April 06, 2011

光くん、ガンバレ!

The media outside Japan are gradually speaking less and less about what's going on in Japan -they moved on to other news like Lybia's civil war-, but things in Japan are far from being solved. It will take months to sort out the situation of survivors and evacuees, to repair the damages caused by the earthquake and tsunami and to solve the problems of the Fukushima nuclear plant.

When you stop to think about it, it feels so strange that in one country/city/house/room somebody's busy/happy/safe/well-nourished, while in the next room/nearby town/on the other end of the world somebody else is suffering. We don't stop to think about these things very often, and it's normal because if we did we wouldn't live. It's the essence of existence after all: one life ends, but another begins, there's joy and there's pain, and so on. However, sometimes certain things make you stop and think. It can be something 'small' in scale and close to you, like an unexpected diagnosis of a cancer in a relative, or something massive, the sum of thousands of anonymous tragedies, like what has happened in Japan.

It may seem shocking, and even grotesque, that there are entertainment shows and people singing on TV when there's people in other parts of the country who are suffering such hardships, but as an article I read recently (on the subject of Japan's current situation) says, it's good to mourn but also there is a time to resume normal life... while making all possible efforts to help the victims of the disaster, of course.

I imagine these days it must be very hard for Hikaru to sing and focus on work when he knows his own family is going through terrible hardships in the Miyagi prefecture after the earthquake and tsunami, but it's great that he and the other johnny's can help with the Marching J project, and that he, in particular, can be the voice of the people who are suffering. All that surrounds idols/celebrities may be frivolous, but they can reach many and make a difference.

This blog tends to focus more on Taiyô and Shoon because they need more support than Yabu and Hikaru, who have achieved their dream of debuting, but we love Yabu and Hikaru just as much, so I want to take this chance to show our support to Hikaru and his family, because I was very much moved by Hikaru's words at the Marching J event last Saturday, and by his and Yabu's words on the SMAP Ganbarimasu clip below. Our new team member, KAKO (kokokako_831@LJ), has kindly translated it, and I added subs to it with Dailymotion. ^__^

To watch with subs: click play button > click pause button > click 'CC subtitles' icon on the top right > click EN on the middle of the screen > click play button again. (if you can't watch the clip below, click here


If you want to download this clip or the whole thing... (credits to KAL) [password: hikaru]

2011.04.02 SMAP ganbarimasu YabuHika.avi (RAW) (1280x720 - 45MB)
2011.04.02 SMAP ganbarimasu - Marching J part.avi (1280x720 - 400MB) .001 .002 .003

Thanks to Kako for the heads-up on this as well: *hugs*

Hey!Say!JUMP member Yaotome Hikaru attended the “Marching J” charity event held by Johnny & Associates on April 1st. The fund raising event was very special to Hikaru since he’s originally from the Miyagi prefecture.
Hikaru said that right now his family is living in the evacuation shelters, and also mentioned that his older brother is staying at the company workplace. He wants his brother to see how hard he’s working. He also admitted that that his family actually lives in the mountain side of Miyagi-ken but communication is cut-off so he worries a lot.
The apartment, where his older brother and wife live, in Tagajo-shi was damaged by tsunami and earthquake. The first floor is flooded and they have no gas or water. His sister-in-law took refuge in his parents house along with her child, while the brother is residing in the company house. Though, Hikaru is particularly concerned for his 4-year old niece and 6-year old nephew.
Hikaru hasn’t been able to reach any of his friends and wants to go back there as soon as possible. He really wants to do something for them all and is thankful for the “Marching J” project.


Translation of Hikaru's words at the Marching J event by TokyoHive (Source: Sanspo)

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12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much.^^

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
yamachiiria said...

thank you so much ^^

Doneforever said...

thanks irea and kako, Hikaru....

Anonymous said...

Thank you! :)

Unknown said...

Nice post lol ^^

selenalucinda_90 said...

thanx a lot.. ^^

Anonymous said...

thank you so much ! :D

Max said...

thank you a lot >_<

Mizu said...

Thank you! :)

Irea said...

@joieavrille, sisil, yamachiiria, Twyla, heart283, Kako, selenalucinda_90, ky09, Max and Talia:

sorry about the late reply [better late than never, I hope m(_ _)m] and thanks for your comment. :)

I think this tragedy has shown once more just how amazing Japan and the Japanese people are: just a few months after the tragedy, even though there's still much to do, Japan is already pulling through. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi, thanks for this ;D and i was wondering whether i can download the softsubs or not? ;u;