Some foreigners come to Japan to teach English for a year or two, partying every weekend and traveling all over before heading home. Others find a new home, put down roots, perhaps get married and have kids. Still others become full-fledged Rock Stars, topping the charts and touring the country with a band known nationally and even abroad. Not a lot of us fall into the last category, but Maynard Plant, the front man for Monkey Majik has done just that, coming from Canada and bringing his brother Blaise with him, to rise to stardom in the land of the Rising Sun. Comprised of two Canadians and two Japanese, Monkey Majik is an excellent example of interculturalism and bilingual musical fusion. Oh, and did I mention they happen to live in Sendai?

In the weeks since the recent disaster, @BlaisePlant has been a constant source of on-site observation on Twitter, reporting from the communities he lives in. Regularly updating and keeping people updated, he was one of the “Go To Guys” on Twitter after the events of March 11th. They’ve recently been helping out with the clean-up, and encouraging others to do the same. In the course of their efforts, they put together this little video, with some pretty striking footage from some of the affected areas.

Monkey Majik will always hold a special little place in my heart as a shining example of an ALT done good, and the whole band is a group of seriously talented guys. I haven’t heard all of their stuff, but I definitely plan to check out more now!

Thanks to Justin for pointing this out to me on Twitter!