Donate Money to Japanese Save the Children

I'm doing a series of long-distance runs in Japan this year to raise money for child victims of the tsunami/earthquake.

You know it's the right thing to do, so I won't bore you with a sob-story.

Please go to my page and donate some cash.

Dom is fundraising for GlobalGiving

Short-Term Volunteer Opportunity in Tohoku

Japan needs you.

I blogged the other day about a competition to visit all 47 prefectures in Japan in 100 days and help with tsunami cleanup.

Just in case you don't win that, here's another chance to visit/help out.

Tsunami Photo Exhibition London July 22nd-24th

This Friday 22nd, sees a new photo exhibition opening at 'Olympia two' in London.

It has been four months since the Tsunami devastated towns in the Sendai area and one photographer, Christina Aiton, an Australian living in Shichigahama, has documented 14 families from the area and their lives in the aftermath.

Visit all 47 Prefectures in Japan... for free!

Want to visit Japan?
Want to visit all 47 prefectures?
Don't think you can afford it?

Win it!

Disaster Donation Opportunity: Clothes

A friend of mine passed on this address which is accepting clothes donations.

989-2393 "Wataricho"
Miyagi ken, Watarigun
Watari cho Aza kyuukan 62-1
Sato kinen Taiikukan

９８９−２３９３宮城県亘理郡　
亘理町字旧館６２番地１
佐藤記念体育館

Their number is 0223-34-0505

They're looking for high quality spring and summer clothes with little or no signs of wear. They don't need winter clothes because they can't store them, or underwear as the shops there are starting to reopen.

Seismic Fault Line Map of Japan

This latest link is an incredibly detailed (because it comes from the Japan Seismic Hazard Information Station) map of the true "Danger Zones" in Japan.

On Tuesday we published a map which indicated the strength of vibration of different parts of Japan based on the surface type. However, it was misinterpreted by some as an indication of where quakes were most likely to occur.

In response, this is exactly that.

Earthquake "Danger Zones" Map of Japan

The map embedded below shows the areas of Japan most prone to certain degrees of shaking.

A translation and detailed prefectural links lie beneath.

Japanese Earthquake Levels (Shindo) Explained

As you may have noticed, the Japanese don't generally use the same scale as you may be used to to measure earthquake intensity. Instead of the level of magnitude which we use in the West, they have a system called 震度 "shindo". The main difference is that this scale measures the physical shaking of the surface of the earth at numerous points. This is why the earthquake report maps look like the one to the right (incidentally taken from yesterday's quake), where there is a strength gradient across affected areas.

For a visual representation of what this means, the Japanese Meteorological Agency has this useful graphic (click to enlarge):

Detailed Radioactivity Readings in Water, Air, etc

Another resource issued by a foreign embassy in Japan. This time not only covering general radiation levels by prefecture, but also featuring detailed analysis of water etc. very useful for calming nerves (and family at home).

We have the good people at KEIO University to thank for translating this one.

Here's the link to the radioactivity reports.

Volunteer & Donation Information By Prefecture

AJET have published an excellent list of ways you can help Japan's current crisis. Unfortunately, volunteer opportunities are still pretty limited. However, there are dozens of donation drives for both money and essential items. Check the list for what you can do, and where, in your prefecture.

Volunteer & Donation Information By Prefecture

Donate a Place to Stay for Tsunami Victims

Not just tsunami victims, but all those affected, may be looking for a place to stay for a while. If you can help at all, please go to this link

http://www.earthdaymoney.org/topics_dt.php?id=391

Ishinomaki City Volunteering

Peace Boat, an organisation based in Tokyo, has started a volunteer programme dishing out meals etc in Ishinomaki city. You can go there with them for up to a week, or help in Tokyo with fundraising etc. More info is on their volunteering website here.

Quake/Tsunami Update: Socks for Japan

A couple of people have asked for updates on this, so here's the situation as I understand it (please comment if you have any leads).

A lot of the things which were reportedly happening turned out to be not much more than rumours. Several local authorities have sent groups of volunteers to hand out water etc, but because of logistical problems they have been very small groups, with places being filled up within hours of becoming available. Your best bet is to make a friend in your local city office and get them to keep you updated.

When larger-scale things come around, I'll be sure to post. For now, there are several things you can do, as well as donating food, baby supplies and blankets (most cities have at least one drop-off point for this kind of thing). For example, we found a website dedicated to sending socks to the needy (there's apparently a massive shortage). You can read about that here: http://jasonkelly.com/helpjapan/ This site accepts donations from all over the world, so it's a great idea to contact places of work/schools in your home countries to get a programme started.

I know this can be a bit frustrating for those of us who want to do real hands-on helping, but it's incredibly important stuff.

Japan Radiation Checker

Here's a map I found for checking the radiation levels across Japan.

A lot of people seem concerned, so here it is.

Nuclear Event Explained (for kids)

The best explanation you'll see/hear about Fukushima power plant. I hope this calms some of you down, too.

Donate for Free Through AccessJ

AccessJ will donate 100% of the revenue generated on this site to victims of the quake and those organisations helping them, as well as 100% of what we have earned so far this year (unfortunately not that much money).

We make money through out advertisements, so you can help just by clicking the adverts on the right-hand side of the screen. If you enter your details after clicking we will earn substantially more (up to 1 or 2 dollars a time), and it won't cost you anything.

Quake: Shimoina Donation Drive

A friend of mine sent me this today. I know a lot of people in Shimoina, so here's a donation guide for those people.


If you know of any other drives in your area/town, let me know so I can post it here

Quake: Foreigner Office Contact Details and Radioactivity Reports

A friend of mine sent this over from her consulate today. It's from the embassy, so it's going to be the most reliable information you can find right now.

There are two pdfs:

Contact information for local offices in Tohoku District (dealing with foreigners)
Official report on radiation levels (today's)

Earthquake Blood Drive Guidelines

Most Japanese cities will be holding blood drives. Beware, though, that the rules governing who can and cannot are very strict. The guy over at Mutantfrog Travel translated the Japanese Red Cross guidelines (pasted below).

The most significant of the guidelines is that people from the UK probably cannot donate, due to our history of BSE.

Here's the full text:

Quake: Power Outage Area Map

Group3 - Yellow - 6:20～10:00
Group4 - Red - 9:20～13:00
Group5 - Blue - 12:20～16:00
Group1 - Green - 15:20～19:00
Group2 - Orange - 18:20～22:00

A Yahoo maps version (Japanese) has also been made.

View power outage area map in a larger map. Courtesy of Sawa Shima via Facebook.