Category Archives: Fundraisers

The following message was sent in by Akiko Yoshida of the Kyoto based NGO NICCO and all queries should be addressed to her at the contact address given below.

The 26th Charity Auction for NICCO:
“Exhibition of Finearts” in Kyoto
February 20th – 22nd at JR KYOTO ISETAN
(Open Event)

The 26th Charity Auction for NICCO will be held at JR KYOTO ISETAN during the period of February 20th to 22nd, 2016. All of its proceeds will be donated to NICCO, Kyoto-based humanitarian organization, for its projects in and outside of Japan such as support activities for victims of the tsunami in Tohoku and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. By either bidding for or purchasing these works, visitors can contribute to humanitarian projects for people living in developing countries and disaster affected areas.

The Event
To support our overseas projects, we hold an event which is called “Charity Auction for NICCO-Exhibition of Artifacts-” for our fund raising. The exhibition has been held every year in one of the famous department stores in Kyoto City since 1991. This event is supported by a variety of artists such as ceramic artists, Japanese-style painters, masters of tea ceremony and calligraphers. These include Kyoto-based creators like Mr. Brian Williams and Mr. Randy Channell. These supporters contribute by donating their works freely as charity. The total number of works of art will be over 200. People can appreciate and obtain these works at a relatively reasonable price by participating in the auction. All the profits – except for necessary expenses – will be donated to NICCO.

Details
Dates and Time: February 20th (Fri) to 22nd (Mon), 2016
Venue: JR KYOTO ISETAN, 10th floor (JR Kyoto Station Complex)
Admission: Free
Organizer: “Charity Auction for NICCO” Executive Committee

About NICCO
Nippon International Cooperation for Community Development (NICCO) is a Japanese non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to supporting self-reliance among people in developing countries in Asia, the Middle-East and Africa. Since its establishment in the early days of Japanese NGOs in 1979, NICCO has focused on emergency assistance and human resource development, as well as rural development based on environmentally sustainable agriculture.

Contact:
Akiko Yoshida, Charity Auction for NICCO Executive Committee
Tel: +81-75-241-0674
E-mail: info[at]nicco-auction.jp
URL: http://www.nicco-auction.jp/en/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/charityauction
Address: 101 Nishi Rokkaku-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto, Japan 604-8217

Our friend Jason Bartashius writes,

Music lovers are you staying in town for winter vacation?  If so, be sure to check out the A Summer Dream for Children charity concert on December 22^nd at the Miyako Messe.  Featured artists include A-Frame, Twins, and pop singer Shiori Kinjo, who will perform her hit “Smile.”  Everyone knows a good concert is one with a grand debut.  Sota Kishimoto and Shohei Toyoda will do the honors – performing a song co-written with Fukushima children.  Minna no Te and Ipponokai, two groups that aid evacuees, are hosting the concert.

Proceeds will be used by Minna no Te to continue reuniting family and friends separated by the nuclear crisis.  This summer buses shuttled people between Kyoto and Fukushima.  Fukushima kids normally allowed only short intervals to play outside enjoyed a brief reprieve from the dangers of radiation here in Kansai.  In Kyoto they could play outdoors, sightsee, and spend time with classmates who have relocated here.  Evacuees in Kyoto also had the opportunity to return to Fukushima for a short stay to see family members left behind.

Soon the buses will be gearing up to again make the nearly 800 km trek to bring together family and friends for the New Year’s holiday.  With hopes for more reunions down the road, Minna no Te has started the Children’s Dream Fund.  Please fund the project with the purchase of a concert ticket.  Bring a friend and consider the night an early Xmas present to kids in need.

As a prelude to the concert, pictures from this summer’s reunion project will be displayed from 10:30 a.m – 2:30 p.m.  Evacuee children will celebrate the event by talking via a web camera with Fukushima friends who visited Kyoto this past summer.  Music will start at 3:00 and last until around 5:00 p.m.

The organizing of this concert is timely.  Parts of the evacuation zone are being reopened and evacuees are being encouraged to return home.  However, the sentiment that all is now safe and sound is not universally shared.  Greenpeace is bringing attention to misleading radiation monitoring posts set up by the government.  Residents and evacuees are also skeptical of decontamination efforts.  When it rains, radiation that has accumulated in the mountains is feared to wash back down into fields and communities.

