1000 PAPER CRANES
Friday 18th March 2011
My book Cherry Crush is about a girl who is half-Japanese, and a Japanese theme runs all through the story. For me, as for all who love Japan and its culture, the recent earthquake, tsunami and threatened nuclear disaster has been shocking and scary.
I wanted to do something to help, and found myself thinking of the story of the 1000 Paper Cranes. In Japanese legend, anyone who makes 1000 paper cranes is granted a wish. In 1955, a Japanese girl, Sadako Sasaki, became ill with radiation sickness after the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. Sadako planned to make 1000 paper cranes, but she had folded only 644 cranes when she died aged just 12. Her friends made the remaining paper cranes and buried them with her… one of the saddest yet most beautiful stories of friendship ever. In Japan, the paper crane is a powerful symbol of peace and hope.
What better way to send your support, good wishes and prayers to Japan? Find yourself a square of paper, click the link and make your own paper crane for Japan – then send in your pics through any of the website links. Tell your friends, family and teachers and spread the word. Together, we can make 1000 cranes… and show Japan that we care.
If you’re able to raise money for those made homeless by the disaster, you can donate to the Red Cross.
Look out for more ideas of how you can help on the Secret Page and in the April online newsletter… with comps to reward all your hard work. If you haven’t signed up for the free online newsletter, you can do it here – you’ll find a clue for the password to the Secret Page in the newsletter, too.
Get folding… and send your thoughts and prayers to Japan.
xxx
That’s really nice to do =) I’m going to make ten and then send you a picture of them =)
It’s really sad about Japan =( I might make twenty for them =)
Love Abi xxx =)
The disasters that keep happening in Japan are truly shocking… I have special coloured origami paper and as soon as I get off my computere I will make a few – more over the weekend! Keep up the good work Cathy, it rocks!
xxxxxxx
I totally agree, it’s such a lovely generous thing to do, it’s really sad what’s happened to Japan and we should all try to make the paper cranes and then send a pic. It’s a wonderful thing to do and plus we can put paper to good use 🙂
Im going to make them! I feel so sorry for them, and now they have bad weather too :(. Let the world be on their side, and I pray that Japan can fight on :)…xx
This has given me a cool idea for next weekend. I’m going to try and get them together, for a crane making competition. I’m also trying to think of ways to raise money 🙂
I love japan and the cluture so much just like you Cathy.When im older if i get a chance i want to move there and get married there.I really want to hel and i will make as much as these as i can.
Love Clo…x
poor japenese people say a special prayer for them:(
What’s going on in Japan is really sad, I feel so sorry for the people there who don’t know where their families are and have lost their loved ones. The story about the girl aged 12 and the paper cranes is really sad.
I hope it gets better.
It’s so tragic about the earthquake and tsunami, and I hope the village Fukushima will get back on it’s feet soon. Japan is such a prepared country as well but it just show’s that the power of the earth is no match for human kind. I love the idea of the paper cranes and I’m going to make lot’s of them and show Japan I care, and I will try to raise as much money as I can. That story is so moving and dramatic, many terrific ledgends have come from Japan. Japan is a bueatiful country which I really love and I want to help. I hope all gets well soon for Japan and that they keep fighting on… x
I think the earthquake and tsunami in japan is terrible and although we can’t bring back people’s family and friends, we can help charities and just hope that people in japan get all the help and support they need and I think that the idea of the paper cranes is lovely. I’ll be making lot’s!