Anti-fur Demonstration in Shibuya, Tokyo on October 23, 2011

Article by Dylan Robertson

The Animal Rights Center (ARC) organizes an annual anti-fur march in Autumn, a time when many shops in Tokyo are stocking fur products on store shelves. This year’s was held on on October 23, 2011. Around 300 participants marched with banners and placards in hand through major commercial centers, Shibuya and Omotesando.

Whist the number of participants was down by about 100 compared the previous year, the protest march grabbed the attention of everyone from high school girls hanging out with their friends to couples on their weekend date with depictions of what animals are subjected to in order to make a fur coat. Among the marchers were many who consider themselves part of Tokyo’s yoga community.

A large quantity of unwanted fur items had been donated and these were carried on sheet in a funeral-like procession. The campaign hoped to raise awareness of the cruelty in the production of fur clothing which has been fashionable for Japanese youth in recent years.

ARC claims that about 50 million animals are sacrificed each year to make fur products around the world.

According to the Anti-fur Society,

China produces 85% of the fur on the planet and has no animal welfare laws to protect animals. Fur animals in China suffer one of the most cruel and savage practices ever heard against defenseless beings. The hideous cruelty is hidden from consumers who may not know that each fur article comes with an unimaginable amount of agony. All this in the name of fashion.

Japan is heavily reliant on imports of clothes manufactured in China, and along with this come a lot of fur goods.

After the march the activists got together in a nearby meeting hall to discuss further actions and learn more about animal rights issues.

For more information on anti-fur activities in Japan, please see the following websites.

• www.arcj.info (Japanese)
• www.ashitaenosentaku.org (Japanese)
• www.no-fur.com (Japanese)
• www.petaasiapacific.com

Anti-Nuclear Demonstration in Shibuya on October 22, 2011

As the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant continues to issue more radioactivity into the atmosphere and trust in Tokyo Electric Power Co. and the government are at an all time low, many in Japan have developed strong feelings against nuclear power.

This has culminated in a series of anti-nuclear protests in Tokyo during the months since the earthquake and tsunami hit the Tohoku region. Another loud protest gathered on October 22, passing noisily through major commercial centers such as Shibuya. The protesters included the elderly, families with children, people from the towns near the reactor and many members of Japan’s yoga community.

It seems that the Japanese people don’t want to feel powerless anymore. They want to make a change. These rallies are a totally new phenomenon – not just an anti-nuclear energy movement, but the first large-scale protest by ordinary people – a historic people’s movement.

The Fukushima plant is located only 200 kilometers northeast of Tokyo. If Tokyo had to be evacuated, Japan’s ability to function economically and administratively would have been severely damaged.

At the beginning of 2011, Japan had 54 nuclear reactors providing about 29% of the country’s energy needs. An additional 14 plants were planned, with the hopes that nuclear power would meet over half of the country’s energy demands by 2030. After the Fukushima crisis, however, Kan began pushing hydroelectric, wind and solar power, endorsing a plan to increase alternative energy production from the current 9% to 20% by 2020. Before resigning in August, he pushed through Parliament a new law promoting renewable energy.

Some activists are now pushing for a national referendum on nuclear power. In a Sept. 21 poll conducted by major newspaper the Mainichi Shimbun, nearly two-thirds of respondents indicated they wanted a vote on whether the country should continue to rely heavily on nuclear power.

Interview by Dylan Robertson.

Japanese yoga wear brand, Samadhi, is making charity T-shirts to raise money for aid to the areas of the Tohoku region affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. They are 100% Cotton and made in Japan. Using Samadhi-style motifs, they are available in men a slim fit design for men and an over-size design for women.

I took the opportunity to speak with Samadhi’s representative, Takao Goto, about this charity t-shirt project.

Please tell us about your company’s background.



We are a team of designers that normally work on apparel.
 Our team includes apparel designers and graphic designers. We wanted to do something through our love of yoga, so we are making yoga apparel separate from our design work. Keeping with the idea we had when we began production of cooperating with factories to deliver quality products directly to the customer, we will be selling our yoga apparel through Rakuten.


Charity t-shirts by Samadhi

Please tell us about your business concept.



By working directly with the factory, we remove the middleman and can deliver quality products for a low price directly to the customer. Also, since making money is not our priority, we would like to donate some of our profits to environmental causes.
Finally, by giving the factory more exposure we are trying to make a new business model for the decaying Japanese apparel industry.


