支援・ご協力を承りたくご連絡いたしま

す。

受付期間・受付物資は以下の通りです。

物資はスタッフが責任を持って被災地にお届けします。

みなさまからのご支援をお願い申し上げます。

【物資受付期間】

21日（月）9：00～17：00

22日（火）9：00～12：00

※上記時間以外は受付できませんのでご了承願います。

※必ず電話で受付を行ってからご持参願います。

※内容によっては受付できない場合もございますのでご了承願います。

【受付電話番号】

ねおす札幌事務所

011-615-3923　

（〒064-0952　札幌市中央区宮の森2条14丁目1-14）

【必要物資】（）は目安の数

下着（100着）　新品でお願いします。

　　　サイズは問いませんが、ＬやＭが中心、男女子ども

靴下（100足）　新品でおねがいします。

運動靴（50足）　これもできれば新品でお願いします。　サイズ２５や２６前後

　　　　大きなサイズもあると嬉しいです。

　　　　

長靴（女性・子どもも　50足）

　　　　これは今現在緊急品です。多少使ったものでも構いません。

　　　　も不明者の捜索へ地域の方々が出ていますが、

　　　　運動靴で雪でぐちゃぐちゃになった被災地へでかけています。

　　　　

野菜類（野菜スープの材料となるもの）　

　　　　じゃがいも、大根、白菜、キャベツ、きゅうり、トマト、ほうれん草など…

各種調味料　コンソメなど…

お茶、紅茶、コーヒー

目薬

台所用洗剤

ゴミ袋

サランラップ

婦人用のズボン（スウェット等　50着）

洗濯用品（ハンガー100本、洗濯バサミ、フック、ロープ、洗剤）

洗顔フォーム・クリーム・ハンドクリーム　（たくさんあれば…）

　

コンテナなどクリアーケース（箱）

※同じ形で5個セット以上（重ねられるもの）

What to say?

I'm a writer. But I have no words for the past week.

Now it is Sunday morning. A 3-day holiday weekend because of the Spring Equinox. A beautiful, sunny day in Sapporo.

A cat is on the computer keyboard, Yujiro's gone ski teaching at Kiroro (people are still coming on holiday and having ski lessons?) and Okaasan is dozing under her heated table.

And thousands of people died this week.
Thousands of people became homeless this week.

We are fine. So fine.
We have electricity, gas for the car, toilet rolls, rice.
We have a life: work, the dentist, a coffee shop lunch, a movie...shit...I even finally made it back to the gym on Friday.

Can't think what else to say.
All my energy this week has gone into endless, endless conversations with students about the tragedy:  information and images...my sister/in-laws/son's friend/golf buddy/old neighbor/fellow teacher/daughter and friend.....on and on and on.
I've donated money. I've put my classroom on the Couch Surfing "Japan Crises Housing" group, I've tried to connect NPO working people I know, I was interviewed by my old newspaper in England.

And Okaasan.
How is she coping?


Ok. We think. Yujiro took her out 3 times this week for shopping/lunch trips locally - to get her off the carpet and into clothes and away from the TV.
But I feel that her conversation abilities have slipped back a notch or two.
She just sits and eats at mealtimes, she interacts if we directly address her - but other times she just sits and eats the food in front of her or just watches us moving around the kitchen etc. LIke having a baby in a high chair who can't converse yet, but watches the family moving around.
Like having a black hole across the dinner table....our conversation disappears into it and nothing comes back.
I actually MISS the hamster wheel stories of wartime life/Nishi-sensei and his wonderful health advice/my New Year cooking routines.

Yujiro may have ski work this coming week because it is spring holidays for schools and colleges, so he may be away a lot. I will try to get Okaasan to respond to more direct conversation and bring back the hamster wheel conversations.

And so. And so.
Onwards Japan. Onwards.

Tired

Tired in Sapporo.
It is hard NOT to get worried about all of this.
Today had work questions about March 24.
Can't think forward to March 24th.
Seems so melodramatic, but still.
So glad Dad and Jane didn't live to have THIS worry about me.
My mother's brother has been in contact. My step-aunt too.
Trying to read all the information about radiation levels and reactors.
I am guessing we are safer up here in Hokkaido than many places further south.
Guessing.


People look tired.
I had 4 students in my morning class. Everyone stressed.
Got a new student - a student from Tokyo who was planning to take IELTS test in Tokyo. But it was cancelled. She's come back home to Sapporo to prepare for the April test instead. Ironic that I should gain work thru this disaster.


Okaasan looked pretty low tonight. Weary around the eyes. Didn't talk much at dinner. Finally our ever-so-chatty banter about non-disaster stuff got her talking...God knows what mood she'd be in if she didn't have us as the dinner entertainment.


And so.
Got emails from the British Embassy today about non-essential travel and evacuations to Hong Kong for people who are  directly effected. The American Government is either over-panicking or better-prepped than anyone with its recommended 50 km evacuation advisory.


The Couch Surfing network has started a group to offer free accommodation to evacuees. I think it's a great idea and have signed on. But I don't know many Japanese people will ever know about this, let alone take up the offers.
I hear Hokkaido Government is preparing to offer unused public housing for people from Tohoku.
I can't imagine what this will be like: to move to another part of the country suddenly. With nothing but the clothes you were wearing last Friday afternoon.


Tomorrow I will join the Minute of Silence. I hope everyone will do the same.

Keeping it light...

Haven't blogged.
Watching TV. Going back to work. Talking, talking, talking, listening, listening, listening.
Had 25 students yesterday. 10 people (more?) had family or friends in the quake area. 
FIVE people had no contact yet from loved ones.
I feel exhausted, talking and hearing about it.
People need to, want to talk. But still - as the teacher with different groups of people I felt wrung thru with it all.

And Okaasan.
We worried about her sitting looking at the TV images all day, every day.
Worried about her mood.
Sunday we took her out for lunch in a shopping center.
Monday she pleaded "chill" and stayed home with Yujiro.
Yesterday he took her downtown for a big trip out - they walked the new underground walk in Sapporo city center, bought a thin little scarf for Y22,000 (about $200!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) and food and magazines. She looked so happy when she came back. 
We can take a break from the TV and all the emotion - she doesn't naturally. She sleeps in front of the Tv and has it on all the time...she wakes and sleeps and wakes again ...and constantly there are images of death and disaster. And nuclear meltdown crises.
We feel stressed by it all. She must feel it more.


My older students in classes yesterday: not so confident at all in the Japanese government and their information about nuclear radiation. A lot of talk about 3 Mile Island.
My old newspaper called yesterday to interview me about it all. My step-aunt called. It's hard to think of the world beyond Japan at the moment. Everyone on the subways and in the shops looks tired. Downtown is quieter than normal.
I saw a young woman all dressed up in her graduation kimono, going to the ceremony with her mother. It was such a good, happy sight. I congratulated them.

And.

To give us all a lift...here are happy memories of a silly, silly woman becoming 50 years old on Saturday night...

How's THAT for inappropriate behavior while thousands die and are homeless?

Life in Hokkaido is very strange at the moment.