Deep Kyoto

good places - good people

Volunteering in Kameoka

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IMG_6586 (Medium)

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 from the day: a mix of standard shots and 360 spherical images from the Ricoh Theta. If you click on the spheres you can view the images in a perfectly immersive 360 degrees. [Read more…]

Flood Relief in Arashiyama

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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 so many people to turn up on their own initiative and offer a helping hand.

Rob & Stephen
IDRO Japan members, caught by Sankei News Service on September 17th, working to clear the Nishiki restaurant in Arashiyama, after torrential rains from Typhoon 18 caused the Katsura river to over-run the island. With Rob Mangold and Stephen Gill (Tito).

Here are some pictures from the Kubo restaurant that we were working at yesterday. They are a mix of standard shots and 360 spherical  images. If you click on the 360 spheres you can immerse yourself in the full volunteer experience!

The first job that we had to do, was shifting a pile of garbage and debris to one side, which would have been simple enough except Joel found this little fellow in there. “Hey Michael. Look at this,” he said.

snake

Pretty, isn’t it? It was a “mamushi” pit viper that Joel calmly informed me is poisonous, before coolly removing it to some bushes, out of harm’s way.  Once that was done and the garbage shifted we got on with some digging.

Digging
Here’s the front of the Kubo restaurant. What could be saved was piled up in front of the building while we cleaned out the inside. Flood damaged belongings had to be thrown away.

Kubou restaurant
Here’s a 360 shot of a flood soaked tatami mat being carried out of the building. They are incredibly heavy. Click on the picture for a fully immersive view.

Tatami

Officials bring a film crew to visit flood damaged houses. I believe Joel and I appeared on the evening news for all of 3 seconds, though I didn’t see it myself. Click on the image for a full view.

Visitors
The team. One of the good points of the Ricoh Theta is you can take a group shot and include yourself, simply by standing in a circle.

Volunteers
Heading home the Katsura river was still a brown churning muddy soup…

Homeward

That was just one morning’s work: a good work-out and much more fun than what I usually do for a living! There is still more to be done though, in Arashiyama and also other affected areas such as Kameoka and Fukuchiyama (which was completely inudated). If you have the time and would like to help, check out the IDRO Japan page on Facebook or contact them directly at idrojapan[at]gmail.com.

See also: http://www.idrojapan.org/

Ten Year Plan to Reafforest Kyoto’s Mount Ogura Goes Ahead

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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 “Poets Mount” and is celebrated in the tanka anthology Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (100 poems by 100 poets). It’s nice to know that volunteer groups such as People Together for Mount Ogura (PTO) are no longer fighting these problems on their own.

Full article on the BTMU site here: Start of the Ogurayama Restoration Project in Kyoto
Get involved with PTO’s conservation activities here: Let’s begin with what we can do!

AN URGENT APPEAL TO SUPPORT GREEN ACTION JAPAN!

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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 knowledge on the
nuclear issue, organizing skills, and essential translations between
English and Japanese, Aileen played a crucial role in globally
networking the U.S. and Japanese anti-nuclear movements.

Today, Green Action-Japan needs your financial help to keep its
important work ongoing.

Without Aileen’s relentless efforts for more than a decade to delay the
use of plutonium (MOX) fuel, the three reactors that melted down at
Fukushima could have been loaded with 33% plutonium cores,
significantly worsening the radiological catastrophe that has unfolded.
(Only Unit 3 had loaded MOX fuel, at a 6% level.) Aileen has also
helped oppose the Rokkasho reprocessing facility and the Monju breeder
reactor.

Please make a generous donation via Green Action’s Paypal button today.
Green Action-Japan and Aileen Mioko Smith play an essential role in
connecting our campaigns and sharing knowledge, information that will
help us end the Nuclear Age.

Please donate here:
http://www.greenaction-japan.org/modules/entop2/
———–
Donation drive can be found at these sites:
Beyond Nuclear
http://www.beyondnuclear.org/home/2013/1/24/an-urgent-appeal-to-support-green-action-japan.html

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beyond-Nuclear/7014589542

Twitter
https://twitter.com/BeyondNuclear/status/294548085433057280

https://twitter.com/BeyondNuclear/status/294550087600861184

TA Project Camp – The Wrap-Up

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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 I’m so thankful I accepted. So now I will write this as an insider, as a member of the TA Project and share the experiences of the TA Camp 2012.

