After the strong earthquake in Kumamoto, various forms of relief actions have been initiated by Japanese society. The “Yahoo Japan” platform swiftly launched a fundraising campaign to support the quake victims, attracting tens of thousands of netizens to donate online. In Tokyo, many people voluntarily queued up outside the “Kumamoto Pavilion in Ginza” to make purchases and donate money enthusiastically, hoping to show warmth and support to the affected compatriots through buying products from the disaster-stricken region and making charitable donations.
Following the magnitude 7 earthquake on July 28th in Kumamoto, “Yahoo Japan” promptly set up the “Emergency Support Fund for the 8th Reiwa Year Kumamoto Earthquake” page, allowing online donations via credit cards, PayPay, and other methods. As of the 29th, tens of thousands of netizens have passionately responded, raising millions of yen in relief funds.
Furthermore, the Japanese large-scale crowdfunding platform CAMPFIRE and several non-profit organizations (NPO/NGO) simultaneously launched the “Emergency Disaster Support Fund” project on the 29th, opening multiple channels for relief donations.
At the same time, Tokyo residents showed their support for the Kumamoto disaster area in another way. According to “Oricon News,” after one night since the earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, on the 29th, a large number of people gathered at the Kumamoto Pavilion in Ginza, Tokyo, queuing up to purchase goods, hoping to boost morale by actually supporting the disaster-stricken region through consumption.
At 3:30 pm on the 29th, about 20 people were seen in line at the entrance of the Ginza Kumamoto Pavilion. Staff on-site held a sign that read “Currently implementing person capacity control, please cooperate” to maintain order.
The store stated that a large number of customers flooded in as soon as they opened that day. By the afternoon, to ensure comfort inside the store and prevent overcrowding, the store began implementing entry restrictions at the entrance.
A donation box was also set up inside the store, and many customers voluntarily made donations after checkout. A woman in her twenties who came to shop expressed, “Seeing the severity of the disaster, I wanted to contribute by purchasing some goods. I hope more people can be rescued successfully, and I also hope that post-disaster reconstruction work can start as soon as possible.”
The store revealed that due to disrupted logistics within Kumamoto Prefecture caused by the earthquake, some products were facing challenges in terms of “whether they can continue to be supplied until the weekend.” Nevertheless, the store owner expressed gratitude, saying, “We have displayed many products from businesses affected by the disaster. It’s truly heartwarming to see so many people actively coming to show support!”