Why did you decide to make yoga apparel?



We thought it would be difficult to communicate with customers using only things that we liked, so we decided to start with yoga apparel which is already popular.


Please tell us about your charity T-shirt concept.



We wanted to do something to help the people affected by the Tohoku earthquake, and although it is kind of a small project and it took us a while to come up with it, we decided to make charity T-shirts. Our shirts are not simply for the purpose of charity, but each T-shirt also has a message that we want to convey: “WE LOVE TOHOKU”, “LOVE&PEACE”, “THE WORLD IS ONE”, “PRAY FOR JAPAN”, “SHIFT TO CLEAN ENERGY”, “ECONOMIZE ON ELECTRIC POWER”, etc. 
In addition, some of our designers do henna/mehndi, so we also make a series of charity shirts that have henna designs on them.


What is henna/mehndi?



I do not know too much about it, but it is a form of body art used for celebrations in India. I have heard that each design has a meaning to it. However, this is outside my area of expertise so I am afraid I cannot elaborate.


What other designs have you brought with you?

One of our designers who does henna drew some art for a calendar and some postcards for us. They have our name and logo on them, so we are planning to sell those through our store on Rakuten as well.
As far as future plans go, we are also thinking about selling LED candles. I think they would be useful for disaster kits and people who do candle yoga. As it is just a battery powered LED light inside hardened wax, it is safe and good for the environment since it does not emit CO2.


Do they have a nice scent to them?



Yes. This one is thyme and rose scented, and we also have other series of candles with different scents and colors. If we get enough support for it, we may also try to make our own original candles. It is something we would like to try.


It looks like you have a lot of other designs with you today.



We do have the shirts in men’s sizes, and they are close-fitting like this one I am wearing right now. The women’s models are more loose-fitting, so you can wear them over a camisole or something. There is a design printed on the front near the armpit and on the back as well. We designed the charity shirts with the Japanese flag in mind, so they are red on a white background.


How will these be sold?



One way is through our shop on Rakuten. However, due to some regulations that Rakuten has in place, I think we will have to do the donations through them (*1). In addition to that, we will also have them on sale at Yoga Fest and the Yokohama Port Yoga events in Yokohama. 10% of the proceeds from this event will be donated to the Japanese Red Cross. The deadline for Red Cross donations is 9/30, so we will make it just in time (*2).


(*1: After the interview we confirmed that Rakuten shop owners can donate their money freely, so those proceeds will go to the Japanese Red Cross.)

(*2: The deadline for Red Cross donations has been extended to 3/31.)


Will these only be sold in Japan?



At the moment these are only on sale in Japan. 
I mentioned a little bit about this in the beginning, but we are set on working together with Japanese factories so our products can be Made in Japan. If we have the chance, in the future we would like to sell Made in Japan yoga apparel around the world.


You showed us the charity T-shirts, but it looks like you have some other products with you too.



There are quite a few, but I suppose these hand-dyed gradation camisoles and tank tops would be good examples. I do not have too many with me today, but the most important thing is that they are made from a stretchy material so they are comfortable to wear when doing yoga. 


That is a cute little mark there.



Lotus designs are often used in the world of yoga, so it is an original design that looks like a lotus, but is also kind of different.


You have shown us several designs now. What are these shirts made out of?



The charity shirt is 100% cotton. The other shirts are not totally cotton, but are mixed with polyurethane and other stretchy materials. What I really want to emphasize is that these are Made in Japan.

Where is the factory located?



There are several factories we are using that are located in prefectures in eastern Japan: Miyagi — which was hit by the recent earthquake — Niigata, and Gunma, to name a few.


You are making some great products now, but what are your plans for the future?



We do not really have any big plans, but our goal is not maximizing profits. The common production model that is in use these days does not give the manufacturer much in the way of profits and the industry has started to deteriorate. By constructing a business model that puts the manufacturer first, we would like to make our contribution to the apparel industry. It is kind of like getting produce directly from the farm. That is the kind of business we would like to run. Since we are using yoga as a theme for the benefits of this setup, we are also interested in protecting the environment and donating some of our profits to disaster victims.


That is a very yoga way of thinking.



Yes. Well, yoga is where we started, but our theme is more just about lifestyle sports. For instance, I like biking so I might want to work on some biking apparel. There are some golfers on our staff so they might want to try making golf apparel. Yoga is just the most loved between us, so we want to focus on that right now.