It’s now over a month since the camp and this write-up is well past its expiry date. A thousand apologies. We’re yet to close the lid on ‘TA camp 2012’. We’re still going through paper work, reports and of course the thousand thank-yous we owe people around the world.

We started this project with no charity experience. We all work full time jobs, so for all of us to come together and plan this camp was a little miracle. But we were driven by one common goal: to invite the kids from Fukushima for a four-day camp so they could play freely without any risk from radiation.

The four-day camp took place in the countryside of Osaka Prefecture at a place called Nose. Just about an hour out of Osaka city, the concrete jungle is replaced with green mountains and rivers. This place looked like something out of a Ghibli film. It was the perfect place for these 12 kids to run wild and reconnect with nature. It was also the perfect place to reconnect with nature for the TA team who usually spend their weekends in the concrete jungle getting ‘cemented’… what ever that means… that sounded better in my head.
We really underestimated the energy these kids have. Even the most energetic and hyperactive team member (a.k.a Takumi) was left with an empty fuel tank every day. They would get up before 6 am, eat breakfast, go swimming, go canoeing, go swimming, eat lunch, go swimming, go cut some bamboo trees, go swimming, eat dinner… You get the idea.

We also underestimated the amount of food these kids can eat. They can eat everything and anything. We had to get creative by catching some crabs and fish in the river and frying them as snacks (true story). Luckily on Day 3 we had our personal chef Muchi arrive with his amazing, fantastic and divine cooking skills (I can’t praise this guy enough). Muchi being an Italian chef, the kids were able to delve into some gourmet meals.

The biggest objective of the camp was for the children to play. Each day was planned with activities from day to night. Activities included canoeing, making lanterns, cutting up bamboo trees (how wild is that?) making chopsticks, fishing, but I think the children’s favorite activity was going swimming in the pool. They were pretty disappointed on the last day when they found out that they were not only NOT allowed to go into the pool but they had to actually CLEAN it.

‘Playing’ was the theme but we also wanted to make sure these kids cleaned after themselves and showed some manners. The boys in the group even learned a new phrase from Taji: ‘Ladies first’… It didn’t go down too well with the boys, but we’re hoping maybe it will be useful for them in the future.

We were so caught up with making sure these kids had a good time playing, that we regret not really having a proper talk to them about what happened in Fukushima. Because even though they are all smiles, we know that deep down they have been going through a hard time. Even with the brief conversations we had, some expressed that they hate going to sleep because they think about death, and also others expressed how terrified they were hiding under the desk when the earthquake hit. We’re thinking a little talk session is something we can incorporate for next time.

Another great thing about the camp was that we were able to experience the kindness and generosity of our friends and people whom we’ve never met. We really wish we could thank each and every one of you. Thank you to those who contributed to the Indiegogo campaign (a big thanks to Gerald and Voice Kobe for their very generous donation). Thank you to those who donated in our donation boxes. Thank you to those who spread word about our campaign on Facebook, Twitter, blogs and other mediums. Thank you to those who contributed prizes to the Indiegogo campaign. Thank you to those who contributed food (meat, rice, cake, cookies). Thank you to those who came to our camp and lent us your time, skills and love. And thank you to those who continually supported us with words of encouragement. You guys kept us going and made the camp that much more amazing for everyone.

No doubt both the children and the TA members made some great memories from this camp. However we don’t want it to end with just memories. Now we’ve made a connection with these kids, from here we aim to build a relationship. And the key to a strong relationship is communication. We want to keep in touch with the children, hear about what’s going on in their lives and hear about their progress. We also plan to visit them in Fukushima in the next few months. We’ve been talking about going there and surprising them with a winter bbq. We also want to build a strong relationship with the people who continue to support us. We want to keep people updated with our progress, our plans and also present more opportunities for people to get involved.

Although we still haven’t 100% digested TA Camp 2012, we’ve started talking about a TA camp 2013. From what we learned from this one (and we learned like a zillion things) we want to create something bigger and better for 2013. We want to invite more children and we also want more people to be involved. We’re even thinking of a change in location. One child even requested we have a winter camp in Hokkaido next year… Great idea kid, but I think we’ll have to start fundraising like right now!

