Living & Working in Ishikawa, Japan
Courtesy of National AJET:
The earthquake and tsunami in Japan have been described by Prime Minister Kan as the worst crisis Japan has faced since the Second World War. For those lucky enough to live in unaffected areas, people are settling back into their normal routines. However, many have not been so lucky.
Japan has been good to all of us. It has given us a home, many new friends and more opportunities than we can possibly count. And the country needs …our help now, so please ‘MAN UP FOR JAPAN.’
Payday is coming up on Friday for many of us — and when it does, if you can afford it, we ask that the first thing you do with your pay check is to donate ‘a man’ (一万円, 10,000 yen) to the Japanese Red Cross Society, the AJET Relief Fund, or any other organization of your choice. (We’ve included a handy list of organizations and easy ways to donate below).
10,000 yen may seem like a lot of money, but if you donate it as soon as pay day comes it’s easy to budget. If everyone donates on Friday, it has the potential to help the relief effort in a very big way. Giving 一万円 really isn’t much after everything that Japan has given us.
Information about the AJET Relief Fund and how to donate directly to JET participant needs.
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Reposted from the National AJET Site:
AJET Relief and Donations
AJET would like to announce that we will be collecting money to specifically address JET needs in areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami. We also encourage donations to relief efforts directed at the community at large (JEN: http://tinyurl.com/4sp8mba; Peace Winds Japan: http://www.peace-winds.org/en/; or Good Neigbours: http://tinyurl.com/4f6gtas), however the AJET Relief Fund will provide donations directly to JETs in affected areas, with advice from Prefectural Advisors in prefectures such as Akita, Chiba, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Iwate and Miyagi to ensure that this money is used in the most efficient way possible.
As the relief effort is still in its early stages, the needs of affected JETs have not yet been fully assessed. National AJET expects to address some of these needs as they arise; shelter, food and water will be top priorities. The AJET Relief fund will also be used to help JETs rebuild their lives after the immediate danger has passed. For updates or questions about the distribution of AJET Relief funds, make sure to e-mail relief@ajet.net.
To donate to the AJET Relief Fund:
Visit your local bank to make a bank transfer (furikomi).
Bank: Japan Post Bank (ゆうちょ銀行)
Account: 1933601
Account name: “AJET Relief.” （AJETリリーフ）
(If you have never made a furikomi transfer before, please see more complete instructions at the end).
Presently, the AJET Relief Fund is only accepting monetary donations. Information on volunteering during your spring break, as well as organisations to contact, will be announced shortly.
Accomodation
AJET would like to encourage JETs in affected areas to consult the Couch Surfing website http://www.couchsurfing.org for their accommodation needs at present. If no suitable accommodation is available, please contact your National AJET Representative.
Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Akita: block1@ajet.net (Claire Gittens)
Miyagi, Yamagata, Fukushima, Niigata: block2@ajet.net (Brianna Harris)
Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Nagano: block3@ajet.net (Denise Schlickbernd)
Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Yamanashi, Shizuoka: block4@ajet.net (Erica Nakanishi-Stanis)
Detailed furikomi instructions:
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Thanks to Jeff, the Uchinada CIR, for this information!
AT&T電話会社からお知らせです。AT&Tの携帯電話も有線電話から無料で日本に通話サービスを行う。3月11日から31日にかけて、アメリカ及びプエルトリコの携帯電話から日本に無料で通話することになる。又は、アメリカの有線電話から日本に通話する方々は60分間以下の通話料金を調整することになる。(前払い口座を除く。)
携帯電話からアメリカの赤十字社の災害救援活動に10ドルを寄付するために、90999に“redcross”を携帯メールで送ることになる。
From the official AT&T site:
AT&T* today announced it has implemented international calling and texting support efforts for U.S. residential wireless and wireline consumers trying to connect with loved ones in Japan, following last week’s tragic earthquake and tsunami.
Effective beginning last week, March 11, and continuing through March 31, AT&T wireless postpaid customers will not be charged for:
* International long distance usage from the United States and Puerto Rico to Japan
* Text messages to Japan, originated from a U.S. wireless number
In addition, and also effective March 11 through March 31, residential wireline customers can seek credits for up to 60 minutes of direct dial calling to Japan:
* Upon receiving their wireline bill, customers may call AT&T to receive adjusted calling for up to 60 minutes. In other words, no charges for up to 60 minutes of call time from the United States to Japan between March 11 and March 31.
For any of the above activity, customers will either see no charges reflected on their monthly statement, or they will see a full credit applied to their statement for activity between March 11 and March 31.
