Not a big update today. As some of you know, one of my other passions is photography. Earlier today I went to the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre of Montreal‘s Japanese crafts show/festival, and I thought I would share some of the photos I took that I am especially fond of.
And this is a box of wagashi for Hina Matsuri that Kansai_gal sent me a few weeks back. I finally managed to find time to photograph them before I ate them! Cute, and delicious!
I have turned the donation resources at the bottom of this post into a permanent page in the top link – please check there for any future updates. – Japan Donation Resources
My hopes are with the people of Japan in this horrifying time. Please take a moment to spare a thought for the culture that brought a lot of us together and the people who have lost their lives, loved ones, or homes.
If you are trying to get in touch with someone in Japan and are not having success, Google has set up a Person Finder service or you can browse the Red Cross survivor index
Live news stream from MBS, in Japanese. The beeping in the background is the aftershock alert.
Wikipedia article – may not be the most reliable source currently due to constant updates
CNN’s Live blogging of the Earthquake and subsequent aftershocks and tsunamis for Day 1
CNN’s Live blogging of the Earthquake and subsequent aftershocks and tsunamis for Day 2
Seismic activity map of the quake
Photos from the Globe and Mail
Shocking before and after photos – these really help show the devastation, if you’re wondering why such a large, developed nation desperately needs help right now.
Gakuranman’s live-blogging with links to news sources, help sites, etc
Donation resources
If you are looking for ways to help, you can:
Donate directly to Red Cross Japan via Google Crisis Response, which also has a lot of good resources
Donate to the Red Cross USA to provide much-needed first aid, water, and medication
Donate to Doctors without Borders to provide first aid as well as more intensive trauma aid
Donate to International Medical Corps to provide first aid as well as more intensive trauma aid
Donate to Global Giving to provide water, food, clothing, and many needed resources
Donate to ShelterBox to provide boxes of life-sustaining shelter supplies such as tents and camp stoves to survivors
If you are in Canada, Air Miles has set up a service where you can donate 200 Air Miles and they will give 25$ to the Red Cross.
Donate to Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support to help the often-forgotten and silent victims of natural disasters, the wildlife, pets, animals in zoos, etc.
The Poster Cause Project has a wonderful collection of original themed art prints, with proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders to aid their work in Japan.
I have turned the design at the top of this post into an item on Zazzle, they will be sending all post-production profits from the sale of it directly to Red Cross Japan. I would like to make it clear that I get absolutely nothing from the sale of this item, so I am urging you to buy it solely for the relief efforts.
Also, my dear friend Naomi is auctioning off a few of her favourite kimono and obi ensembles, with 100% of the winnings going to Global Giving through eBay’s charity services.
View her auctions here
Just a quick post to wish anyone celebrating Christmas today a wonderful holiday. If you’re not celebrating Christmas, I hope you had a wonderful holiday whenever and whatever it was, and that you have a great weekend! That lovely goof in my tree is my beloved Vinnie. He’s the only decoration we need!
I was a lucky duck and got a wonderful lobster tsuke-obi and some beautiful watercolour prints of traditional Kumadori makeup that I will be sharing soon. I actually have several gorgeous Japanese pieces of artwork I’ve received recently that I’ve been meaning to post – perhaps I’ll do an entry about them now that I finally have a bit of time off.
Did you get any wonderful kimono or related items as gifts this year? If so, what did you get! Please share in the comments :)
Just a quick note, my actual kimono-wearing posts are going to be a tad sparse for the next little while, due to a compressed rib and strict orders not to “do anything physically taxing or binding”. I may have a few old outfits from the archives I haven’t shared yet, but I’m not sure.
Also, posts in general will probably not be as frequent for the month of December, since I work in a toy store and my hours are going to be kind of crazy for the next few weeks. When I’m not at work, I’ll be sleeping or trying to fit in some Christmas shopping.
I’ll still be doing the occasional catalogue post and I have a few tea-related posts queued up, so I won’t be totally gone, but things will be a bit quieter around here until the new year.
Recently a lovely gentleman by the name of Paul Rice contacted me, asking if he could feature my Aikoku Fujinkai obidome on ButtonCountry’s online workshop and reference entry on obi-dome.
The page has plenty of beautiful examples of obi-dome, and I am flattered that part of my collection was deemed interesting enough not only to be included and used as an example, but also to be featured on its own separate page.