Visitors at a Tokyo shop selling Kumamoto products have formed long lines every day since Tuesday’s massive earthquake in the southwestern prefecture.
Customers at the shop say they want to support people in areas devastated by the 7.1 magnitude quake by purchasing specialty 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. She has a relative in the town of Hikawa whose house was damaged by the earthquake. “I bought (items) as this is all I can do,” she added.
She expressed a desire to buy whistles featuring Kumamon, the official prefectural mascot, to distribute them to her family so that they can draw the attention of emergency responders in the event of a disaster.
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 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,” said Mitsuo Matsuoka, a senior official of the Tokyo office, while asking for continued support and cooperation.