We will be sure to support your charity T-shirt. If you are going to the Yoga Fest, please stop by the “Samadhi” shop and buy lots of stuff!



Thank you very much.

Watch the Original Interview (in Japanese)

For more information on Samadhi and their t-shirts, please see www.rakuten.co.jp/samadhi (in Japanese).

When choosing yoga wear, what is your basic criteria?
Brand? Comfort? Price? Design?
Nowadays in Japan there is a lot of choice, and hence each person has their own criteria. But we would like people to add eco-friendliness to their choice criteria.

Did you know?
In order to grow cotton plants for making cotton fabric, you need large quantities of water and agricultural chemicals. This of course pollutes the environment, but not only that, each year these chemicals kill 20,000 cotton producers around the world and also hospitalizes 1 million of them. Included among these people are children who have been forced into child labor.

In Japan, jeans made in China can be bought at astonishingly cheap prices. In jeans factories in Xintang, the jeans city, the waste water that has been used for dyeing and washing gets thrown into the river without any processing, which has caused many nearby residents to complain. This river is connected to the Pearl River Delta, and from there it connects to the rest of the world.

It is possible that choosing a product based on its cheap price places a huge burden on the environment. This is why if we are actually going to make a choice, we would like everyone to choose an ecological product.

But having said this, it does not mean that as long as it is an ecological product, then anything will do. We also understand that there may be ladies with their minds set on cute items, or people who are mad about high-tech products. Whilst eco-friendliness also has a stoic side, consumer needs and environmental friendliness are certainly not mutually exclusive.

Take for example, this yoga wear. Made by EcoGear, a Canadian brand. They are particularly picky about the materials they use, which are recycled cotton and jute viscose.

EcoGear’s recycled cotton is made by collecting fragments of cotton material from T-shirt factories, separating them by color and shredding them. Recycled plastic bottles are added to the mixture to give the fabric strength. For yoga wear, they mix in spandex to give them elasticity. To the touch, it feels like normal cotton.

They have had requests from EcoGear customers with sensitive skin asking for items which feel smoother. Also made of ecological materials, of course. And this is when they created their products made of jute viscose.

Jute viscose is a cellulose fiber made out of a vegetable called jute. The skin of the jute is melted, turned into a pulp, and then molded into pieces of string. Within the manufacturing process, although chemicals containing sulfuric acid are used in the solutions during the final stages, they are kept under control so as to minimize their impact on the environment. It feels very smooth to the touch and so it is perfect for yoga practice. Compared to cotton, it does not use agricultural chemicals. And there is in fact some data available comparing it to organic cotton and recycled cotton, known for being ecological, with regard to its effect on the environment. Within the cotton we are all so familiar with, a large difference has been created.

What types of materials are used in your yoga wear?
Within similar types of yoga wear, let’s choose to buy those with more ecological materials.
Within similar types of mats, let’s choose to buy those with more ecological materials.

Just because you have chosen one ecological item, do you think it actually has much of an impact? The hard work of all the farmers, as well as any consequences stemming from it, is hidden behind that choice.

We believe that each and every one of the choices that we make is very significant. Your eco-friendly choices are one environmental activity that an individual can do.

For more information on eco-friendly yoga wear available in Japan, please see yoga-shop.jp (currently only available in Japanese).

Photo by Wari Ananda

Synonyms for the word CHARITY are kindness, love and joyful giving. The logical consequence: Kindness gives pleasure and this joy leads to peace and compassion. But isn’t it even more joyful to be an active part of a charity process? The Devayani Yoga Children’s Charity Calendar provides you with this opportunity on even more than one level!

“If we are to reach real peace in the world, we shall have to begin with the children.” (Mahatma Gandhi)

Photo by Wari Ananda

The idea is simple:

• Professional photographers with a heart for children donate a picture of a child/children doing yoga.
• The photographers themselves may choose the children’s charity project they want to support with their picture and everybody – YOU! – can vote for your 12 favorites!
• The top 12 will make it into the calendar and its proceeds are donated to the charities you have actively chosen with your vote!

Photo by Wari Ananda

The calendar is an ideal present:

• Buy it as a gift for yourself and enjoy the fact that you actively participated in the well-being of many children in this world.
• Buy it for your friends and family and share your happiness while inspiring your loved ones.

The calendar is the ideal purchase for YOUR BUSINESS!

