Japan House fundraiser nets $3,500

Mi Mi Chou is sending help home.

The native Japanese woman and owner of Japan House restaurant in Coeur d'Alene was moved, she said, by the inundation of donations at a fundraiser this weekend to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

More than $3,500 was raised at the restaurant's dinner event, Mi Mi said.

"It means a lot," she said. "In this economy, that everyone shows up, that really touches me."

Mi Mi, who moved to the U.S. from Ciba, Japan, about 40 years ago, has lived in Coeur d'Alene and owned Japan House for the past decade.

She said that she worked for several days putting the fundraiser together to help those in her home country.

She even pitched in this weekend in the back kitchen, personally preparing dishes for those who ventured in to donate in exchange for a meal.

And it didn't end at the event, she added.

"There were still people coming up and donating yesterday," Mi Mi said on Tuesday.

She plans on sending the funds to a recourse organization that will ensure the dollars go to help survivors.

"There's no word for it," she said of her excitement over the donations. "The tsunami victims, that will encourage them to be strong, and to know that in this world, there are many people who care."