Grateful Crane Ensemble performers included (from left) Merv Maruyama, Helen Ota and Jason Fong.
By ELLEN ENDO
RAFU SHIMPO
The Grateful Crane Ensemble chose Japan’s Tohoku region as the site of their most recent goodwill tour, performing in both Japanese and English before an audience of children and adults with a shared love of music and friendship. Their achievement was the centerpiece of an evening of entertainment and reflection during the group’s annual fundraiser on Sept. 28.
Tohoku was besieged in 2011 by an earthquake and tsunami, which killed over 18,000 people and displaced an estimated 347,000 evacuees.
In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, another catastrophe occurred in the form of a nuclear emergency when cooling systems at Fukushima Power Plant failed. Despite the Tohoku Triple Disaster, Grateful Crane members found resilience and hope among the people of Tohoku. That determination became a recurring theme during the program at Nishi Hongwanji’s main hall.
Through photos, video, and songs, the nonprofit Grateful Crane conveyed their organization’s mission: “To pay tribute to the unique hardships and inspiring contributions of Japanese Americans … and continue the traditions of our Japanese ancestry.”
The event also devoted a portion of the program to honor the memory of singer-dancer-actor Kurt Kuniyoshi, who passed away last March after succumbing to colon cancer at the age of 59.
The recent trip to Tohoku was the latest of four goodwill tours to the region, including the three hardest-hit prefectures — Fukushima, Miyagi, and Iwate. “Our message is simple: You have friends in America, and we have not forgotten you,” said Grateful Crane Executive Director Soji Kashiwagi.
Featured at the fundraising event were musical director Lisa Joe, emcee Darrell Kunitomi, vocals by Helen H. Ota, Keiko Kawashima, Haruye Ioka, Jason Fong, Ping Wu, and Merv Maruyama.
Additional members of the Tohoku goodwill tour were Mika Aoki, Yoshi Irie, Hiroshi Kashiwagi, Mike Okamura, Michael Palma, Mike Shudo, and event chair Nancy Takayama.