“We want to help our customers connect with loved ones in Japan in anyway we can,” said Mark Collins, senior vice president, Voice and Data Products, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Connecting with family and friends is most important at times like this— we want to make it as easy and worry free as possible for our customers.”
Still available, AT&T wireless customers can text “redcross” to 90999 to give a $10 donation to help the Red Cross with disaster support efforts in the area. No text message fees apply.
And, TV Japan – the 24 hour Japanese news channel – is available for free through March 17 to all U-verse® TV subscribers, allowing viewers to follow the news and recovery efforts. TV Japan can be found on channel 3680.
*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.
-Leah
1. NTT’s 171
Call 171+1 to leave a message for your loved ones or 171+2 to play messages. Use web171 (
http://www.ntt-east.co.jp/saigai/web171/index.html
) to do this online. Free dial. Website is in Japanese.
「災害用伝言ダイヤルは、地震、噴火などの災害の発生により、被災地への通信が増加し、つながりにくい状況になった場合に提供が開始される声の伝言板です。」 ウェブサイトで説明が日本語で書いてある。
2. Family Links International Committee of the Red Cross
http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/
Search for your family or post your status in English, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Chinese, or Korean.
英語・日本語・韓国語・中国語・スペイン語・ポルトガル語で不明者を探したり、自分の状況を確認したり出来る。
Para as pessoas que buscam restabelecer contato com familiares afetados pelo terremoto no Japão.
帮助受日本大地震影响之人与家人重建联系。
일본 대지진 피해 가족들간 연락 재개
Para personas que buscan a restablecer el contacto con sus familiares afectados por el terremoto en Japón.
3. Google People Finder
http://japan.person-finder.appspot.com/?lang=en
Search in 日本語, English, 한국어, 中 文 (简 体), 中 文 (繁 體), Português (Brasil).
Be aware that there are reports that misinformation is being spread on this.
グーグル消息情報のウェブサイトで嘘及び誤報が書いてある可能性があります。
-Leah
Update: A word from National AJET:
Don’t add to sensationalist rumors. If you are posting information on facebook, twitter and other media outlets, please make sure that you use credible sources. Include your source and as much information as possible.
Follow NAJET on twitter (@NationalAJET), facebook, and the official website.
Watch live coverage in English at the BBC online–features live text feed. Up-to-date, accurate, and bilingual expat approved.
Also, see AlJazeera’s live blog and live stream in English.
Finally, NHK World’s English coverage is here.
Learn earthquake-related vocabulary (English/Japanese) at Japan Newbie. Also has a lot of vocab about the nuclear plant situation.
Surviving in Japan’s twitter feed has great information in English. (@survivingnjapan)
-Leah
National AJET has posted a list of JETs in affected areas who have been confirmed as safe. If you have any information about JETs in northeastern Japan who are not on the list, please contact NAJET immediately. (Affected prefectures: Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa.)
The list starts with US JETs, then Canadian JETs, then “other.”
We are now trying our best to get information on JET participants’ in the earthquake zone. If you need a specific JET participant’s information, please send the following message to jlgc@jlgc.org. We will do our best to reply to you as soon as we get the information from Japan.
Name of the JET Participant:
Location:
Your name:
Relationship with participant:
Telephone#:
-Leah
This information comes to us from Anne, a former Ishikawa ALT.
English
The Japanese Association of Translators (JAT) is assembling a list of volunteer interpreters to help in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami disaster.
If you need an interpreter for your rescue, relief, aid or other organization, please contact someone on this list.
If you can volunteer as an interpreter, please contact webmaster@jat.org to have your name added to the list. Include the following information:
1. Full name
2. Address
3. Language pairs
4. Phone number
5. Mobile phone number
6. Skype name (if you have one)
7. Other means of communication, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
8. Extent to which you can help. (travel, tele-interpreting, etc.)
9. Any other information you feel would be useful.
日本語
災害後のボランティア通訳
JATは災害後のボランティア通訳者のリストを掲載しています。
救助、救済などのために、通訳者が必要な場合には、このリストをご利用ください。
ボランティアで通訳ができる方はwebmaster@jat.orgへご連絡ください。下の情報を含んでください。
1. 姓名
2. 住所
3. 言語 (和英、英和等)
4. 電話番号
5. 携帯番号
6. スカイプのユーサー名
7. 他の通信手段
8. どれほど助けれる (テレ通訳、旅行の可能性)
9. 他の役に立つ情報
These past couple days have been tragic and our hearts go out to all the people in the Tohoku region that were affected by the tsunami. While watching these events unfold on TV, many saw a map like this in the corner of their TV screens:
Image courtesy of the Japan Meterological Agency
Many JETs noticed Ishikawa highlighted in yellow and were asking questions. What does this mean? Do I need to evacuate? Is it safe to be living so close to the beach?
