My name is Sayoko, a Japanese who has lived in Australia for 30 years. I have just returned from Japan after a 9 week visit. On New Year's day at 16:10, the country was cheerfully celebrating and praying for the new year to bring peace and joy when magnitude 7.6 earthquake along with tsunami hit Noto Peninsula and neighboring prefectures on Japan Sea side.

14 days later, the death toll reached 220, more than 22,000 people lost houses and live in evacuation centers or worse agricultural green houses in snow without water and electricity.

My dearest friend of 35 years, Junko, and her family run traditional Urushi lacquer-ware business in one of the worst hit town called Wajima. Her husband is the 7th generation in this art and business. It was only last year March that 28 Australian visitors enjoyed their tour at the shop (4th photo). 200 years of their hard work vanished in 5 minutes on new year's day. They lost their house entirely, their newly built retail shop and workshop severely damaged.

They are determined to reestablish their life and business, however, further landslides caused by a week of rain and snow, continuous daily earthquakes and many ravaged roads are making delivering support crews and supplies as well as recovery of infrastructures slow and difficult.

It hurts to see my dear friend and once beautiful bustling town with morning markets, green hills, hot springs and hard-working people in such devastating state. Please help me raise some money for the Kirimoto family so that they can rebuild their life. The total of all your donations will be, approximately after one month, transferred directly to them and used towards finding them a home as well as rebuilding the generations-long business by repairing the workshop and equipment/machines as well as supporting the specialised craftsmen who have also lost their homes.

Thank you for your kindness..

能登半島地震で亡くなられた方々のご冥福をお祈り申し上げ、被災者の皆様へは心よりお見舞い申し上げるとともに、復興に尽力されている皆様には安全と健康に留意されご活躍されることをお祈りいたします。

200年以上にわたり輪島漆塗り伝統工芸の発展と普及に尽力されてきた輪島キリモトの女将桐本順子さんとは35年来の親交を温めさせていただいております。7代目店主桐本泰一さんん始め職人、スタッフの皆様、ご家族一同この度の災害でご自宅全壊、店舗、工房、商品、機械に甚大な被害を受け、修復、復興に向けくじけない気持ちは底にあっても、現在の避難生活では日々生き延びることに精一杯の状態です。店舗、工房の修復、機械の修理と物資の購入、スタッフ・職人さんへの報酬など出費のかかる目前の課題が山積みです。何万人という方々がお困りの中ではありますが、私の微力で始められるところから支援を行いたいと考え、まずは輪島キリモトの復興に向け、必要物資の購入にお手伝いできれば幸いです。皆様からの寄付金は、約1か月後にまとめて直接輪島キリモトへ送金致します。追ってご報告させて頂きます。

どうか、皆様のご協力をお願いいたします。

被災者の皆様のご健康と、諸地域の1日も早い復興を心よりお祈りいたしております。

Before the disaster

After

Wajima town-center after the disaster