Relay For Life Japan 2018 - Shizuoka
Back in July, when I attended the Noh exhibit in Fuji City, I met the younger sister of the artist, who is involved with the Relay for Life events in Japan. She invited me to join the event in Shizuoka City, which was held last Saturday. The original plan was for the event to be held outdoors, but rain caused a change of plans.
The opening ceremony was held in the auditorium.
At first, I was sitting in the back, but event volunteers asked me to sit in the front with the survivor section.
The opening ceremony began with children singing and dancing.
Next, there were some short speeches that I didn't understand.
The first lap was the survivors lap, then everyone could join in.
In addition to the walking area, there was a big area inside with various booths which were raising money for the RFL.
I made some new friends with other survivors. We had a little coffee break and chat at the RFL cafe. Since moving to Japan, I've had cancer twice but I never had anyone here to talk about it with. It was interesting to hear other people's experiences with surgery, the hospital, treatment and side effects, etc.
They told me about a dance and I thought they were saying the dance could diagnose breast cancer. Later I thought it was a dance to raise awareness. Sometimes I don't know what anyone is talking about.
It was a good day for me.
5 comments:
Maybe a dance to detect cancer?? Looks like a great day, good you have someone to talk to now.
Looks like the whole thing was very well organised. The kids and the mascot are very cute. I hope they raised a lot of money. Making contact with people who have been through similar experiences is a great side-effect!
Hmm, maybe they're showing how to check for breast cancer? The upward arm looks like the pamphlets in the doctor's offices. :) The mascot is adorable! Even with the change of plans, it looks like everything went well.
It's good to be supported and encouraged isn't it?
I'm glad for your opportunity and that you enjoyed yourself.
Have a great day.
Acancer-detecting dance sounds like something only Japan could invent...still, a great event for a worthy cause, and that mascot is very cute. I'm glad you found some people to talk with, it must be scary to be sick in a strange country far away from home. Shame about the weather, though!
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