Japan & Everyday Contributions to Disaster Relief Funds

One thing I noticed living in Japan is that in most big-name stores (whether department stores, conbini, or supermarkets), there always seems to be a jar for disaster relief funds next to the cash register.

Donation jars next to the register are nothing new, but two things strike me about how they are used in Japan: (1) they are frequently updated; and (2) they are not just for Japanese disasters.

Take this example from Aeon:

This is a disaster relief donation box for victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi, Indonesia.  The campaign runs until today, and then they’ll switch it to another emergency relief fund.

In the past, I’ve seen collections for the Kumamoto earthquake, the Kathmandu earthquake, the “Guerilla Rains” in western Japan this past summer, and the earthquake/landslides in Hokkaido just a couple months ago.

All of those are worthy causes, and I am always glad to see these charity options available—every little bit counts!