In the last few months we’ve really started noticing that Japan is changing; from the nationwide ‘Anti Nuclear Power’ protests, to people fighting for their right to dance with the ‘Let’s dance’ law change. It seems like more people are standing up for what they believe in and fighting for their future. It’s beautiful and empowering. And we’re really happy that we’re part of this change. We really hope more people will start leading Japan to a brighter and stronger future. Thank you for your support.

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Sara Ai Coe:
Product of a crazy Japanese mother and Kiwi father, Sara moved to Japan in 2009 after leaving her job at a television network in little ol’ New Zealand. Having a serious case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), she juggles 3 jobs, but her main job is being a promoter and booking manager at an independent record label in Osaka. Sara enjoys telling stories and she tells them through photography, audio documentaries and writing. Her guilty pleasures include: procrastinating, wearing socks to bed, Kanye West and drinking copious amounts of coffee.

Read her blog at http://ai-fulog.blogspot.jp/
You can read her former posts for Deep Kyoto here: LINK.

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Support the TA Project! – Fundraising for the Children of Fukushima!

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At the end of last month, Sara Ai Coe contributed a guest article to this site introducing the TA Project. This is a group of young professionals in Osaka attempting to help the children of Fukushima by giving them a chance to play freely in a safe environment. Now they have started their own, very modest fundraising campaign. For a mere $1,500 they plan to invite children from Fukushima for a 4 day camp in Osaka from August 17th to 20th. Why is this important?

Children in Kori-machi Fukushima are only allowed to play outside for 1 hour because of the risk of radiation. And this is only one of the many side effects caused by the Nuclear Plant Melt Down in Fukushima. Well and truly the lives of people in Fukushima has been turned upside down. Not only have children lost their homes, family and friends. Everyday they have to stress about radiation levels in the food they eat, the water they drink and the environment they play in. No child should ever have to go through this!! Let’s do something for these kids!!

Here’s Sara and the boys to tell us more about it:

Click here to learn more about the TA Project’s Indiegogo campaign!

See also: Sara’s previous article on the TA Project

The TA Project ~ Helping the Children of Fukushima Play Their Way to a Brighter Future

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Guest contributor, Sara Ai Coe, writes,

These days having a lot of things on my hands, visual reminders have been a life saver (thank you daily organizer iphone apps). I think even with the best intentions, it’s easy to forget about things when there’s no constant reminder integrated into our daily lives. When the earthquake shook Tohoku, watching the news stories everyday, I was hit with so many different emotions. Fear, anger, uncertainty and of course extreme sadness. I donated money and clothes, and volunteered at events raising funds for the victims. Now, nearly 16 months have passed and with less visual reminders, I am guilty of thinking that somehow things up in northern Japan are getting back to normal.

But as many already know, just because the story disappears from the news, doesn’t mean it’s been blessed with a fairy tale ending. For most, the true battle has only begun. Knowing this, one group of young people here in Kansai decided to go and see how things have changed in the Tohoku area, and ended up starting their own charity project. Takumi Ake, who had just returned from living in London, was absent from Japan when the disaster hit. So together with his friends Taji Yasutaka and Kenshiro Haneda they visited the area in May this year. As well as visiting Miyagi, they visited Kenshiro’s hometown Korimachi in Fukushima. Witnessing the aftermath was mind-blowing, but what got to them the most was hearing how the disaster was affecting how children played outside. ‘These kids aren’t allowed to play more than an hour outside because of the radiation. Playing outside and having fun is a big part of childhood’, says Takumi. Wanting to cheer up these kids, they came up with the TA project.

[Read more…]

IDRO JAPAN SALE – FINAL REPORT & THANKS!

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This picture by Sheila Campbell

Though we didn’t quite get the crowds we had hoped for last weekend, we still managed to make a fair bit of money to help IDRO Japan continue its good work in northern Japan. Our combined takings for two days was 156,561 yen but we had a lot of stuff left over, some of which we took to a used clothing store and some to Bookoff. After Bookoff’s contribution our current total stands at 163,121 yen. However, we are still waiting to hear how much the used clothing store will give us, so the final grand total could be a wee bit higher yet.

[Read more…]

TODAY’S SALE FOR IDRO JAPAN – FINAL FINAL UPDATE!

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Important news: WE ARE NOT TAKING ANY MORE DONATED GOODS

We received a lot of goods yesterday and it has become obvious we are not going to be able to sell it all by the end of today. This is our final sale, so unfortunately any goods brought to us today will be respectfully (and apologetically) declined.

Today we are open from 10 ~ 3.

