East Meets West

Earlier this summer a group of Japanese Fairtrade pioneers visited Garstang during the town's celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of its status as the world's first Fairtrade town. Here visitors Erika Oe and Mineo Kageya outline their experiences
My experience in Garstang was a very meaningful and an educational time.

Fairtrade is not well-known in Japan because you cannot buy or see products such as Fairtrade tea, coffee and bananas in ordinary supermarkets.

However, if you walked through the Fairtrade town of Garstang, first of all you would find chocolate, tea, coffee, wine, sugar and many other Fairtrade products in stock in ordinary supermarkets.

Then you would go in a restaurant which uses Fairtrade sugar, etc. and there would be clothes shops, garages and hairdressers that put the Fairtrade stickeron their entrance door to show they support the cause within their shop.

This was very different from the town where I live in Japan.
There I would only be able to buy a bar of Fairtrade chocolate in a Fairtrade shop which would be miles from my house.

I always felt bad because I couldn't buy Fairtrade products all the time.

I know there are some Fairtrade shops and people who support the causein Japan.

However, as Mr Bruce Crowther told me, "Fairtrade isn't an alternative.

And it is important to get the ordinary people to be involved, rather than those who are already involved getting more Fairtrade products".

During the visit to Garstang, I really felt that the people – the community, the schools – were all involved in any kind of way to support Fairtrade.

Also it is very interesting hearing the history of how Garstang became the first Fairtrade town in the world.

Because, before I heard the story, I always thought that the people were all supportive from the beginning and the idea of making Garstang a Fairtrade town was considerably progressing on success.

And I learned that even if the goal is not clearly seen from the beginning, that putting effort and having the "can do" attitude towards it would lead to make a difference to ourselves, the people and the community.

Even if it was a short stay, I would want to be able to share the approaches and the information to my home town.

I want to thank all the people who I met in Garstang.
Thank you.

Erika Oe, delegation member, Garstang visit 2010

The visitors really enjoyed Garstang in Bloom, the cheerful birds, the quiet canal and Bowland, with a fantastic view of the sunset and the sea.

I am sure we can promote Garstang much more than just it being the first Fairtrade town.

Raffling items as prizes is not common in Japan and I learned about it at Garstang's Save the Children shop.

A kimono was raffled and the result was very good, with a lot of local attention.

I enjoyed the attraction of duck-racing at the Children's Festival, and bought raffle tickets as a souvenir for my friends working for charity in Japan.

Mineo Kageya, Director of the Japan in Fairtrade Towns initiative in Tokyo, and delegation member Garstang visit 2010