How to get involved with Charity the easy way (in Japan)

In accordance to my last post and also my New Year's resolution, I have been thinking deeply about Charity work. My problem is, although I would like to participate in as many volunteering activities as possible, I have a life (in terms of too many hobbies), so I have been thinking about and researching into methods of getting involved with Charity the easy way i.e., in ways that can be slotted into one's busy lifestyle!

Here's what I came up with.
(Please note that, though all points can be applied to wherever in the world, it is generally focused on living in Japan)

1. Lather yourself in Body Shop goodness

A dream for most beautiholic shoppers like me, surely.
I have always been a fan of British brand The Body Shop, but it is only recently that I have really noticed their values. Slogan-ing "cruelty free beauty", they have been campaigning against animal testing for 20 years, and have successfully helped in the EU ban on animal testing on cosmetics from March 11th 2013. Still, it's not completely banned in the rest of the world; thus their campaigning continues.
Not only do they fight against animal testing, they, in their words, support community fair trade & ethical trade, activate self esteem, defend human rights, protect the planet and undergo a variety of projects through their foundation. Think about it. You buy, for example, one bottle of luscious musk-scented body cream, perhaps a little pricer than your regular one from the local market, yet you help out in about 4 divisions of charity work. Of course, I can not make a stand on how the money you spend there is used exactly, but they do state on their website that money made from their products are put towards their projects, plus ingredients in your product are likely to be from fair trade resources and it won't have been tested on animals.

Some of my faves: hair protector & paddle brush

And, if you're still uncertain, they occasionally have a box near the till/cashier where you can donate spare change to support their recent activities. Last time I went to a shop in Sapporo, they had a box for their Sakura Charity project where they're raising money for the restoration of Touhoku (donations are being taken till 30th April 2013). Lastly, they take care in their products by choosing natural ingredients, and as a user of their products and without being too biast, I can say I've been satisfied with everything. If you're a scent-hogger like me you'll love most of their creams! My personal recommendations are their scented body creams, body sprays, hair treatment spray and their cushioned hair brush. Their products also make wonderful presents as they often have pre-wrapped gifts too.

A Will, a Bucket List and a Funeral

I'm not afraid of death.

That doesn't mean I want to end my life. I, as do many, would like to live a fruitful, long one. 

I've never wanted to live forever, though.

I've actually thought about posting this in my Blog for a while. 

Recent deaths of relatives, friends of friends, and illnesses of those I love and warnings in my own health may have trigged me to post it now.

In general though, I am currently alive, happy, healthy, and enjoying and loving life. 

But it could all end tomorrow. I don't mean this in a negative light, but in reality - sudden ailments and accidents could be waiting for me around the corner. But that doesn't mean I should live in fear of what's to come. It makes me realise that I should enjoy life to the fullest every day.

Death is a funny thing.

As I said, it doesn't scare me. Not belonging to a religion or having any religious beliefs, I don't think we'll float up to heaven or get struck down into hell. I've always thought that defining "right" and "wrong" is a tricky business, and I think we all have our own different morals anyway. I believe that, when we die, that's it. We're just gone. Poof. We don't have any realisation of it, no sensation of it, no nothing. So why are we scared? Probably because it is nothing. Probably because no one has experienced that nothing; it's all fear of the unknown. We aren't hurt or in pain, because we become nothing.

If anything, it's the road to death that can be painful. Therefore, we are probably more afraid of dying rather than death, which I admit I am also wary of. I'd rather I go in a split second then in hours of pain.

To me, living on life support for years is like death. If I ever find myself in a coma, with no signs of even being in a vegetative state for a whole year, as I do still believe in miracles that one can recover, I would ask my family to let me go. I couldn't stand the thought of them having to visit the vegetable that I had become, and only feeling more depressed as I fail to respond at all.

On the other hand, if due to an illness or injury, I had to lose a limb, body part or organ, I would ask that all operations go ahead, if it meant I could stay alive. Being a lover of music, the thought of losing my vocal organs and hearing would have me distraught, and though I know it would be hell at first, I know I could overcome it. It is normally those kind of people who become the most brave and inspirational people in the world, and I would aspire to be like them.

It's a new day, it's a new dawn...but not feeling so good.

First day of the fiscal year in Japan.
New employees, transfers within the office, the coming of spring (for our parts anyway, it's already half way there in the Kanto areas where the cherry blossoms were early this year), a great time to think fresh, start anew.

I'm 25 years old and I don't know what to do with my life.

Sadly, this is no April Fool's joke.

A troop of nervous Japanese youths have been scuttling in out of our office in their shiny new suits today. A bunch of workers have been transferred to other departments, as rotations within the workplace is strangely the norm in most Japanese companies. I should have tallied up the number of times I bowed in greeting.

For the Japanese in my workplace, this is it. The beginning for the freshly graduated new employees and a slight change for some of the current workers. But they will continue with this job for the rest of their lives. In Japan, once you're with a company, it's difficult, or at least, it seems frowned upon to drop it and consider a different career.

I on the other hand, in my current situation with my current contract, and also as the Western foreigner, have the freedom to do what I like with my life. 

Trouble is, I don't know what.

As I posted a while back, although I could technically stay for another year completing the maximum years of stay on my contract, I decided to leave due to being unhappy with my work conditions.

So, what to do when my contract ends in early August...

I want to stay in Japan. I can't give a solid reason why, but I feel like it's too soon to go back to the U.K.., something I will evidently do sooner or later. Though, having not gone back for even a visit for almost 4 years worries me in that I will find things too different and not want to go back after all.

COCO's Seafood Tomato Soup Spaghetti

I definitely want to go back to England if I ever have children.

Children. My gawd. The horror that thought even crossed my mind! But from what I've learnt and observed of the Japanese education system, I don't want my kids to grow up in a society where they're developed to be minimalists in what they can do and think. British education might not be the best in the world, but I enjoyed it to an extent and was able to develop an open mind; something that may have proved difficult in Japanese schools. 

Fair Trade Cocoa Chocolate cake & Herbal tea
(not a fan of chocolate cake usually, but this one was
moussey, had just over 100 calories & was fair trade)

I actually had a "talk about our futures" with my lovely American lady from the same apartment during a catch-up over dinner at our becoming-our-usual "COCO's" restaurant last night. It freaked me out even then that I talked about children, and I told myself off for verging dangerously on the traditional Japanese mindset of getting married and making babies in your twenties.

Speaking of the Japanese Education system, I've recently been watching an old-ish Japanese dorama called 'Dragon Zakura'. I'd seen the first few episodes a while back, and it was brought to my attention again as I used it in my studies for the 'Teaching Japanese as a Foreign language' course in Kanto last week. (You can view photos of some of my experiences in Kanto at my photo blog). The series covers what I think are a lot of issues within the Japanese Education system and perhaps even Japanese society, and there are some interesting approaches to teaching (the episode on teaching English made me smile). Plus, I've always liked the actor Hiroshi Abe, and his acting, plus the character himself is amazing. I haven't quite finished watching the whole series through myself, but I recommend it - I've learnt quite a bit from it, and it's provided me with a lot of food for thought.