Today all clothes, shoes, bags, knick-knacks & cookies are going for 100 yen.

Books are 100 yen for two!

Ceramics, electrical goods and household items will be sold for a donation of your choice.

Yesterday we took over 113,000 yen. Thank you to all the volunteers and musicians who helped to make it such a memorable day. [Read more…]

Ten Days in Tohoku

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As regular readers will remember, in early March I spent ten days up in Miyagi prefecture volunteering with IDRO JAPAN. As the charity sale for IDRO approaches, I think it’s time I finally sat down and wrote about the work I took part in up there, and put down some thoughts about my experiences. So here goes…

The Importance of Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

First off, I’m a very unlikely volunteer. Having failed to go up last year with the excuse of a bad back (actually true), I had pretty much settled into that excuse as a way of avoiding getting out of my comfort zone. If you are familiar with the first chapter of The Hobbit – pre-adventure Bilbo Baggins is pretty much me (minus the hairy feet); I’m lazy, I like my routine, I like my own space and I don’t even like traveling all that much. Too much hassle. I told myself I could probably be more effective raising awareness through my online activities than actually heading north and doing some hard work. However, as the months went by, an incipient feeling of guilt crept up on me, and finally pounced when I was interviewing IDRO founder Rob Mangold for a prospective Kyoto Journal interview. Fellow KJ member Jen Teeter, also present, said to me, “You should go up there” and Rob followed up with “You wouldn’t even have to do any volunteer work! Just go up there and meet those people and talk to them! Somebody needs to record all this!”

He had a point. How could I possibly write about the work that IDRO was doing if I didn’t go up and see it for myself? And also Rob had said that the time for unskilled volunteers was coming to a close. This could be my last chance… I resolved to go, follow Rob around a bit, and try not to get in the way to much, and so a couple of weeks later found myself staying at the INJM houses, with over 20 other volunteers, my private space gone, my normal routine fully broken, forced to socialize with all kinds of people at all times, and doing all kinds of work (in all kinds of weather) that I would never have imagined doing before. It was good. I’m glad I did it. It woke this sleepy hobbit up.

The Projects…

Rob Mangold and Jamie El-Banna

[Read more…]

An Interview with Rob Mangold, the Founder of IDRO JAPAN

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"It is good to see boats in the harbor at funakoshi again. 船越湾に舟見ると安心する" IDRO JAPAN blog post Nov. 27th

I arrived in Ishinomaki about 1pm yesterday. A lot has changed in the last two months. The city seems to be very busy, the area around the train station still has a lot of shuttered shops, but energy is high. Only a couple of quick stops before heading out to the peninsula.
On the 21st of this month a temporary store opened on the Ogatsu peninsula. The first time people have been able to do any local shopping since March. The bridge that was destroyed at Okawa has been rebuilt and I saw cars moving across it yesterday. I met with Nakazato san in Funakoshi. They are fishing again, and took in 250 fish the morning I arrived. The women at Funakoshi are making jewelry, and that has turned into quite a cottage industry for them…
(Rob Mangold writing from his 7th trip to Tohoku on November 24th)

Wow, the people up there are amazing. No-one is sitting around waiting for help, they are out there doing it themselves.
(From Rob’s report of his fourth trip to Tohoku last May)

As winter sets in, it is time once again to consider the plight of people in north-east Japan, for Tohoku winters are cold and long. One Kyoto-based organization, that continues to work tirelessly to assist them, is IDRO JAPAN. As regular readers know, IDRO’s volunteers have done some incredible work over the last nine months helping the victims of 3/11 rebuild their lives. Here from the IDRO website is a review of all they have achieved:

Sponosored 7 relief trips from Kyoto

  • distributed immediate relief supplies
  • distributed carpentry tools
  • distributed electrical appliances such as washing machines, refrigerators and microwave ovens
  • replaced glass windows in Funakoshi Elementary School
  • participated in local volunteer relief activities

Sponsored a 7-week summer work camp for volunteers

  • organized over 50 volunteers
  • provided relief supplies
  • participated in local clean-up and assistance activities
  • assisted in home repair and maintenance
  • assisted in cleaning of the Miyagi Sanriku coastline

I think you will agree that that is a pretty impressive tally of results, and all of it was largely organized by one man: IDRO’s founder, Rob Mangold. A few weeks  ago I sat down in Tadg’s pub with Rob, and over a few fine craft beers we talked about IDRO’s achievements thus far, and about their ongoing long-term goals. I also wanted to get to know Rob himself a bit better.

