Kumamoto Shop in Tokyo Crowded with Visitors after Quake

Tokyo, Aug. 1 (Jiji Press)–Visitors have formed a long line every day to enter a Tokyo shop promoting specialty products of Kumamoto Prefecture to support the southwestern Japan prefecture hit by Tuesday’s huge earthquake. They aim to support people in areas devastated by the quake with an estimated magnitude of 7.1 by purchasing such goods and making donations. According to the Kumamoto prefectural government’s Tokyo office, sales at the Ginza Kumamotokan shop on Wednesday were more than twice as high as those on a holiday during the peak season. “It’s rare to see such a line,” an official said. “Ikinari dango,” a traditional Kumamoto confectionery featuring sweet potato and sweet bean paste, and “karashi renkon,” or lotus roots stuffed with mustard, are selling well, shop officials said. “I can’t do anything because I can’t send relief supplies for a while,” said a self-employed woman, 56, from Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo. She has a relative in the town of Hikawa, Kumamoto, whose house was damaged by the earthquake. “I bought (items) as this is all I can do,” she also said. She expressed a desire to buy whistles featuring Kumamon, the official prefectural mascot, to distribute them to her family for use in the event of future disasters to attract the attention of emergency services. A 64-year-old male corporate employee from Tokyo’s Itabashi Ward, who visited the city of Kumamoto on a business trip in July, said, “I could have been affected by the disaster myself.” He added, “I bought sweets because I wanted to support (affected people) as much as I could.” A total of about 2 million yen was raised in a donation box at the shop on Wednesday and Thursday. “The warm feelings (of visitors) have been a support and encouragement for the people of the prefecture,” Mitsuo Matsuoka, a senior official of the Tokyo office, said, while asking for continued support and cooperation. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]