Japan Quake/Tsunami Relief

On May 21 and May 22, we conducted a joint Earthquake/Tsunami Relief project. More than 40 Lions took part in the project, including 26 Lions from Tokyo and 16 from Sendai, including Past International Director Shinji Kikuchi, 332-C District Governor Eigo Tabata and Sendai Aoba Lions Club President Takeo Inukai.

We visited Miyagi with a Peruvian band to bring music to the affected, and to directly hear what assistance they need. Seventy days had passed since the disaster, and the shelters received a good amount of relief supplies. However, evacuees were feeling lost, because they were being asked to move out of the shelters at the end of May. 

On May 21, we held a street charity concert in Ichiban-cho, Sendai City. Lions from Tokyo and Sendai together raised 56,956 yen. On May 22, we held concerts at the Tatekoshi Elementary School shelter, the Daiichi Secondary School shelter and the Natori City Cultural Center shelter. We also visited a memorial monument on a hill in Yuriage, an off-limits area, to pray, offer flowers and play a Peruvian requiem.

We came back to Tokyo next morning at 5 a.m. This experience will make a difference as we plan our future relief projects. We hope to keep working to identify what we can do now, and to provide relief for the long-term.

District 330-A Leadership/Young Adult Development Committee and the Sendai Aoba Lions Club

After the tsunami hit, we could not contact clubs near the coast.  On March 21, we were finally able to visit the Kesennuma Lions Club. Club secretary Goto told us that they suspended Lions activities because the tsunami had affected the club’s office and most of its 80 members. We let them know about ongoing relief efforts, including how other districts in Japan are sending relief supplies. We also promised to send volunteers to help distribute the supplies. Since our visit, the club is receiving relief supplies and helping with relief efforts.

We also visited the Minami Sanriku Shizugawa Lions Club. The tsunami damaged the entire town and washed away members’ offices and homes. More than ten of the club’s 34 members – including its president – were staying in shelters, so we let them know what Lions and LCIF are doing to provide relief. The club officers asked for temporary housing for meetings, as well as a power generator, computer and a digital camera so they can share information online to let people know what is happening in their area. 

In addition, Governor Tabata responded immediately to help Lions and clubs in the affected areas. At the cabinet meeting on March 30, we unanimously adopted a district relief plan that included providing a relief fund of 100,000 yen to 500 Lions members affected by the disaster. Two days later, Governor Tabata visited the affected club presidents to deliver the relief funds in person.

Keiji Nakajima
First Vice District Governor 332-C (Miyagi) 

Last night I attended the first meeting of Rikuzentakata Lions Club after the disaster. It was difficult to find a building where we could have a meeting, but 16 members and office staff met at a small pub in an upland residential area. It brought tears of joy to the members’ eyes to see each other for the first time in more than 40 days. Seven members are either dead or missing, and all survivors have lost something – some lost their home and company, some lost their employees and others lost a spouse and child. 

After the president and I spoke to the group, each member explained how they survived the disaster. Each story was so horrible that it almost made us wonder how we were able to survive. Everybody was crying. Some members were unsure if they could return to Lions activities, but others said that we need to unite during times like these.  

Yoshitaro Takahashi
Past Council Chairperson 332-B (Iwate)

From April 14-16, 2011, District Governor Etsuko Kawai traveled to Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima from District 330-A in Tokyo. Although road conditions have improved significantly during the past month, the ability to travel still is very limited.

Governor Kawai spent more than seven hours on a semi-trailer to deliver relief money and supplies to districts in these affected areas.

Etsuko Kawai, District Governor, 330-A

Lions in District 333-C are organizing a special district team of 11 women to focus on relief efforts geared toward providing assistance for women and girls in the damaged area. Together, they visited Kamaishi-City, Iwate in District-332-B to deliver supplies to women and hold job interviews for 10 female high school graduates. The girls completed high school in mid-March, but either had to give up entering college immediately or had their employment contracts canceled because the prospective employers lost their company buildings and factories. View photos of the project.

Lion Nagasawa, District 333-C

In Shiogama City, Miyagi (332-C), Past District Governor (PDG) Shigenobu Shiga is accepting relief supplies from across Japan. Although the tsunami seriously damaged his house/office building near Shiogama Port, he is also making tremendous efforts to distribute them to neighboring communities that need assistance.

On March 30, five members from the Shiogama Lions Club delivered ten tons of rice and boxes of baby diapers to PDG Masao Sugiyama and Zone Chairperson Hiroshi Abe in Ishinomaki City. PDG Sugiyama is offering his company offices, which were flooded on the first floor, to store donations. He is also distributing donated items and announcing distribution dates and items available on radio/TV. “Many Lions were also affected by the disaster. Our beacon of hope is still far and tiny, but we will work together towards reconstruction. I would like to ask everyone’s support,” says PDG Sugiyama. View photos of Lions delivering rice and other relief supplies.

Shiogama Lions Club, Miyagi, 332-C

On March 30, Club President Makoto Sakaibara and six members of the Yonezawa Matsukawa Lions Club delivered relief supplies including rice, fruits, underclothes and disposable masks to Past District Governor Shigenobu Shiga in Shiogama City. “We brought apples and tangerines, as we heard evacuees do not have fruits to eat. We will continue our relief efforts as much as we can,” says Club President Sakaibara.

