Japan - Volunteering in Japan

My wife and I will have a trip to Japan end of this year. In addition to sightseeing, we are thinking of going some volunteering near the disaster zone. We have been to Japan several times and we speak tourist level japanese.

From discovery channel and news, I know the suicide rate among seniors has risen and there are efforts to return photos retrieved from cleaned up area to the original owners. Any pointers for any sort of volunteering near the disaster area is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Hi khkchan, that's very nice of you and your wife to think of volunteering ^

There's this homepage with some links to volunteer activities that may interest you:

http://english.tasukeaijapan.jp/?taxonomy=link_category&term=wycd_volunteer

If you attend a church, it's possible that your church or denomination has some connections. There are several different Christian organizations quite active in Tohoku volunteer efforts. PM me if you want some specifics.

Reading the OP's post just made my day.
About a 9 months ago I spent time with this group. Its pretty hardcore in that the conditions are tough and the work is treated very seriously at a pretty high pace. http://itsnotjustmud.com/
Whatever you choose to do I wish you well.