Relief Fund for the Japan-311 Earthquake
Nippon Music Foundation loans top-quality stringed instruments, such as Stradivarius, to promising young musicians around the globe. All of its activities is funded by its parent Nippon Foundation, which has just started a relief fund for the victims of the Japan-311 Earthquake and the tsunamis. And I am writing specifically to music lovers for your consideration.
The Nippon Foundation/CANPAN Northeastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund will provide effective, accountable, and timely support to where the help is most needed in the affected areas. Total amount of your donations will go to support those affected by the disaster, and all the costs involved in effectuating these relief efforts will be assumed by The Nippon Foundation.
In terms of immediate aid, three staff of The Nippon Foundation are on the ground now, working closely with several other NGOs to deliver food, water and other aid supplies as well as providing services such as warm foot baths and clean water for laundry and other daily necessities to the evacuees. We are also working to set up central volunteer stations as well as securing medical supplies and a wide range of specialists, including doctors, nurses, psychotherapists and sign language interpreters, as paid volunteers to support the people of the disaster stricken areas.
Our medium- to long-term plans will have a particular focus on children who have been orphaned by the disaster, disabled individuals, elderly, immigrants, and others whose particular needs are often left unmet in difficult circumstances.
Total donations received as of Mar. 24, 2011 via our online website and bank transfer is approximately US$ 3.28 Million
Donations are acceptable either by credit card or bank transfer.
Please access the web site below in English for more information on how to donate to this relief fund:
http://members.canpan.info/kikin/products/detail.php?product_id=1080
Reiko Watanabe
Welcome to my official multi-media website in two languages!
We are living in a brave new world where mankind can share information almost instantly with everyone.
My Web site started several months ago and since then I have posted blogs in Japanese, mostly on my musical activities in and outside of Japan. Wherever possible I also upload photos and sound bytes of variety of activities such as farming, hiking, traveling, and photography. Two to three months of a year I spend in Akita in Japan, several months in New York, and the rest I am in Tokyo or other parts of Asia or Europe.
In the Japanese home page section are my concert schedule and three video clips: one by a local TV station on the small farm where I grow different vegetables and two clips from public lectures/ performances which I gave on some Bach and Janacek sonatas at the Akita International University in June. At this liberal arts college I teach an intensive seven-week music appreciation course either in the spring or fall semester; all teachers teach classes in English. An exception to the rule at this university is when I give a lecture and the public is also invited; then I lecture in Japanese, and simultaneous translation into English is provided to Japanese and foreign students alike.
A bit of geography on Akita. It is located in the northern part of Japan and is in snow country, rich in nature and history. To the west side of Akita, there is rough Japan Sea, and the remaining three sides are mountains, one of which, Shirakami, is on the World Heritage List.
In the English section, you can read my bio and translations of the blogs, but I have omitted blogs which are not related to music.
I will soon upload the English description of my past five CD’s. Meanwhile, please enjoy excerpts from my CD’s: Bach’s solo violin sonata No.3 “Largo”, Paganini/Szymanowski’s Caprice No. 24, Gluck/Kreisler’s “Melody” and Berg and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concertos. To access these excerpts, please go to the Japanese language home page, click “discography” and click again the last tag on each CD, which contains Japanese symbols: “▶試聴できます”. Enjoy listening!
Reiko Watanabe