A forum to assist volunteers aiming to help out in the disaster-affected areas of Tohoku. 
As I’ve been working on relief projects in various tsunami-hit communities across the affected areas in Iwate, Fukushima and Miyagi for well over two years already, the term of “復興 (‘fukkou’ = Recovery/Reconstruction)” is one that I’ve heard multiple times every single day. I visited a small “Recovery” shop near […]
The following is a group-sourced list of information regarding the response efforts for Super Typhoon Haiyan. The list is very basic right now, but if you have anything you’d like to contribute, please click the following link. (You may need to log into a gmail account to edit) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0An0o7AIHQBdVdGFoSjJEOUE4ZXZod3ZMeXFEQm9wSHc&usp=sharing As […]
As one of the admins of the FVJ forum, I thought it was time to address the Garin Dart case. In regards to questions about the lack of updates on this page about the case, there are two main reasons. The first is that the core group that formed the […]
Habitat for Humanity Japan has begun open recruiting of volunteers for their next Fishing Community Community/Work space project on Izushima. Building will take place in two sessions 1) Dec 7th to Dec 9th and 2) December 10th to 12th. Participating for the entire build is also an option. There is […]
Foreign Volunteers Japan co-founder, British citizen, business manager, long-term and well-known Tokyo resident Garin Dart, has been missing since May 22nd at 13:00. Anyone who knows Garin – either as a friend or businessperson – will appreciate that this is really out of character. Garin runs a highly successful […]
Habitat for Humanity Japan has begun open recruiting of volunteers for their next Fishing Community Community/Work space project on Izushima. Building will take place in two sessions 1) Dec 7th to Dec 9th and 2) December 10th to 12th. Participating for the entire build is also an option. There is […]
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This article is much belated, but I wanted look back on some of the local businesses that we’ve helped rebuild alongside the It’s Not Just Mud and On the Road NPOs. The following photo is one I took on March 22nd, during the third FVJ delivery of goods to Ishinomaki. […]
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Habitat for Humanity Japan has begun open recruiting of volunteers for their next Fishing Community Community/Work space project on Izushima. Building will take place in two sessions 1) Dec 7th to Dec 9th and 2) December 10th to 12th. Participating for the entire build is also an option. There is […]
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Guest post from Kimberly Hughes and Sheila Souza, courtesy the TenThousandThingsFromKyoto blog. After having traveled to the heavily tsunami-damaged city of Ishinomaki this past November, and then again in January, my partner Sheila and I decided to head up again this past weekend for our third volunteering stint since the […]
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This is a post based on a recent conversation on the forum. There’s been a lot of conflicting information that has been passed around regarding the issue of aid distribution, and the matter that even the Tokyo Metropolitan Government stopped taking donations as of March 21st, there’ve been a few […]
Today was an exciting day. The first round of play-sets were officially opened in Ishinomaki, courtesy Michael Anop’s phenomenal Playground of Hope initiative. Big thanks to Jamie El-Banna and the NPO It’s Not Just Mud for assembling the Miyagi sets! The project addresses a very real need for kids stuck […]
As I’ve been working on relief projects in various tsunami-hit communities across the affected areas in Iwate, Fukushima and Miyagi for well over two years already, the term of “復興 (‘fukkou’ = Recovery/Reconstruction)” is one that I’ve heard multiple times every single day. I visited a small “Recovery” shop near […]
The following is a group-sourced list of information regarding the response efforts for Super Typhoon Haiyan. The list is very basic right now, but if you have anything you’d like to contribute, please click the following link. (You may need to log into a gmail account to edit) https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0An0o7AIHQBdVdGFoSjJEOUE4ZXZod3ZMeXFEQm9wSHc&usp=sharing As […]
As one of the admins of the FVJ forum, I thought it was time to address the Garin Dart case. In regards to questions about the lack of updates on this page about the case, there are two main reasons. The first is that the core group that formed the […]
Habitat for Humanity Japan has begun open recruiting of volunteers for their next Fishing Community Community/Work space project on Izushima. Building will take place in two sessions 1) Dec 7th to Dec 9th and 2) December 10th to 12th. Participating for the entire build is also an option. There is […]
Foreign Volunteers Japan co-founder, British citizen, business manager, long-term and well-known Tokyo resident Garin Dart, has been missing since May 22nd at 13:00. Anyone who knows Garin – either as a friend or businessperson – will appreciate that this is really out of character. Garin runs a highly successful […]
Where are the Students? While volunteering with Meiji University students in Ishinomaki City in August of last year, I experienced a rite of passage for Ishinomaki volunteers: the early morning tour of the seafront district […]
I really didn’t know what to say about the one-year anniversary of the quake and tsunami. At 2:46 on March 11th the entirety of Japan apparently came to a standstill. From Shibuya crossing to Rikuzentakata, everybody just stopped what they were doing, whether they were in a grocery store or […]
As a long-term volunteer in Ishinomaki, I felt that it was time to pay some respects to an incredibly helpful local initiative that has made a considerable difference in the lives of the thousands of people who have been working towards the recovery of Ishinomaki, 5 people at a time. […]