• Using the calendar as a customer present manifests your image as a charity-minded company!
• The calendar in your office inspires you and your team to enjoy the beauty of yoga!
• No more empty envelopes before christmas saying “Dear customer, here would be your present, but we decided to donate to…” – The calendar makes your message tangible, credible and alive!

Next Steps

Professional photographers: please submit your entry before July 20th!

Everyone: please “‘Like” Devayani Yoga on Facebook to be informed about when to vote for your personal 12 favorites!”

For more information, please see www.devayani-yoga.com

By Dean Newcombe

On the 11th of March 2011, Japan suffered a truly devastating natural disaster. A 9.0 magnitude earthquake, one of the biggest recorded in world history, struck Japan and caused an unstoppable tsunami that killed thousands of people just hours after the quake.

For me personally it was an emotional time. I had just returned from living in Japan for almost 2 years and although none of my friends were hurt, so many of them were of course effected. The country I had just left, and the people I loved so much, had seen their lives change over night. My own personal adventure had now been completely changed.

First of all, let it be known that helping people is harder than you think! I was constantly discouraged from flying to Japan to volunteer. Eventually I did so anyway, only to be greeted by confusing information and strict systems set up by governing bodies. There was only one way I wanted to be traveling north, and that was the Intrepid Model Adventures way!

That decision was made more than a month ago and immediately I went up to Fukushima Prefecture, which became famous for all the wrong reasons after the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant was damaged by the Tsunami. Since then I have worked in countless towns and cities along the Tohoku coast line in Fukushima Prefecture, but also in Miyagi Prefecture. I have established relationships with several charities and NPO’s, as-well as two bases from which I and my team can work from. So having reached this stage, through every morsel of energy I could throw at the project, was it right to have been discouraged? Absolutely not!

From where I began, clearing rubble and tiles from earthquake damaged buildings, to now, organizing teams to run supplies to those still trying to live their lives in tsunami devastated areas, there is one certain thing. Tohoku needed so much help when I arrived, and they need so much help now. No matter what the media has and is saying, volunteers have and are making a massive difference to the Tohoku Relief Effort!

I have of course been asked a lot, why I am doing what I am doing. Perhaps I could answer with a quote – “If there’s something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action.” I went to Tohoku because I believed I could help, and now that I have seen what I have seen, I can not leave!

One thing that really shocked me was seeing warehouse shelves full of donated items from around the world. The generosity to the tsunami victims has been quite incredible, but who is handing out these supplies? Every item on any shelf I saw, was another item not in the hands of those who needed it! Well to answer my own question, I for one have wholeheartedly taken this project on! As much as I also enjoy crawling around in tsunami waste and rolling cars out of peoples gardens, delivering supplies is where I feel I am making the greatest impact.

So now I have a task, one that I gave myself, and one that I am truly blessed to have. If I achieve nothing else in Tohoku, I at least give a little piece of hope, to provoke a smile and to show the people that we are out there and we do care!

This is an open chapter now for me. The part I play simply can’t end until I am satisfied that those who need me now, no longer do.

Here I am in Tohoku, woken by earthquakes almost every-night. Sleeping on the floor of our base, the 2nd floor of a tsunami destroyed building. Sometimes showering and changing my clothes just twice a week. My life is full of energy, excitement and emotion, and there is no where else in the world right now that I would rather be.

Don’t expect me to return with stories of sadness. Being here is a joy! I will be returning with stories of hope, with stories of beautiful human interaction. I will tell you how smiles touched my heart.

Dean needs your support. There is still (at the time of this posting), a need for volunteers, vehicles, supplies and donations. You can follow all of his work in Tohoku on his website, www.intrepidmodeladventures.com. Dean can be contacted at dean@intrepidmodeladventures.com)

By Dylan Robertson.

In order to raise money for the Global Seva Challenge, South African yoga instructor Tammy Foote is making and selling these fantastic eco-friendly yoga mat carry bags.

These earth-friendly bags are made from recycled yukatas (summer kimonos), which are biodegradable.　The proceeds help children in Africa who have lost their parents to AIDS via the NPO, “Off The Mat Into The World“. The bags are being sold for 2,500 yen each.

Orders

• Email: tamlynburger@hotmail.com
• Tel. 090-9840-8533

Note: Tammy will be leaving Japan by the end of this year, so take advantage of this opportunity while it lasts!

Article by Dylan Robertson.

