On the 11th of March, an underwater earthquake measuring 9.0 on the richter scale, occurred roughly 72km off the Japanese coast, the earthquake not only shook the country but triggered a Tsunami with waves climbing up to 37metres high. The result of this natural disaster, now named the “Great Eastern Japan Earthquake” (東日本大震災, Higashi Nihon Daishinsai).
When the waves crashed into the coast, everything changed! Lives were swept away, lost in the sea of debris, burning rubble and murky rushing water. Buildings that functioned as schools, hospitals and homes were destroyed by the sheer force of the waves and the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant I was to cause further hardship.
The plant was affected greatly by the waves after they breached the seawalls and destroyed the power systems leading to two large explosions and a radiation leak.
It is now nearly a month after this disaster struck Japan, the National Police Agency have confirmed the following numbers: 12,175 dead 2,858 injured and 15,849 missing with over 125,000 buildings damaged or destroyed.
Various relief and aid organisations are working around the clock to help with the search for missing persons, taking care of survivors and providing as much help as possible.
Mere minutes after the tsunami struck the coast, images and homemade video footage made it’s way onto the web and the whole world was sharing in the pain and grief over the tragedy that was unfolding.
Lara Garnermann is living in Ireland but when the images and news reports of the Japanese disaster reached her she was spurred into helping. An avid fan of Japanese culture and lifestyle, Lara is still in secondary school but is determined to raise as much money as she can to help with relief work in Japan and has gotten her friends, Karl, Jessica and Lyndsey and more together to do something special to raise funds and awareness. Combining her love of Japanese fashion and costumes Lara and a group of willing friends plan to raise as much money as possible by cosplaying this Saturday in the heart of Dublin City. We chat to Lara about her plans and why we should all get involved!
Can you start by telling us a little bit about yourself?
I’m currently in my last year of secondary school and will soon be sitting my A-level exams, along with Chemistry, Biology and Physics, I’m lucky enough to be studying Japanese. As well as being interested in manga, anime and Japanese fashion I’m a big fan of the music genre Visual Kei, and write for the website JaME-world.com. Although I could easily follow my interest for Japanese culture, my number one passion is animals, and one day I hope to become a wildlife vet.
You are organising a fund raising event called Cosplay for Japan, can you tell us about the event?
Basically, we’re going to be meeting at Temple Bar and collect donations from passers-by. Many organisations hold street collections, but, as the name suggests, we are encouraging people to dress in cosplay or other Japanese-inspired outfits.
Where did the idea for the day out come from?
Japan is a country that has given the world so much, and it’s not just a few people that want to donate, I’m sure everyone in Ireland has Japan to thank for something in their lives. So I thought that a street collection would give the average person a chance to donate money. As for the cosplay idea, cosplay is something uniquely Japanese, and expresses the originality of modern Japanese culture, even if passers-by aren’t familiar with cosplay, they will find it very eye-catching and it will certainly grab their attention.
Cosplay has become an international phenomenon but its roots are still found in Japan
How can someone who is interested get involved? Do you have to cosplay on the day?
Cosplay is optional; I’m aware that there are a lot of people that want to help Japan but haven’t heard of cosplay, people are welcome to come in other Japanese-influenced styles or even their ordinary clothes.
To get involved, all you have to do is show up, we’ll provide you with buckets for collecting donations and answer any questions you have. Although the collection will be taking place throughout the afternoon, even if you can only stay for an hour or two, we will be very grateful. And on top of helping out a country in need, you’ll meet lots of new people, and get to show off your latest cosplay.
Where will the money that is raised go?
All money raised will be going to the Red Cross Japan Earthquake Appeal.
Have you picked out your own costume?
Yes, I’m going to be cosplaying someone from the Visual Kei band An Cafe, so I’ll be dressing in decora style. I’ll be wearing a bright pink Happi coat and as many rainbow accessories as I can put on, so if you have any questions it will be easy to find me on the day!
An Cafe
Finally if you were trapped in an Arcade for eternity what one game would you play to pass the time?
Difficult choice, but I’d have to go with Tekken 6, Xiaoyu’s Panda being a major reason.
If you would like to get involved with Lara and her team and ensure that as much money is raised then you can turn up at Temple Bar Sqaure, Saturday 9th April from 11am. For more information about the event please check out the official facebook event here – Cosplay for Japan
The @rcade will be there on Saturday to show our support but we are also donating our money too. If you pre-register for @rcadeCon 2011 between now and the end of April €3 from every Weekend Ticket and €2 from every Day Ticket will be donated to the Ireland Japan Association Earthquake Appeal.
