Kevin Ramsden is well-known in Kyoto's expat community for his tireless and creative fundraising efforts for charitable causes. This Christmas he has come up with a new fundraising initiative: a collection of eight short stories he has both written and published himself - with all proceeds going to support the educational needs of children in rural areas of Cambodia and … [Read more...]
Please Support EMA Japan’s Campaign for Same-Sex Marriage Rights & Sign their Petition!
Last week the good people at Japan Today were kind enough to publish a profile piece I wrote on the Equal Marriage Alliance of Japan (EMA Japan for short). Founded in February of this year, EMA Japan is the only NPO advocating solely for legal same-sex marriages in Japan. Unfortunately, same-sex marriage is still illegal in Japan, so EMA are running a petition that aims to put … [Read more...]
Help Send a Bright Young Tibetan, Tsewang Phuntsok, to University
The following is from Kyoto blogger Heenali Patel, Hello everyone! I'd like to introduce you to somebody who has meant a great deal to me for almost 7 years. His name is Tsewang Phuntsok. Tsewang was a 12 year old student at the school I volunteered at, in Nepal back in 2008. His family comes from a small village in Tibet- he was sent to live in Kathmandu in the … [Read more...]
To Boldly Go – TEDxKyoto x George Takei & Patrick Linehan
Once again I have to congratulate Jay Klaphake and his TEDxKyoto team of volunteers for organizing a splendid event at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies today! It was a delight to see Patrick Linehan speak here again, this time on the effect his last speech at TEDxKyoto has had on his life and also on the lives of others. In September he told us to embrace the qualities … [Read more...]
Three years ago today…
On this day of remembrance, I would like to share with you some simple memories of March 11th that have taken me three years to properly digest. I was far removed from the disaster then, but of course the events of the day made a big impression on me. I remember clearly where I was, what was on my mind and those who were about me. I remember most of all their grace, their … [Read more...]
Volunteering in Kameoka
Last weekend I joined Rob Mangold and his IDRO crew on a relief trip to Kameoka, which was hit hard by the last typhoon to sweep through Kansai. After linking up with some regular volunteers at Kameoka's Volunteer Center, we drove out into golden fields where a landslide caused by heavy rain had filled up the drainage ditches. Our job was to dig them out. Here are some pictures … [Read more...]
Flood Relief in Arashiyama
Yesterday, I had planned to spend the day running round Kyoto's most iconic sites, taking immersive 360 degree images with my new Ricoh Theta camera... However, inspired by Tito's flood relief poetry, and Rob Mangold's posts on Facebook I decided to join them and Joel Stewart for a spot of volunteering in Arashiyama. I was encouraged by the community spirit there that inspired … [Read more...]
On Herbs, Serendipity & Fair Trade in Kyoto
Za'Atar is an Arabic spice mix "made from mixing dried za'atar leaves together with varying combinations of other spices such as sesame seeds, thyme, marjoram, sumac and more." We bought a jar at the IDRO Japan charity sale last year, and then found ourselves wondering what to do with it. I can't remember who donated it, but they suggested we mix it with olive oil and use it as … [Read more...]
Sailing Without the Wind: A Performance by Peter Golightly & Bruno the Bad Boy
Billed as a "evening of music, dance and life", this show looks to be amazing and it bears a very important message... Peter Golightly has kindly written to tell us more about it: "I'm a long time Kyoto resident and I've been doing the dance singing theater thing for better than 30 years here. Bruno has been around for about 18 years. He's a performance artist who … [Read more...]
Ten Year Plan to Reafforest Kyoto’s Mount Ogura Goes Ahead
Good news today! The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU) has thrown its weight behind a plan to restore the natural beauty of Kyoto's Ogurayama. The ten-year reafforestation project aims to undo the damage wrought by human neglect and the recent of blight of diseases that are killing off much of the native oaks and pines. Mount Ogura has been famed since Heian times as the … [Read more...]
Kyoto Marathon Fundraiser for Fukushima Kids
The second anniversary of the 3/11 disaster is coming up, and many people will be considering how best to observe the occasion. On March 10th Russell Trott will run the Kyoto Marathon to raise funds for Fukushima kids. All monies raised will go towards a camp near Kyoto organized by Go! Go! Waku Waku. There the kids will be able to escape the worst affected areas of Fukushima … [Read more...]
Anti-Nuclear Rally, Maruyama Park, Kyoto – Saturday March 9th 2013
The only Japanese nuclear power station to have been restarted since the nuclear disaster of March 2011 is the one at Oi in Fukui, just 60km from Kyoto and only 30km from our drinking water supply, Lake Biwa. (Stephen Gill) There will be a big anti-nuclear rally at Maruyama Park this Saturday (March 9th). As usual with these events it looks very much like it will have a … [Read more...]
AN URGENT APPEAL TO SUPPORT GREEN ACTION JAPAN!
Please donate to Green Action here: http://www.greenaction-japan.org/modules/entop2/ From Beyond Nuclear: During the critical first days and months of the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe in Japan, many of us turned immediately to Aileen Mioko Smith (pictured far left with Sachiko Sato and Kaori Izumi) and her organization, Green Action-Japan. Through her depth of … [Read more...]
TA Project Camp – The Wrap-Up
Here's guest contributor, Sara Ai Coe, with an update on the TA Project's summer camp for Fukushima children. Last time I wrote about the TA Project for Deep Kyoto, I was the outsider looking in. I was so inspired by the passion of the guys involved, that I wanted to write and share this wonderful project. Shortly after, I was invited to join them and it’s been an invitation … [Read more...]
