Japan

Japan has always been a dream travel destination for me. I am fascinated by the blend of Eastern and Western cultures and by the old-fashioned ceremonies and fashionable craziness that you can encounter there. I know that I will one day go and experience this beautiful place and its people for myself.

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For now, I am shocked and aggrieved by the daily news about the natural and man-made disasters with which the Japanese people have to deal at the moment. I am grateful that friends of ours are well, but even they, who had just moved back to the country and wanted to start a new life, have now booked tickets to get away from Japan for a while, to escape the nuclear threat and the power and food shortages. I am glad that they are able to leave the mayhem behind, but feel so sad for all the people who are not in this lucky position, for everybody who's livelihood was destroyed on 11 March, for everybody who lost someone, and for everybody who died.

I have donated towards the British Red Cross Japan Tsunami Appeal and am also taking part in this fundraiser that Chika from She Who Eats has organized. If you can, give! It will be a long recovery for this fascinating country, and the people there need all the help they can get!

© Annika - All The Live Long Day (unless otherwise stated)