View photos of club members delivering relief supplies.

Yonezawa Matsukawa Lions Club, Yamagata, 332-E

Lions from eight Multiple Districts in Japan have donated 30 tons of rice to help evacuees in the most devastated areas of the country. On March 27, Lions from 335-A and 333-C distributed 10 tons of rice packets to tsunami evacuees in Fukushima Prefecture (332-D).

Lions have also delivered 10 tons of rice each to evacuation centers in both Miyagi (332-C) and Iwate (332-B). View photos of Lions distributing rice to these evacuation centers.

Ryuichi Goto
Lions Clubs International Past International Director

Ten years ago, members of the Oamishirasato Lions Club met Lions from Kamaishi City, Iwate, during a trip. Since then, the clubs developed a friendship and stayed in contact with each other. When Lions in Oamishirasato heard about the devastating tsunami, they immediately contacted Lions in Kamaishi City and learned that two of their members had died in the disaster.

The Oamishirasato Lions Club made two trips to bring relief supplies to Kamaishi within two weeks. During their trips, the Lions saw that a large amount of supplies sent from across Japan were still in the warehouses because the city did not have the manpower to distribute them. So, the Lions delivered the supplies directly to the evacuation centers. 

At one center, 800 people gratefully shared 100 eggs and 100 tomatoes the club brought. The Lions also visited smaller centers, where groups of 30 evacuees had not had a bath or clean laundry for more than two weeks. Back home, the members asked fellow Lions for help providing supplies. Female members of the Funabashi Sazanka Lions Club worked with 32 young members of the Japan Agricultural Cooperatives Funabashi to provide two tons of supplies, including fresh vegetables and clothing. View photos of Lions delivering these supplies.

Oamishirasato Lions Club and Funabashi Sazanka Lions Club, (333-C, Chiba)

On March 25, members of the Odawara Lions Club and the Odawara Shiraume Lions Club of Kanagawa Prefecture provided relief supplies, including 3,000 sets of undergarments and 1,000 masks. The shortage of supplies has been a serious issue, especially in small, scattered evacuation sites.

Odawara Lions Club president Hiroki Matsushita, who owns a transportation company, rode on the truck to Fukushima prefecture. The Lions brought the supplies to a central storage location set up by Tohoku area Lions. The local Lions will deliver the supplies to evacuation centers in the area. View photos of this service project.

Odawara Lions Club and Odawara Shiraume Lions Club (MD 330)

I went to the Shiogama-Tagajo-Shichigahama area to deliver relief goods on March 21, 2011. What I saw there was beyond my expectations – they stood up well to the damage from the earthquake, but what the tsunami brought made me speechless. When I called District Governor Tabata, his parents and relatives were missing, but his first comment to me was “I must do something before many members give up being a Lion.” I felt a rush of emotion that I can hardly describe.

I wanted to share the pictures and videos that I took on my visit, hoping to ask for everyone’s attention for the areas that need so much of your help. In the middle of the devastation, the Lions I met there are standing with dignity, and ready to help people in the worst condition. We should support these Lions with all our strength. View photos and video of the incredible tsunami damage.

On March 26 and 27, I visited heavily damaged Minami Soma City. The city is far from the seashore, but suffered tsunami damage – including a large fishing boat that landed on what had probably been a rice paddy. In the city, there are only 4 gas stations open. An extremely long line of cars was waiting to buy gas, which is in desperately short supply there. I also attended Lions meetings at the volunteer center and food distribution site, and then traveled to see the heavily damaged coastal area of Ichihara. View video footage, including tsunami damage and the Lions meetings.

Motohiro Oono
Lions Clubs International District Governor, Saitama (330-C)

The Sabae Ohzan Lions Club contacted our club to ask if cardboard dividers would be useful for evacuees in our community. Large numbers of evacuees are staying in gymnasiums or community centers and have absolutely no privacy. For now, no one knows when long term housing may become available, and living in the current conditions is becoming very stressful for many. The evacuees can use the cardboard as "walls" to create mini "rooms" within the larger spaces, which gives each family their own space and a small feeling of privacy.

The club saw the evacuees’ condition on TV, and then searched the Internet to find a club in the area accepting evacuees. The earthquake did not really affect Tamura City, so the city is accepting 8,500 evacuees from Fukushima Prefecture at 10 locations due to the nuclear plant problem. We discussed the Sabae Ohzan Lions’ offer with Tamura City Disaster Relief Headquarters, and decided to accept 250 sets of cardboard dividers.

While aftershocks and fears of a nuclear reactor meltdown continue, five members of the Sabae Ohzan Lions Club left their city with a four-ton truck loaded with the cardboard and other supplies, and arrived here after a nine-hour drive. The club members worked together to deliver the supplies to the evacuation center. We are so impressed with Sabae Ohzan Lions Club members' quick mobilizing ability and We Serve spirit. The members of the two clubs had never met each other, but as all are Lions, we realized the importance of such relief efforts for people in the evacuation centers. View photos of Lions delivering cardboard dividers.

