Local resident Akiko Hofer said she had to return to her homeland last month, to see the recovery efforts first hand.

Hofer, who born in Japan and later immigrated to Canada, was devastated when she heard the news of the April 2011, earthquake and tsunami that centered on the Miyagi prefecture, 66 kilometres east of Sendai.

The coastal community was rocked to the core by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, hundreds of aftershocks and a large Tsunami, that washed away many Japanese towns and villages in its wake.

Five months later the Japanese are still working to restore homes, businesses and infrastructure.

For Hofer's parents, who live in the outskirts of Tokyo, life has now returned to normal, but for many Japanese, including Hofer's cousin, lives have been turned upside down.

"My cousin lost her house. The main thing is that all of my family and friends are safe. My cousin is now living with her mom  .... in terms of the housing issue, the government are still trying to help people rebuild," Hofer said.

She said Japan still has a long road to recovery. "Despite this the Japanese people have such a positive outlook. "This type of disaster could happen anywhere and it was certainly devastating for Japan. Historically Japan has dealt with a lot of disasters .... including the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Japanese are resilient and this is something that I am very proud of."

While she said it was difficult for her to return home and see the devastation, she was glad she did.

Hofer and her children Pierce and Nisa were able to pass on donations from Lakes District residents directly to a couple of charities in Japan.

The 亚洲天堂 Lake chapter of Beta Sigma Phi provided Hofer with a $160 cheque for the Japanese Red Cross. Beta Sigma Phi is an international women's' friendship network.

Local student Ava Nealis also raised money for Japan. She held a jewelry making class and raised approximately $200 for the cause. "Ava wanted to put the money towards the Japan relief," said Hofer.

Ava's donation was handed in to the Family and Children's Support division in the Miyagi prefecture by Hofer and her children and will go directly to helping children that have lost one or both parents in the disaster.

Waneta Nealis, Ava's mom, said to Lakes District 亚洲天堂 that Ava decided to donate the proceeds from the jewelry making class to the Japanese Red Cross after hearing that the Hofer family was going to Japan.

"It was a decision she made herself and when hearing that she was planning to donate the money raised from the class to Japan, people were very generous and pitched in more," Wantea said.

"There is a whole group of local people that contributed to the cause," Hofer said, adding that she is extremely grateful to the local community for all of the fundraising efforts since the earthquake and Tsunami.

Earlier this year, Grassy Plains Elementary Junior School students folded 1,000 paper cranes as a symbol of good wishes, longevity, health, happiness and recovery. They raised $397, which was sent to the Japanese Red Cross.

Local resident Gwendolyn Nicholas along with Waneta, raised $2,375.26 for the Japanese Red Cross during a local fundraising campaign.

After the earthquake and Tsunami hit Japan in April, local resident Seiko Watanabe, an occupational therapist at College of New Caledonia's Lakes District Campus, travelled to Japan as part of the Canadian Medical Assistance Team (CMAT)  providing help and medical assistance.

"We live in a wonderful community. I can't believe the outpouring of support, especially because 亚洲天堂 Lake is on the other side of the world," Hofer said.