News
Today, January 17
January 17, 2012
It has been 17 years since the day that 6,434 people lost their lives in the Hanshin Awaji Earthquake in Kobe.
Today at 5:46 in the morning at Ishinomaki’s Nakase Ishinomori Manga-kan, the 1.17 Hanshin Awaji Earthquake Memorial Service took place. About one hundred people from Ishinomaki and relief support groups in the area attended the service. Candles were lit as a requiem for the souls of those lost 17 years ago.
This Hanshin Awaji Earthquake was the start of Peace Boat’s relief support activities. Along with many other volunteers and the local emergency services, Peace Boat also entered the Nagata area of Kobe when the earthquake struck the Hanshin region in 1995. We honestly hoped that we would never see another disaster like this, but we were sadly mistaken. Natural disasters have continued to ravage places all over the globe, and northeast Japan has been one of them.
The scale of the disaster in Northeast Japan is larger than that of the Hanshin Awaji Earthquake. In conjunction with other organisations and actors, we at Peace Boat hope to continue to find ways to support the people affected by this disaster, both in Ishinomaki and in the rest of the affected areas in northeast Japan.
January 17, 2012
Yamamoto Takashi
President, Peace Boat Disaster Volunteer Center
“Culture Japan” video now available on YouTube!
January 16, 2012
Danny Choo, a blogger world-famous for his commentaries on Japanese pop culture, has made a video about Peace Boat’s activities in Ishinomaki. It was aired on “Culture Japan”, a blog following the Japanese Otaku culture and Japanese youth trends, and can now be viewed on YouTube.
●Culture Japan Season 2 Episode 1 – Tohoku and the Tsunami
⇒ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-X0Ovt4YHM
Many might question why volunteer activities have been featured on a show about culture. However, there are people from many walks of life who are interested in volunteer activities for the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami relief project. Danny, in his typical style, came to Ishinomaki in an itasha, a van used by otakus to show their love of anime. He was very serious however when he was shooting footage of the volunteer activities and documenting the progress of the affected areas.
Thank you very much, Danny!
It is very unfortunate that fewer and fewer media outlets are carrying information about the affected areas, and the volunteers who are still desperately needed to help carry the work out. Each and every one of us needs to ensure that the needs of the people in Tohoku are not forgotten, and we must let the rest of the world know that help is still needed.
Please also follow reports about the ongoing volunteer activities online through Twitter or Facebook. Thank you!
New Years Greetings
December 22, 2011
Thank you for your generous support this past year for Peace Boat’s Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Relief efforts.
Thanks to the involvement of many people around the world, Peace Boat was able to dispatch over 10,000 volunteers to aid the regions stricken by the disaster of March 11. Although there is still a long way to go on the road to recovery, we have seen remarkable progress in Ishinomaki.
Our office will be closed over the new year between December 28 – January 3.
If you you have any enquiries, please contact us outside the above period, or expect an email response once the office reopens on January 3, 2012.
We wish for a brighter year ahead for the people of Japan’s Northeast region, and sincerely appreciate your continued support.
We wish you a peaceful and happy new year.
Lecture and Report Session in Aichi: December 1 (Thurs)
November 24, 2011
On December 1, events will be held at Chukyo University in Aichi prefecture (Toyota in the afternoon, Nagoya in the evening) which will also be the venue for a mid-term report on the volunteer activities in Ishinomaki.
We hope this will be an opportunity to learn from the lessons of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, and to consider the potential of cooperation between NGOs and universities.
We would also like to invite all Aichi residents that volunteered in Ishinomaki to join us for this event.
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■ Afternoon Section: Contemporary Sociology Academic Lecture
* Anyone may participate, however this program is targeted for students
【 Theme 】 The Current Situation of Disaster Volunteering in the Tohoku Region
【 Date 】 13:30〜15:00 December 1st(Thur), 2011
【 Venue 】 Chukyo University, Toyota Campus Bldg No. 9, 2nd Fl. Main Conference Room
【 Participation 】 Free、Maximum 100 persons（No reservation required）
【 Sponsor 】 Department of Contemporary Sociology/ Post-graduate Sociology Course, Chukyo University
【 Facilitator 】Sung Woncheol (Chukyo University Professor)
【 Speakers 】 Nakahara Ippo (Freelance Writer), Kobayashi Shingo (Peace Boat)
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■ Evening Section: Volunteer System made by Universities, NGOs, and Citizens
* Open to the public
【 Theme 】 Building Local Disaster Systems and Cooperation with NGOs
【 Date 】 18:00 – 20:00 December 1 (Thur), 2011
【 Venue 】 Chukyo University, Nagoya Campus Center Bldg. 7th Fl. Room 0703
【 Participation 】 Free、Maximum 150 persons (No reservation required)
【 Sponsor 】 School of International Liberal Studies, Chukyo University
【 Facilitator 】 Kim Kyungmook (Chukyo University Associate Professor）
【 Speakers 】 Kobayashi Shingo (Peace Boat), Kondo (Aoyama Gakuin University Volunteer Station Associate Representative) and others
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“It is not too early for volunteers. With a proper system more volunteers can come to the aid of more people.”
Peace Boat has continued to say this after the earthquake.
Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture. The most severely affected area gathered the help of over 200,000 people from local organizations, universities, NGOs and NPOs working in collaboration in what is now known as the Ishinomaki Model. Volunteers have the capability of becoming an important pillar to civil disaster aid, alongside the SDF, local administration and social welfare councils.
For this model to become reality, the characteristics of volunteers must be understood, systems to receive volunteers must be established, and people must be trained to manage the systems established. On December 1, with the cooperation of the professors at Chukyo University who are also helping the Disaster Volunteer Leader Training, we will think about the challenges that face us, and how to head towards the future .
(This event will be held only in Japanese language).
[Ganbatte 365 Videos] The “Cans of Hope” of Kinoya
November 18, 2011
The Kinoya company’s “Cans of Hope” made in Ishinomaki were previously introduced on this web site.
Thanks to the help of volunteers and employees 800,000 cans have been recovered however the process continues.
The Ganbatte365 project has continued to produce videos showing disaster relief efforts such as the two videos shown on this page.
Ganbatte365 has also created 15 other videos including showing volunteer work to clear grave areas or protect local citizens from pests.
See the other videos here.
* Permission from Ganbatte365 has been received according to Creative Commons License.
TAGS: cans • cans of hope • cleanup • Disaster Relief • Ganbatte365 • Ishinomaki • Japan • Kanto-Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami • video • volunteering