TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Tucson Japanese community is a small but mighty one.
On Monday, Jan. 15, multiple groups and businesses will band together to support overseas victims from the recent earthquake hitting Japan's Noto peninsula on New Year's Day.
It's all happening from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ikkyu restaurant, 2040 W. Orange Grove Rd. Yukari Fujimoto owns this restaurant.
RELATED: Northside restaurant owner feels the impact of Japan earthquake thousands of miles from home
Fujimoto survived the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995 and now has a friend near the Noto damage.
The friend and her family are unharmed, but hundreds of others in the area are dead or missing, with resources remaining limited.
"Even if it's small stuff, we want to do something," she said.
Fundraiser performances include:
- 11:30 a.m. - Tucson Japanese Langauage School children's choir
- 12 p.m. - Tagawa Trio (family of string musicians)
- 12:30 p.m. - Odaiko Sonora (traditional Taiko drumming)
- 1 p.m. - Student pianist
Food is served at Ikkyu throughout the event along with Japanese snacks.
“We are hoping to raise enough money so that the people at the Kanazawa Sports Club can go and people who are in the shelter can exercise," explained Toru Tagawa, one of the performers.
The restaurant has pledged to donate 20% of its sales to the cause.
"So, they are not just sitting there or laying there," Tagawa added. "It’s the worst thing you can do.”
がんばる (Ganbaru) - "Keep fighting"
Although this natural disaster caused extensive damage to Japan, the Tucson groups believe it hasn't damaged the people's spirit and resiliency.
"They get together and they just rebuild and they survive," said Taiko drummer Karen Falkenstrom.
The team hopes their efforts will inspire others to do more too.
“The fact is, when people donate, it makes them feel good; and it’s a very human need to help each other," Falkenstrom explained. "So, we’re going to make a loud noise and bring more people to help support this cause.”
Mikenzie Hammel joined the KGUN 9 team as a multimedia journalist in the summer of 2023. She graduated from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism with her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. With her passion for human connection and visual storytelling, Mikenzie is honored to share the stories of Tucson and southeastern Arizona. Share your story ideas and important issues with Mikenzie by emailing mikenzie.hammel@kgun9.com.
