JETAANC “113 Project: Reclaiming Tohoku” Film Screening for Japan 3.11 Earthquake Recovery

Description

It's been five years since the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster in the Tohoku region of Japan, but the road to recovery continues. Join us to learn more about life in Tohoku, donate to a good cause, and write messages of hope to the people of Tohoku! Refreshments will be served.

The 113 Project: Reclaiming Tohoku is a short film series inviting you to explore Tohoku through the eyes of real people, businesses, and communities rebuilding their lives and working towards the future. These short films are voices of the people who want to let you know how life in Tohoku is today. The short episodes aim to encourage you to rethink Tohoku beyond the scope of the disaster, and also invite you to explore the warmth of the people, the beauty of the country, and the spirit of Tohoku. In the films, you will meet:

• Jin, Nanako, and Megumi, three college aged students who live in Fukushima. These young adults share their insights into how the disaster has shaped their futures and changed their perspectives. They all traveled to America on the Kakehashi Project, a large-scale exchange program following 3.11 that brought Tohoku students to America and vice versa.
• Niida-san, the 18th generation owner of his family's sake brewery in Fukushima. He will introduce you to his sake brewery, the story of how his business was affected by the disaster, and his efforts to rebuild.
• Yasutada Onodera, who owns a coffee shop in Kesennuma, Miyagi, that was destroyed by the tsunami. It's his hometown and he wanted to rebuild. By December of 2011, he had rebuilt his shop in a temporary building. He and many friends and neighbors lost their homes and so they wanted a place to escape from everyday life, relax, and come together as a community.
• Steve Corbett, a former JET Program participant who lived and worked in Ishinomaki, Miyagi, one of the harder hit cities that suffered great loss. He was present for the disaster and the experience changed his life forever. Every year since, Steve has returned to his "adopted hometown" to experience the unforgettable Kawabiraki Matsuri, or River Lantern Festival.
• Teiichi Sato, a seed shop owner in Rikuzentakata, Iwate who escaped the tsunami on 3.11, lost his seed shop, rebuilt in the face of adversity, and then wrote a book about the "seed of hope in the heart."

The screening will feature a panel discussion and Q&A with distinguished leaders in Tohoku recovery, moderated by Dr. Gary Mukai, Director of the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) and a member of the JETAANC Board of Directors:

• Wesley Julian, Director, 113 Project: Reclaiming Tohoku; JET Program alumnus
• Andy Anderson, father of Taylor Anderson; Founder, Taylor Anderson Memorial Foundation
• Matthew Fuller, Special Assistant to US Ambassador to Japan John Roos during the 3.11 crisis; JET Program alumnus
• Takeno Chiyo Suzuki, Coordinator of International Affairs, Miyagi Prefecture; friend of Taylor Anderson; JET Program alumna
• Heather Easley-Kasinsky, volunteer in Tohoku recovery efforts; JET Program alumna
• Hiroto Nishikawa, UC Davis exchange student; active volunteer in Tohoku recovery

At the film screening, you will have an opportunity to donate to the Taylor Anderson Memorial Foundation, benefiting kids and families in Tohoku through a range of powerful educational and family support programs. They are still recovering and need our continued help. Even better, GlobalGiving will match your donation 50%, increasing its impact! The Foundation was formed as a tribute to the memory of Taylor Anderson, a JET Program teacher who lost her life in the tsunami.

If you cannot attend, you can make donations via this page. Note that to receive matching funds, you must donate by March 10.

#113project #ttweek #jetaanc #jetprogramme

Volunteer

Interested in volunteering at the event? Please fill out this brief form!:

http://bit.ly/1UWpsRQ

Learn More

Taylor Anderson was a Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program teacher in Ishinomaki, Japan, when she lost her life in the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami. The Taylor Anderson Memorial Foundation helps students, schools, and families in the Ishinomaki and general Tohoku area recover from the disaster as Taylor's family expects she would have wanted. The Foundation pursues Taylor's dream of being a bridge between the U.S. and Japan. For more information, please visit:

http://tamf.jp/en/

We also honor Monty Dickson, a JET Program teacher in Iwate, Japan, who lost his life during the 3.11 disaster. Monty's legacy in fostering U.S.-Japan relations is carried forward by the variety of activities conducted by the Montgomery Dickson Center for Japanese Language & Culture.

For more information about JET Program alumni efforts to provide assistance to Tohoku, please visit: http://www.jetaanc.org/activites/tohoku-recovery/

You may also be interested in downloading the e-book, "The 3/11 Disaster in Miyagi, Japan: True Stories of Japanese and Americans," by Mihoko Terada, Director of the Taylor Anderson Memorial Foundation's Japan office. Half of the book's royalties will be donated to the Foundation. For more information, visit the book's Facebook Page.

Sponsors

Presented by the Japan Exchange & Teaching Program Alumni Association of Northern California (JETAANC)

Co-sponsored by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco; Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC); NEW PEOPLE; Oakland-Fukuoka Sister City Association; and Sanraku.

Supported by Japan Society of Northern California; Nichi Bei Foundation; Umami Mart; and Center for Japanese Studies, University of California, Berkeley

Is your organization interested in becoming a sponsor? We will give you full recognition for your donation of funds, refreshments, materials, and/or volunteers. All donations go through JETAANC and/or GlobalGiving, both 501(c)3 nonprofits, making them tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers to the full extent permitted by law. Be listed as a Supporting Organization by pledging to advertise the event to your networks. Contact anna.fung@jetaanc.org to learn more.