On March 26, members of the Tamura Lions Club set up the cardboard dividers in the evacuation center. A team of Japan self defense forces was there providing food; however, with no signs of improvement at the nuclear plant, the evacuees’ spirits were down. At the request of evacuees, the Lions set up a play zone with some of the cardboard for the children there. The children decorated the cardboard walls with their own drawings and are very happy to have their own space. View photos of Lions assembling dividers and children enjoying the new play zone.

Lion Tetsuji Hakozaki
Member of Tamura Lions Club, Fukushima

On March 15, 2011, 36 members of the Tachikawa Lions Club stood outside of the Tachikawa Japan Railway Train Station, calling for donations from citizens who commute from the station. In eight hours, they collected 3.15 million Yen (US$35,000) in donations. View photos of Lions collecting donations.  　

Tokyo Tachikawa Lions Club

On the evening of March 21, 2011, Lion Takumi Onogi (334-B, Gifu) and other Lions loaded trucks with relief supplies prepared by Lions from different areas of Japan. They drove all night to deliver the supplies to people at evacuation shelters in Soma City, Fukushima. I joined the team from Tokyo. Members of the Soma Lions Club helped us unload the supplies. View photos of Lions loading supplies.

We saw part of the devastation near the coast – a ship on the road, huge pine trees scattered around and rice fields covered with sea water, which makes them unusable for years. The fishery industry is also dead, and the city officials say it will be very difficult to rebuild the city. Japan Self-Defense Forces and riot police are finding about 20 people who died during the disaster each day on the shore. 

We gave major relief supplies to the city to store in its distribution warehouse. We also brought candies, snacks, toys, picture books and cards with messages from children in other parts of Japan, which we handed directly to the young evacuees. At the shelters, where people endure a hard situation with great patience, we were able to see children’s smiles. View photos of Lions distributing relief supplies to children.

Lion Sadao Fujimura
Member of Tokyo Sangenjaya Lions Club, 330-A (Tokyo)

In the area where I live in Sendai City, the power finally came back on March 17, 2011, and I could start communicating with Lions leaders in the area. Lions of MD332 have created a distribution center for the evacuation locations. Please donate, it doesn't matter how large or small in quantity. The evacuation period will be long, and we expect shortages of water, non-perishable food, blankets, disposable diapers, baby formula and sanitary items. All other daily household items are also welcome.

The earthquake and tsunami heavily damaged the first floor of PDG Shiga's office, but he can stay upstairs. He also offers his yard as a distribution center of our efforts, and has been leading our efforts. I want everyone know of his spirit.
 
I directly spoke with the Executive Administrator of Lions Clubs International the other day. The full support from Lions Clubs International and our friends all over the world encourage me a great deal. Thank you very much.
 
Tsugumichi Hata
Past District Governor

In District 330-C, Saitama, Lions are providing bath service for 3,000 evacuees in Saitama Super Arena. Lions are opening four hot spring facilities to 500 people each day from March 23 to March 30. The district will pay for transportation and entrance (bathing) fees with funds collected from all clubs in the district. Thirty volunteers from some of the clubs in the district will also serve on site each day.

Most of the evacuees are from Fukushima near the nuclear plants. They only have cold shower facilities at Saitama Super Arena. The district hopes to relieve their stress by providing hot baths.

Since March 23, we have served nearly 1,100 people. The evacuees’ faces before and after they enjoy a hot bath look completely different. They say that they now feel alive again after a relaxing bath, and express much appreciation to us. It’s just a bath that we take every day without any special appreciation, but their smiles give us energy to continue our activity together with fellow Lions. We will do our best! View photos of this service project.

Lion Yasuhisa Nakamura
Second Vice District Governor, 330-C

On March 16, 2011, Kinomoto Lions Club (335-C) brought a 10-ton-truck full of emergency supplies to Fukushima (332-D). The truck included 3,500 servings of instant noodles, 2,400 2-liter bottles of beverages, 5,000 diapers, 1,650 boxes and 1,000 pocket packs of Kleenex, 1,500 disposable hand warmers, 400 cans of food, 300 servings of instant miso soup, 12,000 pairs of disposable chop sticks, as well as buckets, blankets, kerosene and more.
 
In response to the earthquake, Club President Hidekazu Ohashi suggested sending supplies on March 13, 2011, and the board approved the project the next day. The truck left immediately after our regular meeting on March 15, 2011, and we were able to deliver our relief supplies to 332-D District Governor Kazuo Yamaguchi early the next morning.
 
Within a short time, club members gathered supplies and arranged transportation. Due to the current situation, every store is limiting purchases, so it was very difficult to collect the necessary supplies. But each member made great efforts, and asked for help from others too. One of a member's friends donated a large amount of Kleenex. And when I saw my employers going to buy some food during their lunch break, I almost cried. I am so happy that Lions inspired the community and drove them to help others.
 
We were able to load the truck full. I am proud to be a part of this activity. View photos of Lions collecting and distributing supplies.
 
Lion Masahito Hirai
District 335-C, Shiga