Yoga offers far more than just a way to get in shape. To practice yoga means to take any kind of action towards peace, unity and balance. Karma Yoga means the “discipline of action” and is considered a type of yoga. When we take action in an unselfish manner for the welfare of the world we are practicing Karma Yoga.

NPOs

Below, is a list of non profit organizations that need our support.

• Bicycles for Humanity – Tokyo: B4H-Tokyo re-purposes unused bicycles and sends them to Namibia, Africa. Bicycle transportation is a valuable tool for helping people to improve their lives in dramatic ways.
• Children’s Rights Council of Japan: various activities to protect the rights of children
• Children’s Rights Network Japan: various activities to protect the rights of children
• Greenpeace Japan: support eco-related activism
• Habitat for Humanity: hands-on holiday option for travelers with a purpose, providing low-income families with shelter
• Hands on Tokyo (HOT): a bilingual clearinghouse for volunteers
• Mother Water Project: have a water dispenser installed at your workplace and encourage people to bring their own water bottle.
• Peace Not War Japan: music-based anti-war movement
• Salvation Army: donate your old clothes etc. to the homeless and poor
• Second Harvest: support distributing food to the homeless
• Tokyo English Lifeline: free, anonymous phone counseling service
• Tyler Foundation: dedicated to making life better for kids with cancer in Japan and their families

Recycling Services

Below is a list of services that you can use to reduce your impact on the environment by recycling.

• Book Off: sell your old books – even English books
• Craigs List: sell or give away anything.
• FreeCycle: recycle your old stuff instead of throwing it away!
• Yahoo! Japan Auctions: sell anything!

Municipal Recycling Programs

The recycling programs may differ depending on what municipality (town or ward) within Tokyo you are living in. Below, I have collected links to English information on how to sort garbage for the Tokyo municipalities with the most foreigners.

Tokyo 23 Ward Area:

• Meguro-ku
• Minato-ku
• Shibuya-ku
• Shinagawa-ku
• Setagaya-ku

Western Tokyo:

• Musashino City

Eco-friendly Home Cleaning Products

These are available in Japan.

• Attitude: Japanese Site, Global/English Site
• Ecover: Japanese Site, Global/English Site

Suggestions?

If you know of any other appropriate Tokyo-specific links, please send an email to info@helloyoga.com so we can add it to this list!

Article by Dylan Robertson.

Andrea Peloso is a Canadian yoga instructor who has visited Tokyo several times to teach. She was a key member of the faculty for my 200-hour yoga teacher training course here. A Japanese friend of mine was going to Toronto recently, and I sent her straight to Andrea, as she is a wonderful teacher.

Andrea is also a very active campaigner for the environment and recently gained fame for demonstrating how to live without a refrigerator!

Andrea wrote to me this week saying that she has pledged to Greenpeace to get 500 petitions for Canada to make significant changes to its current climate plan. If you are not from Canada, you can still sign the petition, or be directed to a site for your country. Please support Andrea’s efforts by signing her campaign.

Sign Andrea Peloso’s Climate Change Policy Campaign [Expired]

Article by Dylan Robertson.

Since the start of November 2009, with the cooperation of the Mother Water Project, Yoga Tree in Hiroo, has been offering water at their studio. The system is designed to get people to bring their own bottle and refill it at the dispenser. Users are asked to give a suggested donation of 50 yen per 500ml bottle, all of which goes to the Mother Water Project.

Yoga Tree are also promoting the “my bottle” movement. They do not provide paper cups but do sell SIGG bottles at a very low price.

To explain more about the Mother Water Project, I have translated the ‘About’ page from their website:

What is the Mother Water Project?

The current problem with environmental education is that one cannot effectively convey a message to people that are not interested in it. The extent to which a message can be conveyed is narrow, and in the current situation is difficult to effectively to convey that message to many people. Furthermore, even if they understand in their minds that environmental problems are important, the reality is that they don’t go about their life with concrete dedication.

This activity, through “environmental message art”, aims to give enjoyable guidance to people who are not interested in environmental problems, and show them concretely how to go about their lives without dirtying precious water. We are aiming to use the products of this activity in following environmental education programs.

The goal of this model project is to, through “environmental message art”, draw the interest of many people and allowing them to take part, while appealing to sensitivities and giving concrete guidance on daily life behavior, allowing us to send a wide extent of information and achieve environmental goals.

This project has been underway for three years since 2006.

Activities of fiscal year 2006

Activities of fiscal year 2007

Activities of fiscal year 2008