We got worms!

Mikiya had great luck getting gas yesterday. He was in line around 6:30am and waited about 30 minutes for his allotted 20 litres. Gas prices have been rising recently in Tokyo and were ¥144/litre yesterday, not because of the earthquake, but due to the political situation in the Middle East.

The news reports constantly describe the dire need for goods. People are flocking to the 2,300+ evacuation centres, many with absolutely nothing. They need anything and everything. Cash donations are being gratefully received, but they also need things - immediately. We did a search and found a few NPOs that are delivering donated goods from Tokyo to the areas that need them. We chose Nihon Uniba (Japan Universal Design Coordinator). The site is in Japanese only, but to give you an idea, they are welcoming nonperishable food and personal goods. I bought a bunch of toothbrushes and toothpaste (which are things that I would go nuts without), a big bag of rice, and some ready-to-eat food. We had disposable chopsticks and cutlery, disposable hand warmers and towels here which we added to the box. Now it is off, so we hope it helps a few people for a few days.

Companies are being very generous with their donations too - toilet paper (Kao), bottled water (Coca Cola, Suntory), radios (Sony), batteries (Panasonic) are just a handful. Furthermore, Uniqlo donated 0.7 billion yen worth of heat-tech underwear. The company also donated 0.3 billion yen in cash, and the employees gave a total of 0.1 billion yen themselves. Finally, CEO Yanai donated 1 billion yen from his own pocket. Others, including big entertainment and sports figures have made huge cash donations. Nippon Ham made their game today in Sapporo a charity event. Maiko (apprentice geisha) appealed to the public for donations at Kyoto station today.

Temporary housing construction has begun, but this will take time to fulfill all of the requests. Article here. Volunteer doctors and caregivers are also finally making their way there with medicine and supplies and their skills. So there are bright spots here and there, including the miraculous rescue of an 80-year-old grandmother and her 16-year-old grandson yesterday, on day 10.

It is a national holiday here today - spring equinox day. It has turned out to be a very quiet, all day rain day in Tokyo. A good day to stay indoors and be thankful to be warm and nourished.