The Great Eastern Japanese Earthquake of 2011 has left both physical and psychological scars on the people in the affected Tohoku region as well as the entire country. The Sakura Front Project was set up in London shortly after the disaster. Our aim is to focus people’s minds on the long term recovery of Japan. Firstly, by ensuring these tragic events are not forgotten and secondly, by keeping a close eye on the recovery process so that we are able to inform people of the progress being made to rebuild Japan.

Sakura Front designed the Sakura Brooch as a symbol for people to wear, on any occasion, as a reminder of the tragic events which took place and, to show their on-going concern and support for the Japanese people. The brooch was inspired by ‘Sakura’ or ‘Cherry Blossom’ which is widely recognized as Japan’s national flower – a symbol of hope.

 

Initially we handed out the Sakura Brooches free of charge to raise awareness of the Sakura Front Project. We now sell the brooches for Åí1 each. Half of this money covers the production costs; the other half is donated to recognized Japanese based charities such as the Sakura Namiki Network. These charities use the donations to plant Sakura (Cherry Blossom) trees in the devastated areas of the country. Another aspect of the project focuses on collecting images of people wearing the Sukura Brooch. We post these images on the Sakura Front website and Facebook pages. We also hope these images will serve as a message to the Japanese people that the world has not forgotten them, inspiring those who are still experiencing great difficulty and hardship.