Make Harajuku Mighty Again

Earlier this week, I had the honor of meeting Sebastian Masuda - creator of the 6% Doki Doki fashion brand. 6% Doki Doki clothes and accessories are candy-colored, ultra-cute, and aptly described as "kawaii anarchy". Yet, all is not well in his neon wonderland.

Masuda and 6% Doki Doki are based in Tokyo's Harajuku. A section of the city famous for its youth, fashion, vigor, and free spirits, it has - since the March earthquake - become a ghost town.

Masuda's 6% Doki Doki was one of the first Harajuku shops to reopen, and he's been sharing news in both Japanese and English about his neighborhood's slow recovery. (Follow @sebastea and hashtag #m_harajuku on Twitter.) But more than just reporting on the health of Harajuku, Masuda aims to inject it with new life. Masuda views Harajuku's health as linked to Japan's health. Its spirit and its energy encourage the nation, and Masuda - through a project he calls MIGHTY HARAJUKU - has been sending supplies and positive images and messages to those impacted most by Japan's recent disasters.

How can you help? I and the New York Anime Festival encourage financial donations to Japan Society's Earthquake Relief Fund, and we hope you'll help us send images of support to Masuda this weekend at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Sakura Matsuri.

Australian website and shop Electric Alice (http://www.electricalice.com/blog/?p=1607) has created a series of signs in support of the Mighty Harajuku campaign, and we've got them with us at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Cherry Blossom Festival.

If you'll be out at Sakura Matsuri, come by the New York Anime Festival booth and pose for the Mighty Harajuku project. We'll be posting the images online and sending them to Japan for Masuda to share.

Let's help make Harajuku mighty again!