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Japanese TV personality Reika Miyazaki asks for help from SXSW Interactive
On Saturday, prompted by fundraising efforts started by attendees at South by Southwest Interactive, Reika Miyazaki began Tweeting, asking for them to do more.
Miyazaki, a TV personality and former Austinite, says she’s in Japan with only an iPhone to connect her to the online world. She wants SXSW attendees to continue with donations for Japan relief in the wake of a massive earthquake and tsunami. She plans to come back to Austin as soon as she can, but says that it’s difficult to get a flight out of the country.
We spoke to her via e-mail:
American-Statesman: You lived in Austin? When/for how long? Have you attended SXSW before?
Reika Miyazaki: Yes, I lived in Austin when I was 12-16ish (am currently 23). I attended West Ridge Middle School and Westlake High School. I went by my Korean name (I am 1/4 korean) Yeo-hyang Baek (nickname Yoyo). I’ve never had the opportunity to attend SXSW but I love music as I also DJ.
Where are you now? Where were you when the earthquake and tsunami hit and are you in a safe area?
I live in Tokyo so the earthquake and tsunami did not affect me too greatly. I was in the middle of getting ready for my Fox TV filming in my apt on the 31st floor. It shook so much. We are used to earthquakes here but this is nothing I have ever experienced. I was stuck in my room for hours as the elevators were not working and I was by myself. No way to contact anyone. Family. Nothing. A big shelf fell on my bed if I had been asleep I don’t know what would have happened.
Aftershocks have been really bad too. I haven’t slept for two days as there are alerts going off often about more earthquakes coming. My body is sea sick I guess? I still cannot stop swaying even though it’s not shaking.
The reason i left my house was because areas down south are experiencing less earthquakes as well as the scare we had about a possible nuclear meltdown although that has apparently been contained.
You asked people to set up a donation booth at SXSW. What else can people here do to help?
I really don’t know I’m still panicking but just been racking my brains of what I can do to help. But donations I think are the easiest way to help. That’s all we can do here in Japan as well as there is no way to reach areas up north
You’re a singer and actress, is that correct?
I’m more of a TV personality. I am a host of Fox Japan’s “Backstage “Pass” as well as being regular guests on other Tv shows. I’ve also been a guest to the “Crillon Debutante Ball” in Paris.
Has it been difficult staying in touch online? Are the cell networks holding up with your iPhone?
Thankfully in Tokyo the Internet’s been working constantly so the only way to contact our loved ones for a while was through Twitter, Skype and Viber as phone lines were completely down. Lines are up again but it’s still impossible to get in touch with those up north and it’s just been really unstable all around.
Other things I’d like to add is that I’ve been lucky but there are tens of thousands of people who are in a place really bad. There are a few friends that I still can’t get ahold of. Because ive been lucky so far i deeply feel that it is my duty to do whatever I can. Our nation is truly in a state of emergency and death tolls keep rising as its been difficult for officials to grasp the situation. We are all still living in constant fear of the aftershocks, more tsunamis, the Nucleur plant, power shortages, bad weather, fires, crimes. All tv stations have cut all their programs and all that’s on is live news about what’s happening. We haven’t seen a TV ad since it hit.
However we are thankful for the international support we are receiving as well as the fact that the nation truly is working as one. (cell phone companies are offering free Wi-Fi and texting, beverage companies have made the drink vendors free, major companies and stores have shut down to accommodate a looming power shortage, the metro in Tokyo ran 24 hours, lots of donations, etc)
But we are told to expect aftershocks for up to a month and I’m afraid the situation is just going to get worse.
As a lover of Austin and music, it would mean so much to see SXSW support Japan.
As we said yesterday, SXSW4Japan is continuing to raise money for release efforts (current total: $10,150). On Saturday, Austin start-up Hurricane Party announced it will be holding a fundraising party at Kenichi, 5 p.m. Sunday. You can find details for that here.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: Austin, Internet, SXSW 2011
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By Dee
March 13, 2011 12:17 PM | Link to this
Thanks for your attention to the matter. It would mean a lot to those who suffer there.
Reika Miyazaki is an adult TV personality. you can find her footage here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHopjb1PR-c