User:Henni147/sandbox/Philanthropy of Yuzuru Hanyu

Yuzuru Hanyu, a two-time Olympic champion in men's figure skating from Japan, has made continuous philanthropic contributions after experiencing the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in his hometown of Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture, becoming a symbol figure for reconstruction and recovery efforts in Japan. He was appointed as a Tsunami Disaster Prevention ambassador by Japan's Cabinet Office in 2014 and as a spokesperson for the Japanese Red Cross Society in 2015. He is also a leading tourism ambassador of Sendai, one of the worst hit cities by the earthquake in 2011, and a special messenger for the television segment News Every on Nippon TV, covering documentaries on disaster-stricken areas among others.

Hanyu has participated in various charity events for recovery after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, including 60ice shows across Japan in 2011, and is the chairperson of Yuzuru Hanyu Notte Stellata, an annual ice show and commemoration event inaugurated in 2023. He has dedicated various skating programs to the victims of the disaster, including his gala exhibitions at the 2014, 2018, and 2022 Winter Olympics, and his performances on the annual charity program 24-hour TV "Love Saves the Earth" on Nippon TV from 2014 to 2022. By the end of 2023, Hanyu has donated a cumulative total of ¥365million (US$3.12million) for reconstruction, disaster prevention, and other humanitarian purposes. The donations include the full prize money for his two Olympic wins and all royalties from the sales of his best-selling autobiography series Blue FlamesI–IV.

In 2018, Hanyu was bestowed with the People's Honor Award by the prime minister of Japan for his athletic achievements and cultural contributions that "gave dreams and thrills to the people and hope and courage to society". His philanthropic efforts left a strong impact in Japan and overseas, having inspired organizations, companies, and individuals to spread awareness and support projects for disaster prevention and recovery.

Spokesperson appointments and ambassadorships

 * Representative of the Great East Japan Earthquake Employment, Education and Health Support Organization
 * Tsunami Disaster Prevention ambassador
 * Spokesperson for the Japanese Red Cross Society
 * Sendai tourism ambassador
 * Tour de Tōhoku ambassador
 * Special messenger for News Every on Nippon TV
 * Other contributions

Charity events and tribute performances

 * 2011 charity ice shows
 * 24-hour TV "Love Saves the Earth"
 * "Together, Forward" exhibition
 * Yuzuru Hanyu Notte Stellata

Donations for recovery and disaster prevention

 * Winter Olympics prize money and victory parades
 * Blue Flames autobiography series
 * Yuzuru Hanyu Exhibitions with Yomiuri Shimbun
 * Donations for reconstructions after the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake, 2024 Noto earthquake among others

"Pooh rain" and donations to children's facilities
The "Pooh rain" was a popular tradition among Hanyu's fans who used to throw hundreds of Winnie-the-Poohs and other stuffed toys onto the ice after his competitive performances to express their support and admiration. In some cases, it took multiple minutes and required ten or more "sweepers" to clean up the amount of thrown gifts from the ice. The tradition arose from Hanyu's habit to carry a Pooh bear-covered tissue case to his competitions, which was also a good luck charm for him. The first major "Pooh rain" occurred at the 2015 World Figure Skating Championships in Shanghai, where Hanyu won the silver medal behind his former training mate Javier Fernández. The following years, it became a regular spectacle at skating competitions until the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The phenomenon received global recognition, being broadly covered by international media at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics among others.

Hanyu used to donate the stuffed toys to local charities or distribute them to children in the surrounding area of the competition venues. The gifts from the 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki were donated to the Finnish "Christmas Tree Collection" charity project and sent to children who otherwise would have been left without Christmas presents that year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm were held without a live audience, so Hanyu's fans organized a campaign titled "Yuzuru4Children", donating money and Winnie-the-Pooh toys to various local facilities, including a children's hospital as well as shelters for mothers and children escaping domestic violence.

Chronology of donations

 * Donation in ¥ – Official donation amount in Japanese yen at the time, not considering current inflation rates
 * Donation in US$ – Exchange rate in US dollars at the time, rounded to thousands