Rob Mangold & a fellow volunteer in Miyagi

[Read more…]

IDRO JAPAN Interview Teaser in Kyoto Visitor’s Guide

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This month’s Kyoto Visitor’s Guide contains a brief synopsis of my interview with Rob Mangold, the founder, organizer, and chief motivator behind local disaster relief organization IDRO JAPAN. Two months ago Rob and I sat down over beers and had a very long chat about life, Tohoku and everything. His story of how IDRO got started, how much they have achieved so far, and where they plan to go from here is truly inspiring. Naturally, though it was too long for the confines of a KVG piece so consider this just a teaser for the full interview, which I shall be posting on this blog in the next couple of days.

You can follow Rob’s current adventures & activities in Tohoku on the IDRO JAPAN blog.

Pine felling on Mount Ogura

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Once again last Saturday I joined P.T.O. (People Together for Mt. Ogura) for another day of pine cutting on the summit of Mount Ogura. Above you can see a misty view of the Hozu river gorge.  To the right of the view in the foreground is a pine tree that is completely brown. It has unfortunately succumbed to the pine disease that is killing so many trees not only on Mount Ogura but throughout Japan. This is why we are cutting down the pine trees that have died – to stop the disease from spreading. Below is another view of the Hozu river. In a week or two when the maples have turned, this view will be spectacular. Many people will be taking the Torokko train through the valley and the Hozu-kudari boat trip back to Arashiyama to enjoy the wonderful autumn scene… little knowing a large part of the oaks and pines in the Saga/Arashiyama are threatened by separate diseases… [Read more…]

October on Mount Ogura

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On Saturday my colleague Chris Carver and I joined PTO for another day of conservation work on Mount Ogura. After a solid day of rain the day before I had fully expected  Saturday’s work to be cancelled, but the rain held off in the morning and the planned day of work went ahead. It was very humid up on those forested slopes, but we were fortunate with the weather as the next solid downpour didn’t occur until the evening – after our descent. The views over Kyoto from Mount Ogura are always spectacular, but Saturday morning they were rendered strange and mysterious by the mists and cloud.

On reaching the summit, we spent the day pine felling. There is a pine disease decimating the pine forests on the mountain. By removing the trees that have already died and burning them, the hope is that the disease will be prevented from spreading further. I first participated in this work a year ago, since when many more trees have died. It does seem like an endless task at times. At one point though, chopping up a tree by myself, I looked up the slope and saw a large stag and one or two doe flashing through the trees. A magical moment! I’d seen plenty of their droppings before but never caught a glimpse of them on the mountain.

Cutting down the pines with hand saws, and carrying the wood to the sorting area  is all good exercise and after the branches have been chopped and put into manageable piles there was a bit of fun in what Stephen Gill refers to as the Ogura Olympics – jumping up and down on the piles of smaller branches to flatten them down.

Really very springy indeed!

The fuzz around the edges of the pictures is from the mist adhering to the lense. The lenses of Chris’s glasses kept misting up too! It was so humid! Here we all are half way down the mountain after a solid day’s work.

And here is a view down the Hozu river valley on our return journey. Here from somewhere down in the valley we heard the long, high call of a stag calling for its mate – a typical autumn sound and a motif in much Japanese poetry.

After we had parted company with the bulk of the group, Stephen, Chris and I popped into a Balinese cafe/eatery named Koiuta Salon for a quick drink before going home. The people there were very friendly and I’m told they do a very nice green curry, and nasi goreng. We settled for a bottle of Bintang each. After a hard day of hiking and chopping down trees, I have to say those Bintangs tasted superb! Here are the owners and their beautiful Bintangs!

If you fancy a spot of Balinese food, or Balinese coffee or just a Bintang beer, the Koiuta Salon is opposite Saga Elementary School on the corner of Marutamachi Street and Prefectural Route 29 (府道２９号線）.

The next day of pine felling is on November 5th. Why not join us? To find out more about the conservation activities of PTO (People Together for Mt. Ogura) you can check this article or go direct to their homepage. There is also a very nice bilingual book of haiku and tanka available the proceeds of which all go to supporting PTO’s work on the mountain and you can read about that here: One Hundred Poets on Mount Ogura, One Poem Each.