Public support is growing for the reconstruction of Shuri Castle, a fire-hit UNESCO World Heritage site in the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa, with more than 300 million yen collected through a crowdfunding program and many consumers buying local goods to assist rebuilding efforts.

Last Friday, the day after the fire, the municipal government of Naha, Okinawa's capital, where the castle is located, launched the crowdsourcing project on Furusato Choice, a portal site for the country's “furusato nozei” hometown donation system.

After the initiative met its goal of collecting 100 million yen in just two days, the total amount of contributions exceeded 355 million yen as of noon Wednesday (3 a.m. GMT). Donors have posted over 6,000 comments in support of the reconstruction efforts.

The project collected donations “at a speed we've never seen before,” a representative of the site operator, Trustbank Inc., said. “This must be because Shuri Castle is a symbol of Okinawa and probably due to the effects of the extensive media coverage of the fire.”

Popular support for Shuri Castle can also be seen at the Ginza Washita Shop, which specializes in Okinawa goods. The shop in Tokyo's upscale Ginza district said that the number of shoppers increased by 40 pct after the fire, with over half putting money into a donation box for reconstruction efforts placed next to the checkout counter since last Friday.

“Everybody loves Okinawa and thinks of the fire as something related to them. I am very thankful,” assistant store manager Masakazu Toguchi, 55, said, noting that many customers offered words of encouragement following the incident.

“I was shocked when I saw it on the news,” Tomoko Hiruma, a 40-year-old Tokyoite, who runs her own business, said after shopping and donating money at the store. “I love the place and have visited it several times, so I want to be of help.”

Jiji Press