Sachiko Kobayashi distributes rice in Fukushima

Sachiko Kobayashi, center, poses with evacuees at a shelter in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture.
SANKEI

FUKUSHIMA —
Singer Sachiko Kobayashi, 57, visited Soma in Fukushima on Friday for the first time since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Kobayashi is traveling around the country in an 11-ton truck doling out words of encouragement along with the 10 tons of rice she brought along for survivors. The load consists of 2,000 bags, each containing 5 kilos of unwashed rice, as well as 12,000 steamed yeast buns.

The truck visited nine evacuee shelters in Soma at which Kobayashi doled out the food while posing for photos with fans. When asked why she chose to visit Fukushima, Kobayashi explained that she was repaying a debt. Kobayashi’s hometown of Niigata was struck by earthquakes in 1964, 2004 and 2007. “I still remember people from neighboring Fukushima volunteering to come and help us,” she said.

“Today I heard something from a person in one of the shelters. It’s something I’ll never forget,” she recalled. “She said, ‘All the items that have sentimental value and many precious memories are lost now. This photo we took with you will come to mark the point at which we started to make new memories.’”

After visiting the shelters, Kobayashi announced her plan to visit all the quake-hit areas in the Tohoku region in an attempt to encourage survivors. “Today and tomorrow, this year and next year, I will continue to support the region. You won’t be forgotten by me,” she promised.


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Pink Lady to go ahead with Japan tour

The Pink Lady duo greet fans in the lobby after their mini-live event for charity in Tokyo.

TOKYO — Reformed 1970s pop duo Pink Lady, currently in the middle of their sixth reunion, took part in a live music event for charity in
Tokyo last week, performing 11 fan favorites, including “Pepper Keibu” and “UFO.”

Keiko Masuda, 52, (known to fans as “Kei”) and Mitsuyo Nemoto, 52, (“Mie”), told the audience, “It’s the duty of those of us outside
affected areas to send as much positive energy and cheer their way as we can. Pink Lady will continue to sing and dance as we always do.”

A spokesperson for the duo said that in order to conserve electricity during their upcoming Japan tour, stage lighting will be replaced by an array of LEDs and that the stage show has also been altered. All proceeds from charity auctions and merchandise sales will be donated to earthquake and tsunami relief funds. The duo has also announced plans to establish their own foundation in the near future.

Pink Lady performed their first ever concert on March 31, 1977. Then on the same day in 1981, the pair gave their farewell concert at Korakuen Stadium in Tokyo. They told fans, “It has been exactly 30 years since that breakup, so today is a special day for us. Believe in your dreams. Let’s all pull together.”

Pink Lady’s Japan tour is set to kick off in May.

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