So here’s a breakdown of what these higlighted maps mean:
Local TV stations will also broadcast on-screen what time waves are expected to hit your area shores. The Japan Meteorological Agency will have current information on earthquakes and tsunami warnings in English here. If you see a tsunami advisory—even though it’s small —don’t go to the beach. One man in California was swept to sea in the small tsunami that hit California shores yesterday. He was trying to take pictures of the waves.
If a larger tsunami warning is issued for Ishikawa, keep tuned into the local news, but also listen for any emergency broadcasts that may come from your town hall. If you hear an announcement or siren, it may mean you need to get to a shelter or higher ground. Places such as schools, town halls, and other large public buildings are usually designated emergency shelters.
If you have any questions about your specific area, talk to your supervisors, neighbors, or JTEs for more information. They can give you specific information about designated emergency shelters or evacuation routes in your area.
-Melanie
Red Cross Japan is 日本赤十字社 (nihon sekijuujisha).
This information comes to us from Megan Lam, our charity representative:
In case you are in Japan and you want to donate but don’t know how, Family Mart convenience stores will have a machine near the door where you can choose to donate to a charity of choice.
1) Look for 寄金 (kikin) or 寄付 (kifu) and press that button.
2) It will go to a page with various charities. Red Cross, Doctors without Borders, etc. Choose one (I’m not sure if there’s an option to do multiple donations, so you may have to do the process again if you want to do more than one)
3) Choose the amount you want to donate (500yen, 1000yen, etc).
4) A receipt will come out at the bottom.
5) Take the receipt to the cash register and pay them there.
From Leah Zoller, editor:
If you prefer to donate via your bank account, you can make a transfer to Red Cross Japan there. Hokkoku Ginkou does not have English support for transfers, but here’s how to do it. (There is a great general pictorial guide on Surviving in Japan if you are unused to the process.) If you know how to do a transfer, just scroll down for the bank information.
1. Click 振り込み (furikomi, transfer.)
2. If you using cash (as in sticking money into the machine, not from your account), click 現金 (genkin); if you want to transfer from your account/cash card, click キャッシュカード (kyasshu kaado). You will be asked if this is a transfer account you have registered; if you have not registered Red Cross, you will need to do so. Click the button with 新振込先 (new transfer recipient) or the one with 初めて next to it (first time transfer).
3. Put in your PIN.
4. お振込先 (ofurikomi-saki, recipient). Enter the name of the bank, the branch, and the account type.
This is not Hokkoku Bank, so select その他 (sono hoka, other) and then 銀行 (ginkou, bank). You will need to search by kana for the name of the bank first (ミ for Mizuho, for example). If you don’t see the bank you want, click その他 again. Mizuho was on the second page for me.
After you find the correct bank, search for the branch (支店名, shitenmei) by kana, then select the type of account (usually 普通, hutsuu, regular) and type in the account number (口座番号, kouza bangou)
This information is here, but the site is down. LUCKILY, I copied the information earlier! All of these accounts are for the Red Cross.
Japan Post
口座番号 (Account number)：00110-2-5606
口座名義 (Recipient)：日本赤十字社 (nihon sekijuujisha)Mizuho: みずほ銀行：新橋中央支店 （普）1032121 (Mizuho Ginkou; Shinbashi Chuuou Branch, regular account)
Mitsubishi: 三菱東京UFJ銀行：東京公務部 （普）0000302 (Mitsubishi Tokyo UFJ Ginkou, Toukyou koumubu, regular account)
Mitsui: 三井住友銀行：銀座支店 （普）7176649 (Mitsui Sumitomo Ginkou; Ginza branch; regular account)
楽
Rakuten: 天銀行：マーチ支店 （普）7009729 (Rakuten Ginkou Maachi branch, regular account–this is an online bank)As you enter more information and the ATM has time to think, the recipient’s name should pop up in katakana. The Japanese Red Cross is ニホンセキジュウジシャ (nihon sekijuujisha). Be sure this is correct!!
5. Enter your phone number (denwa bangou, 電話番号). You may be asked to confirm your name, too (振込人名, furikomijinmei).
6. Press 振込金額 (furikomi kingaku, transfer amount), and enter the amount you want to donate–this looks like your withdrawal screen.
7. If all the info is correct, hit the confirm (kakunin, 確認) button. You will receive a receipt for this.
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