Have you ever noticed an orange colored "WE Shop" in your neighborhood?
WE21 Japan is an NPO which consists of 36 local NPOs that manage WE Shops throughout Kanagawa (and some parts of Tokyo).
"It is our mission to end the globally recurring problems of fighting over natural resources, environmental destructions, poverty, and promote focusing on the environment and human rights and increased local awareness. To connect those activities to the next generation, we promote local activities within local community."
(a citation from WE21 Japan official website)
For more details about the organization and their activities, please visit their website:
WE21 Japan English page
WE Shops are one of their activities and they sell donated goods and use the profit to support women and children, mainly in Asian countries, become independent. They also support the Great East Japan Earthquake reconstruction, especially Fukushima (Fukushima Poka Poka Project by FoEJAPAN).
WE Shop List in English
How to Donate goods
*Goods to be accepted may be slightly different at each shop. Please contact and confirm them beforehand.
They accept:
Clothes in good condition and of on season. Please wash before bring in.
Under-wears, socks and pyjamas must be new or unused.
Tablewares, kitchenwares without scratch, crack, chip, nor stain. Pots must be new.
Shoes and bags in good condition.
New or unused towels and handkerchiefs.
Cloths and yarns.
Accessories, scarfs and toys (almost new).
New or unused stationaries.
They
cannot accept:
Detergents, soaps, medicines, cosmetics, electric devices, strollers, baby seats, ski goods, golf goods, furniture, books, video tapes, CDs, DVDs, stuffed toys.
[Update]
Some of the WE Shops collect used vegetable oil.
http://www.we21japan.org/we21/2013/01/we15.html (in Japanese)
The collected oil will be turned into VDF (vegetable diesel fuel) etc.
How to donate
Pour used (or unused but expired) vegetable oil in a plastic bottle with a lid.
Visit your closest WE Shop (in the list below) and place the bottle(s) in the pail at the shop.
15 WE Shops Collecting Vegetable Oil
Izumi-Nakata, Izumi-Ryoke, Izumi-Ogimaru, Fujisawa, Shonandai, Kugenuma-Kaigan, Hodogaya-Hoshikawa, Hodogaya-Tennocho, Isogo, Tuzuki, Yamato, Samukawa, Tsurumi, Hiratsuka-Daikancho, Hiratsuka-Asahi
Report
I visited the WE Shop Hoshikawa the other day and talked with the manager of the shop. This shop is run by WE21 Japan Hodogaya (they also manage Tennocho shop). Hoshikawa shop collects and sells kimonos, which can be said to be their specialty.
"No Poverty Campaign" was going on when I visited there. 16th October is the "World Food Day" and 17th October is "International Day for the Eradication of Poverty" (both recognized by the United Nations). The shop supports an NGO ACE (Action against Child Exploitation, Japan) who work in India and Ghana.
Girl's kimono accessories for Shichi-Go-San (7-5-3), the celebration for kids at the ages of three, five and seven. They are going to hold "Kimono Fair" on 21st and 22nd October, 2013.
Japanese tablewares. I bought some nice Japanese dishes the other day (¥10 and ¥100/piece). There are also western-design tablewares, too.
Toys for kids. My child found some for himself, too. There are clothes for kids in the shop.
Kimono "remake" accessories. They also provide Kimono remake workshops every month.
(Sakiori method, 2nd Thursday, ¥300. Zori Japanese slipper with cloth, 3rd Wednesday, ¥500. Small accessories, 4th Wednesday ¥300. Each workshop is 13:00-16:00. Reservation needed: 045-334-5140 We Shop Hoshikawa)
They hope that a lot of people get to know their activities and visit the WE Shops, especially young people.
In the end, I would like to show my gratitude to the president of WE21 Japan and the manager of WE Shop Hoshikawa to have kindly accepted this interview.
