Arise Japan
Getting support in place for Onagawa
Updates here
After the catastrophes struck Japan on March 11 the decision was made by John Craig to return to Japan to offer assistance as a volunteer translator in the stricken areas. It was only on March 19 that he found out about the connection between the city of Nelson (where he now lives) and Onagawa cho-one of the most severely affected fishing towns on the coast where the tsunami struck.
Only a week before that had he noticed a plaque in town about a war hero from the Nelson area. During the second war a Canadian pilot, Robert Hampton Gray died whilst attacking a vessel in Onagawa bay. Well remembered for this act of great courage by the Japanese it has resulted in home stay visits from Japan. At the meeting shown above John shared his ideas with the members about creating a ‘book of hope’ and presenting it to the Japanese. He intends now to take that book to Onagawa since the connection is now clear. Here the mayor is adding his best wishes for the people of Onagawa (a written translation next to his entry will ensure everybody gets the message) Local press were present and very helpful
The general idea for the trip is as follows:
Onagawa was a thriving port before the tsunami
John leaves for Japan on March 28 and flies to Yanagawa town in Kyushu. There he will give a talk to the town he is the good will ambassador of tourism of. The proceeds will go to disaster relief organizations. He will meet the mayor and have him sign the book of Hope along with as many people as possible in attendance. The next day he will give a one day seminar on the theme of Arise Japan. This income will fund his journey to the far North by motorcycle.By using his 37 years of experience with the Japanese he has a unique perspective on what is truly admirable about the Japanese and can thus hopefully inspire them to inspire themselves. The Book of Hope will be full of inspirational messages by the time its pages are full.
He will make his way North giving talks along the way and garner local media attention as he travels. John has had a lot of experience with Japanese media since he is a well published author, public speaker and television commentator at times. This will now be put to full use.
John has applied for permission to act as a volunteer interpreter to various organizations and even applied as a driver to take supplies in. Red tape may hinder this being made possible by the time he is in the area-projected to be the second week of April. He shared with the mayor (in the above video) as well as on his Japanese Facebook site that he will go into the area whether given official sanction or not. Some may ask why? John has been the recipient of Japanese kindness for close to four decades and is very keen to repay the people. This is called ongaeshi in Japanese.
Now that the Nelson connection has been made clear he may be able to create an ongoing relationship that could help in the rebuilding of this small town by the sea-Onagawa. He hopes to bring photos of exchange students with their Nelson hosts and give a letter to the mayor over there from John Dooley. His progress will be trackable via a satellite GPS unit he will carry.
A US based radio show will be keeping in touch with him via interviews as he moves about the disaster area and report first hand what the spirit of the people is like and what help is needed most. He believes that it is time for Japan to show itself and the world just what Arise Japan really means. He is fully committed to being an ongoing part of that re-invention. This is more than just a disaster-this is an opportunity to walk down a whole new road for the people of this great country. And they will. John has created a small company in Nelson, still dormant, that may play a role in the future relations between Nelson and Onagawa. The details are below.
Please contact J.C. at johncraig.jp at gmail dot com with any inquiries.
