20120306 Japanese organize party to thank Taiwan

Japanese organize party to thank Taiwan

‘ARIGATO’: The students decided to throw a party after being overwhelmed by the support Taiwanese showed Japan after it was hit by the quake and tsunami

Staff Writer, with CNA

Following in the footsteps of hundreds of other Japanese students, Kazuki Furugen came to Taiwan about six months ago to study Chinese and increase his competitiveness in an increasingly globalized world.

Instead, he ended up ditching his Chinese-language textbooks to plan a party to thank Taiwan for its generous donations and support following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit his home country on March 11 last year.

“I was in Canada at the time of the earthquake, but was told that Taiwan donated a lot of money and offered timely help. I really wanted to show my gratitude,” the Okinawan said in Mandarin.

Taiwan donated a total of US$243 million to go toward relief and reconstruction efforts last year, more than any other country.

“I searched the Internet and there wasn’t an official thank-you party from the Japanese authorities, so I thought I might just throw one myself,” Furugen said. “My father said he would like to organize one, too.”

When the 22-year-old international economics major set foot in Taiwan in July, he enrolled in an intensive Chinese course at a language institute on Penghu.

However, motivated more by the idea of forming a team of friends to organize his party, Furugen packed his bags and left school in November last year and toured the nation, wearing a white T-shirt that said “Arigato Taiwan,” or “Thank you, Taiwan.”

His eccentricity, as well as sincerity, caught the attention of passers-by and helped him collect about NT$169,716 in donations from Japanese supporters who read about his story on the front page of a Japanese newspaper.

Showing about 30 handwritten thank-you letters and a box of handmade ornaments from an 83-year-old grandmother living in the disaster zone, Furugen said his mission was to “form a bridge between donors and recipients.”

“I want to let Taiwan know how grateful Japanese people are,” he said.

Iroha Kabashima, who has been in Taiwan for almost a year, staying with a family friend to learn Chinese, met Furugen by chance on the street and decided to join his campaign after seeing Taiwan’s response to the disaster.

“When I saw people bowing and asking for donations for Japan at the Taipei International Flora Exposition last year, I was so moved,” the 21-year-old said.

She has also been impressed by the friendliness of Taiwanese, saying that her host mother treated her like one of her own children.

Before returning to Shizuoka next month, Kabashima said she wanted to repay Taiwanese for their kindness and volunteered to help.

Isao Ueda, a senior advertising expert who has been in Taiwan for 26 years, provided advice to the students on how to set up the bash.

“These are kids who wanted to do something, but had no idea where to start or who to go to for help,” Ueda said.

With Ueda’s experience, the team have put together an afternoon of outdoor events to be held for free in Tamsui (淡水), New Taipei City (新北市), on March 11, a year after the earthquake and tsunami ripped through northeastern Japan.

Besides trying on traditional Japanese summer kimonos, or yukata, that have been donated to Taiwan by earthquake victims, people can enjoy traditional Japanese drumming by an ensemble flying in from Fukushima and a performance by a local Japanese kindergarten.

Also, 5,000 small sheets of colored paper will be provided for those interested to learn how to fold origami cranes, a way to offer blessings in Japanese culture.

The cranes will be posted on a 5m by 5m map in the shape of a heart with the outlines of Taiwan and Japan in the middle.

Translated versions of letters written to Taiwan by Japanese disaster victims will also be displayed.