A British man who cycled the breadth of Japan to raise funds for victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster found himself on the receiving end of charity from those who wanted to help a foreigner a long way from home.
A British man who cycled the breadth of Japan to raise funds for victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster found himself on the receiving end of charity from those who wanted to help a foreigner a long way from home.
Daniel Olsson came to Japan in February 2011 to teach at an English-language school in Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture. He developed an interest in Japan after studying East Asian history at university in Britain.
Like many others in Japan, Olsson's life would change dramatically as a result of the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The massive magnitude-9.0 earthquake hit about two weeks after his arrival in Japan. It was his first experience of an earthquake.
Olsson was struck dumb as he watched news footage over the Internet of entire communities being swept away by the ensuing tsunami.
With a sense that his life in Japan began with that quake, Olsson felt he had to do something for the Tohoku region.
He quit his job and decided to embark on a journey to raise funds for the disaster victims because he felt that would be in line with his personal philosophy of continuing to grow as an individual.
But Olsson did not have an ordinary trip in mind. His plan was to cycle from Cape Sata at the southern tip of Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu to Cape Soya at the northern edge of Hokkaido.
He departed May 18 for the journey of 3,700 kilometers.
He started the fund-raiser with the Ogatsu School Restoration Project in Miyagi Prefecture in mind.
Prior to the disaster, the Ogatsucho district of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, had a population of about 4,000.
Now, it is just one-quarter of that figure.
The goal of the project was to restore an old elementary school building so it can be used as a forum for various exchanges. Because of his background at the English-language school, Olsson had an especially strong desire to help children the same age as those he had taught in Shiga Prefecture.
However, because Olsson left on his trip with only a rudimentary knowledge of the Japanese language, an almost daily ritual became asking for help from strangers for such things as the right road to take as well as the nearest campground to spend the night.
In Rikuzentakata, Iwate Prefecture, where large parts of the city were turned into vacant lots by the tsunami, Olsson asked local residents where the nearest lodging was and ended up staying at their homes instead and sharing a hot meal with his hosts.
He wrote about those adventures in a blog that he started specifically for the trip titled "Travels with Chari."
Olsson completed his journey in 52 days and collected about 300,000 yen ($3,000) in donations. The 50 or so donors were of a range of nationalities, and about 30 percent were strangers. Olsson feels that the more people are involved, the stronger will be the incentive to help each other.
While the sum he raised seemed small to him, Olsson went to great lengths to let the 50 donors know about the community of Ogatsu and convinced them to extend a helping hand. For that reason, he feels it was a meaningful trip.
His journey came to an end on July 8 when he reached Cape Soya.
In the past, Olsson thought of himself as highly independent and someone who hated to lose. Now, however, he is not ashamed to ask for help when he needs it.
His solo journey would not have moved forward to completion had he not sought help on numerous occasions.
He came to the realization that a world where people help one another is much more preferable than one where people lead a solitary existence.
Olsson already has his sights set on his next goals. He wants to first publish a book about his bicycle journey and then continue to ask for the support of donors so he can reach his original goal of 1 million yen.
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