Japan Part Four – How to Help Japan

Thanks for following my journey here in Japan. It's been a very special experience!

Mt. Fuji, Japan-Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons

In my first week here, I landed in Tokyo and met my new friends, Akira and Yoshiko. They introduced me to Japan, it's food, culture and gave me a tour around the city while visiting some of their favorite spots. The week after that, I traveled to Kyoto for the hanami festival, and learned about Buddhism and meditation. Last week, things got a bit shaky here with the earthquakes. Luckily, my friend's homes were untouched, so I got to visit them and try some home-made Japanese food while learning more about their homes. I also got to learn more about the schools here in Japan and how much the students contribute to taking care of their classrooms.  It was all a lot fun!

Unfortunately, the situation for a lot of people in southern Japan isn't so good.  Many have had to leave their homes because of damage from the earthquakes. As I shared with you when I first got here, Japan sits right on the Ring of Fire, that's the area around the Pacific Ocean and has 90% of the world's earthquakes and has about 75% of all the volcanoes in the world. The reason is because of shifting tectonic plates under the ocean - where they meet, they rub together and create earthquakes and volcanoes.

 Photo of Pacific Ring of Fire By Gringer (talk) 23:52, 10 February 2009 (UTC) (vector data from [1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Earthquakes, like the ones in Japan, can cause a lot of damage, and can even be dangerous. The shaking can damage homes, schools and buildings. But the biggest problems happen when an earthquake damages the services people need, like roads, power-lines, and water supply and sewers. While this sounds terrifying, without earthquakes or volcanoes, there wouldn't even be a Japan, or any other beautiful tropical islands, because that's how island's get created. 

There are many other countries that are affected by the same plate tectonics that affect Japan, such as Canada, the United States of America, many countries in Indonesia and the Middle Americas, and some countries in South America like Peru and Chile. This shows us how connected we all are. Thankfully, we all share this planet, and sometimes there are ways to help someone even if you're not right next to them! There are many charities set up to assist people who have been displaced - that's a special word for "moved" - from their homes because of earthquakes. (Photo By ageo_akaihana (Flickr: Hotarubi shrine) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons).

The International Medical Corps sends people to help after an earthquake, and have people in Japan helping right now. 

Global Giving is another organization that collects donations to send to help people who have lost their homes in disasters just like this.

And Save the Children has a fund, just like Global Giving, that they use to focus on helping children after natural disasters.

Each of these organizations has already done the work connecting the people and services that need help to those who can provide it, they just need money to help make that happen. Anything you can give will help. Maybe you can get together with your friends or classmates and find a way to raise money to donate! Ask your parent, guardian or teacher to send me a message and let me know if you do, so I can share your success story with my friends!

I'm doing what I can here on the website. In the past, I teamed up with a wonderful organization called Kutoa.org that is leading the way in connecting the world's helpers with those in need. On Kutoa, you can sign up for $1 USD a month, and each month all their subscribers get to vote on which charity that month's funds will go to. It's a great way for everyone, especially kids, to get involved and make a difference around the world! Kutoa has several "Kutoa Classrooms" around the world where the discussion about the charity donations is part of the curriculum, like my friends in Mrs. Joyce's 3/4J class in Australia!

Thanks so much for your visit friends! It's always very special to me that you come read my letters! Please feel free to write a note to me anytime (with your parent or teacher's permission of course), you can find a place to do that on my Contact Us page! 

Viracocha visited and gave me clues about the next country I'm going to visit. This country:

• is ruled by a monarchy (a king and queen),

• is land-locked, that means it doesn't have any ocean next to it,

• and they drive on the left side of the road.

Where do you think it is?

Check out my next travel adventure to find out! 

Sayōnara さようなら!

-Joy Sun Bear