Meanwhile refugees are struggling.  Some have to search for new employment.  For their part children have had to enter different schools and adapt to new environments.  Displacement is particularly hard for people originating in rural Fukushima where familial and communal ties are strong.  The upcoming concert and photo exhibit serve as reminders of these ongoing realities.  At the same time, music and photos of smiling children focus attention on the beauty and joy of life that exist even in dire times.  And that reminder gives us all something to strive for this holiday season.

A Summer Dream for Children: A Rainbow Connecting Kyoto and Fukushima

Venue: Miyako Messe (Daiichi Tenjijo)

Tickets: 1000 Yen in advance.  1,300 Yen on the door. Reservations can be made by calling 075-823-5001

(Hours: 10:00 a.m – 5:00  p.m/ Closed Sundays and National Holidays)

****************************************************************************

Jason Bartashius moved to Kyoto in 2011. He is a lecturer of Japanese Religions and an English instructor. Jason also manages the volunteer project After School Lessons For Tohoku Children that helps kids affected by the tsunami. As a writer he works to bring attention to the ongoing issues surrounding the March 11^th disasters. He has made contributions to Deep Kyoto that focus on Kyoto’s efforts to support Tohoku and evacuees who have relocated to Kyoto. You can read his previous articles here.

A word from Kevin Ramsden,

I would like you all to know about a really cool fundraising event, “Cooks4Cooks”, coming up on the afternoon of Sunday December 16th at Tadg’s Irish Restaurant & Bar, Kyoto (see www.kyotoirish.com for map and details). This will be a bit of a Xmas bash for all-comers, and all are most definitely welcome. The purpose is to raise a ton of money to buy much needed environmentally friendly cooking apparatus, the Envirofit B-1200 (pictured right) for women in rural Nigeria who have been victims of human trafficking (see the website http://kopernik.info/ for the full story.) The main fundraising methods for this will be:

(1) a bring and buy baked goods sale

(2) a raffle for a bunch of great culinary related prizes.

There will also be some entertainment on offer, a bit of carol singing (if the mood takes us) and a visit from Santa for the kids. Here are the details:

Place: Tadg’s Irish Restaurant & Bar

Date: Sunday December 16th

Time: 1.00 pm – 6.00 pm

Features: a bring and buy (or just buy for non-cooks) baked goods sale, prize raffle, entertainment, all afternoon 1,000 yen lunch set, kids entertainment and a visit from the REAL Santa, a bit of a Crimbo sing-a-long, and all in a smoke-free zone.

Basically, we would like anybody who can make and bake their own cookies, cakes, pies, bread, etc, to knock something up and bring it along to put in the baked goods sale. All profits from the sale of these goods will go into the “pot” to buy the eco-cookers, hence the event title “Cooks4Cooks”. In addition, you can buy raffle tickets at 200 yen each or 6 for 1,000 yen to give yourself the chance of winning one of the tasty prizes offered up by our generous sponsors:

*Xmas dinner for two at Tadg’s*

*a full stuffed roasted turkey (with gravy)*

*a 5,000 yen voucher to spend at the Gael pub in Gion*

*a special surPRIZE from Papa Jon’s*

*a Muji nabe pot*

*a super burger/beer set from Toms Cafe*

…to name just a few. Tickets are on sale now, so can be bought well in advance of the event as well as on the day itself. The raffle will be held during the afternoon of the event and all winners not present will be contacted later. Please contact Kevin (ramsden261[at]hotmail.com)if you would like to contribute a culinary related prize for the raffle, too. The more the merrier!!

In addition to the foodie stuff, we would like to make this a real family Xmas kind of do, so welcome families with nippers along to enjoy the fun and games. We plan to have a visit from Santa at around 3.00 pm, so would ask that you come early enough with the wee ones so that they don’t miss out. We would also like parents to bring along a small, wrapped gift of about 500 yen value (with the child’s name printed on), for each of their kids so that Santa can do his jolly old thing and pull them out of the sack as a surprise.

The bar, of course, will be open for a little relaxation and casual imbibing, and coffee will also be available for those who can’t wait to nibble on the bonanza of baked items they have bought.

Please drop in, bring friends and let others know, so that we can make this event a huge success, and extend the spirit of Xmas to helping our African sisters in their time of need.

To find Tadg’s walk straight up Kiyamachi from Sanjo, before you get to Oike you should see the Empire building on your right. Tadg’s is on the 8th floor. Click here for a most convenient map.