The Jazzcat

:::L.A. Musical Artists Uniting to HELP JAPAN:::
“Creative Music & Energy to Japan from Los Angeles“

The urgency of the situation in Japan brought twenty seasoned and

well-respected local, national, and international musicians to

participate in this event which was put together in three days. We

would like to thank you all for coming together by joining us at our L.A. Musical Artists

Uniting to HELP JAPAN event/fundraiser that took place at the Blue Whale

in Los Angeles on Saturday, March 19, 2011.

[INITIATORS]

Goh Kurosawa (Organizer)
Mon David
Barbara Collin
Aki Tabei
Kai Kurosawa

[VIDEO: www.youtube.com/lamau2011]

Short Documentary & Official Poster by Kai Kurosawa
Photos by Felix Salazar

[HELP JAPAN]

I am sharing the following information with

those of us who want to help Japan but do not live in Japan. There are

many organizations who are taking action, however the three mentioned

below seem to be fairly good options for the time being. To be safe,

always investigate and find out if the organization is legitimate (…call them for example);

currently and more than ever, we want to help Japan now. Let us be sure we know where our money is going.

So here are the three that I would recommend for now (…new options are likely to be added as time moves on):

:::JEN:::

www.jen-npo.org/en/active/miyagi.html

:::Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles:::
www.la.us.emb-japan.go.jp/e_web/cgjla_donate.htm

:::GlobalGiving:::
www.globalgiving.org/projects/japan-earthquake-tsunami-relief/updates/

The

first, JEN, is a new organization I just came across with the help from

my friend who is constantly studying the options for donating. JEN has a

nice website; one thing I like about them is that they seem to

focus not only on what the news cover, but also on people living in

locations and areas that are sometimes overlooked, or not easily

accessible. The website offers both English and Japanese (…the

information is fairly balanced), and

they are doing a fine job of monitoring; they do well by keeping

information up to date so that they know what is needed for each given

moment in time.

Sending

money (both checks and/or cash are currently being accepted… this

info is not stated on their website; I had to call in and ask to find

out) to the

Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles, is a way to donate directly

to the Japanese Red Cross Society. The American Red Cross and the

Japanese Red Cross Society are connected but are different entities

(…info could be obtained by doing a little research on the web). Both

are helping Japan of course, however if one wishes for close to every

penny being

contributed to help Japan, the Japanese Red Cross Society is the way to

go. One thing to keep in mind is that the Japanese Red Cross

Society will not be coming around knocking on our doors to ask for money

however; the current condition does not allow them to be going

overseas from Japan to collect.

The website for GlobalGiving describes where and how much of the money they

collect is being sent to various organizations in Japan. The website is written in English,

and for those of us who would like to have some insight and/or options,

it is a place to visit.

Obviously, the above are not the only

options; there are also options to make a donation by texting for

example. Whatever we decide on, let us check

to be sure that the source is a reliable one.

In addition, if you read Japanese, check out the following:

http://irritantis.info/archives/652

Given the current condition, the

best way for us to contribute is by sending money. It is definitely necessary to send

supplies (can foods, blankets, toilet paper, etc.), but for

the time being, sending money is the best way to support as individuals. 

Not

everyone is able to donate money, however everyone could also

contribute by

coming together by celebrating life (…this was a big motive for our

benefit event to happen on March 19, 2011 as seen in the video). Keep

this in mind; for those who are

in Japan and from Japan, it is such a challenging time. We are able to

participate by living life, staying positive, and by reminding ourselves

what makes us

human… watch a sunrise, have some sushi, drink a little sake, enjoy

the

cherry blossoms, say hi (or, “O'su!” in Japanese) to a friend, and spend

time with the family.

Please remember……. rebuilding Japan is a very long term project.

We will need all the help we can get and give, no matter how big or small.

Goh Kurosawa (Musician from Japan now living in Los Angeles)