T-shirts raise relief for Japan

When the giant earthquake and tsunami hit Japan on March 11, Mitsuomi Nakamura felt powerless, frustrated and far from home. Born in Japan, Nakamura has lived in Spokane since 2001. As he puts it, he’s not a millionaire so he couldn’t just write a big check and send it back to his home country.

“Then my Spokane friends started calling asking if I was OK, if my family was OK, and if there was anything they could do for Japan,” said Nakamura. “That was so nice to hear. But I didn’t know what to say, and I couldn’t go to Japan to be there and help.” Out of Nakamura’s frustration came a fundraising idea: What if someone designed nice and stylish T-shirts that people would actually wear and sold them as a fundraiser for Japan?

And that’s how Japan Relief from Spokane was born.

Starting in early April, Nakamura began selling two T-shirts, a black design and a white one, with a simple message of hope for Japan. His first order of 500 was gone in seven days.

“That was incredible. Spokane is an amazing community, it made me very proud to live here,” said Nakamura who has sold 1,200 T-shirts at $10 apiece. All proceeds go to relief work in Japan. The T-shirts are designed by Darin Klündt of Klündt Hosmer and printed by Stadium Sports – for free.

“People have been so generous. I have had so much help; I couldn’t do this alone,” said Nakamura, who is the Asian-Pacific research analyst for Hotstart, an engine heating company based in Spokane Valley. “My company has been very supportive too, with anything I needed.” Nakamura’s friends and family in Japan were all safe from the tsunami, but watching the devastation of his home country on TV left a huge impact on him. He said he is proud of how the Japanese handled the natural disaster, by following orders and being patient.

“You saw no panic or people looting. That made me proud to be Japanese,” said Nakamura.

He said the T-shirt is about awareness just as much as it is about fundraising.

“By now we rarely get news from Japan in mass media, and I understand that,” said Nakamura. “But what if 1,000 people are wearing a Japan T-shirt? Then when you see it on the street, at least for that moment, you remember what happened.”

To order a T-shirt, find Japan Relief from Spokane on Facebook or go online to https://sites.google.com/site/japanrelieffromspokane/home. Then pick up the shirt at one of these three distribution points: the International Trade Alliance downtown, Hotstart in Spokane Valley and the Japanese Cultural Center at Mukogawa Fort Wright.

“That’s the best way to do it,” said Nakamura, adding that he wanted to hug all the people wearing Japan T-shirts at this year’s Bloomsday.

Now he’s looking forward to the Armed Forces Torchlight Parade on Saturday. A 42-person delegation from Spokane’s Japanese sister city Nishinomiya is in town for the parade and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Spokane-Nishinomiya Sister City Society.

“The delegation from Japan will be in the parade and they will carry banners thanking Spokane for the support,” said Nakamura. “It’s incredible how this has turned out.”