Japanese mothers in Chester create a Japanese Giant to raise money for tsunami victims

Mar 24 2011 by Rachel Flint, Chester Chronicle

JAPANESE women in Chester have been sewing and stitching day and night to create a Japanese giant out of fabric and fibreglass.

The women, who are all members of the Japanese Mother and Toddler Group in Handbridge, have been working in shifts to dress and decorate the giant which towers above them at over 14ft tall.

Since last Saturday the women have been carefully crafting metres of fabric into an enormous kimono for the figure and hand painting fine details onto the giant face.

The group hopes that their Japanese giant will help raise awareness and much needed cash for the victims of the devastating earthquake and tsunami which hit their home country less than two weeks ago.

The giants usually take months to make, but today (Thursday), just five days after their first shift, the women will be unveiling the model in front of crowds gathering outside Chester Town Hall.

The group, who all have children aged under five years old, have been scheduling shifts at the Big Storage warehouse to work on the giant, which will be displayed at the Big Drop In event on Thursday.

Speaking about the project, leader of the group Keiko Gordon said: “All of us are helping out. We all have small children and so everybody is chipping in and helping to pick them up from school.

“It is going to be really useful in helping boost our fundraising efforts. Giant City suggested to us that we make a Japanese one to help raise awareness and funds for the aid effort.”

Head of the group’s fundraising team, Chiemi Smith, said: “The earthquake and the tsunami were so devastating. Many of us have friends or family there, everyone in Japan has been affected by it.

“All of our families and relatives are safe but some of us still do not know how our friends are.”

The Japanese giant will be displayed outside the Town Hall from 1-7pm today (Thursday, 24 March). as part of the Big Drop In event, to encourage people to fill in their census forms.