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THE civic engagement of Marie Nihei spans two communities—her hometown in Nueva Ecija and Japan’s capital, Tokyo, where she now resides. One cannot help wonder where her heart is.
Marie, Mayang to her friends, had her calling of community involvement after her five-year-old son, Seeichi, survived a rare case of sarcoma (cancer of connective tissues—bone, cartilage, fat) with 17 Japanese donating blood for his bone marrow transplant.
Overwhelmed with the unlikely assistance that helped end her son’s three-year battle with cancer, Mayang decided to pay it forward by founding her “pet project” of blood donation with the Department of Health and the Nueva Ecija chapter of the Philippine National Red Cross.
Need to bleed
“My slogan was ‘We need to bleed so others may live,’” she said. “From 2001 up to now, I support blood donation since I became more aware of the importance of blood because of what had happened to my son.”
While at the hospital, Mayang, who then spent most of her time by Seeichi’s bedside, monitoring, feeding and playing with him, still managed to join activities in the hospital, teach children English, and study Japanese. More importantly, she kept a positive spark in the bleakest of times.
Mayang’s blood donation campaign did not begin at the hospital where Seeichi was admitted, or in any other healthcare establishment. It began in a sushi bar.
Sushi bar
The Yanagawa sushi bar, which Mayang, together with her husband, Tabo, opened in 1993, a year after his son’s successful operation, once served as a center for drumming up support for her blood program. Inside it, a sign asking for all kinds of donations was posted.
Many responded to the call, most of them bringing bags of material donations the next time they dropped by Yanagawa. The items—ranging from towels, hearing aids, dentures to transistor radios and computers—Mayang shipped to Nueva Ecija using the savings she got from her business.
But the bar was not a success just for being a makeshift relief center. Of course, it served outstanding sushi, thanks to the fresh fish that came from Tsukiji, one of the world’s biggest seafood markets.
The bar’s location—in the heart of Tokyo—also helped in attracting upscale customers like government officials, university professors, and celebrities around the globe.
“It was a hit from the first day!” she said.
At the sushi bar, Mayang performs all kinds of tasks: She supervises, cooks, washes the dishes, and even cleans the place. Her five Japanese members are always ready to lend a helping hand.
Her husband works in the Tsukiji Central Market. Their son Seeichi, now in his early 20s and cancer-free, always comes along with him.
Nueva Ecijanos unite
Mayang’s support for her kababayans (compatriots) was not limited to her “need-to-bleed” campaign.
Ten months before the blood donation program commenced, Mayang had established the Japan Association for Nueva Ecijanos (Jane).
“I instituted Jane as suggested by (Nueva Ecija) Governor Tomas Joson, who, after awarding me a plaque of appreciation, bestowed me the title of Ambassador of Goodwill of Nueva Ecija to Japan,” she said.
What Mayang did was to scour Tokyo, from the churches to the embassy, for Nueva Ecijanos and rally them to form a group that would cater to same likes and needs. She published announcements in magazines to appeal to more members.
The group had its induction ceremony at the Rihga Royal Hotel in Japan with Governor Joson as a special guest eight years ago.
As the pioneering president of Jane, the only Filipino organization registered in the Tokyo Metropolitan government, Mayang is responsible for gathering its members to partake in monthly events such as fund-raising drives, field trips, bowling tournaments, and videoke parties.
The group helps further Mayang’s blood donation program. Its members donate food and supplies to typhoon victims, schools, and orphanages in Nueva Ecija. Jane sponsors the airfare and other miscellaneous expenses of Pinoys who need to get back home when one of their family or relatives dies, gets sick, or meets an accident.
“The things we do aren’t simple,” Mayang said. “Neither is my role as the association’s mother. It’s quite a challenge organizing activities, reserving venues, getting sponsors, or even cleaning the place after a party, but, I tell you, it’s all worth it.”
She added: “I also go to detention centers, the immigration, and the embassy to fix the papers of our fellow Filipinos caught overstaying in Japan.”
Performing with Julio Diaz
Other than Jane, Mayang shares her time—and this time, talent, too—with another group she had put together, the Teatro Kanto Organization.
The TKO materialized after ex-welfare officer Jo Sanchez held a workshop in the Philippine Embassy in Japan. The group was formed to uplift and enhance the image of Filipinos through theater arts, and Mayang was elected president.
It was a task not unfamiliar to Mayang since she had experience running an organization and knew the ropes of performing as, before being a blood donation devotee and sushi chef, she was first a singer and dancer in the Land of the Rising Sun.
“I was part of this cultural group who performed from 1979 to 1980,” she said. “Actually, I ended up in Japan because of an invitation from my aunt who was a cultural dancer too.”
Most performances of the TKO are held during Independence Day, Migrant Workers Day, and other holidays. During her visits in Japan, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo watched them perform.
“And we also performed with Julio Diaz as our main actor. This happened during our first blockbuster show in March 2001.”
The proceeds of TKO events usually go to cause-oriented entities such as the Classroom, Galing sa Mamamayang Pilipino Abroad (CGMA) and the Breast Cancer Society of Manila.
Membership to the TKO is not partial to Filipinos. “It’s open to Japanese as well. Actually, it’s open for all nationalities and all ages,” she said.
‘Bayaning Pilipino’
Because of her remarkable contribution to both Philippine and Japanese society, the 45-year-old Filipina received recognition in the recently concluded Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Bayaning Pilipino sa Gawing Japan 2009. The awarding ceremony was originally launched as Gawad Geny Lopez Bayaning Pilipino Award in the Philippines in 1992 by the Ugat Foundation.
This feat—being proclaimed a hero—was the icing on her multilayered cake she accepted humbly to remind her that service should always be sincere at the same time quiet and unheralded.
For Mayang, being successful is all about being humbled by the experience. She likened this to the way palay arches its body toward the ground when starting to bear grains.
“You put success in your heart, not in your head,” she said.
So does a hyperactive lady like Mayang still have room for less stressing pursuits?
“I jog, play tennis, go to the gym for yoga, hip-hop dancing, aerobics, and sauna. And, hey, I’m a happy mom and a loving wife too!”
