Live from Tokyo

Well I’ve been informed this evening that I’m crap at blogging, not something I didn’t know to be honest, but it got me to thinking that perhaps there is actually someone who

a) cares about my wife and I and
b) who reads this blog… this blog post is for that one person

Firstly we are both ok.
We are in Tokyo and safe.

I also wanted to express my disgust at the media both in Australia and in other western countries. They have done nothing but fuel panic and sensationalise everything that has happened in the hope of selling newspapers, whilst diverting attention from those who deserve it, the hundreds of thousands now mourning along the coast of Japan.

March 11th.

First let me say I don’t want sympathy. Honestly, the past month has been an interesting and trying time, but compared to those who are truly suffering in Japan, I have had to put up with nothing more than minor inconvenience due to the quake that shook this country to it’s core.

None the less March 11th is one of those days I will certainly never forget.

I was on the 26th floor talking with my team when the quake hit. Now this is hardly the first quake I have experienced. It was the biggest however by a large margin. Usually when we feel a quake in my building there is some rocking back and forth a little, people smile and joke as the building gently moves about, call it one of the unique features of being in Japan.
But this day, that jovial mood quickly turned to panic as the shaking got bigger and bigger. I’ve read some exadurated reports of how bad this shaking got, but suffice it to say the building was moving around quite a bit. Enough for us to know this was a major quake, but not enough for people to be taking cover.

Some people at this point ran, most stayed as there were no instructions for us to evacuate. I managed to call my wife, as the shaking was still happening, and garnered enough to know that she was safe, but out in a suburban area of Tokyo, this was the last time I was able to get through on the phone before we eventually met up.

As the shaking subsided, many people including myself went over to the windows, there we could watch as the buildings swayed like tall grass from the after effects of the quake. We could see school children gathered on a nearby school oval, and many office workers milling around the base of surrounding buildings. Slowly, we then saw smoke rising in the distance from several fires that had started from the quake.

There was a weird period that followed this, many people left / evacuated but for whatever reason I decided I would stay put. I sat down at my desk and was about to start trying to get back to some work when the second quake hit. Not as bad as the first, but I figured this was my signal to go.

I grabbed the evacuation bag (all staff have one in Japan) and headed for the stairs (the elevators having shut down from the quake). The stairs were fairly empty until I got to the 10th floor, then traffic was backed up getting out of the building. Slowly I made my way the rest of the way down before finally getting out at the 4th floor. I was surprised to see many people waiting around in the lobby and directly under the building this seemed dangerous to me so, I made my way over to the evacuation area where I met up with members from my team. I was still trying to get through to my wife, but the phones were down for everyone. It was then I heard that a ten metre wave had hit Miyagi. At the time I remember thinking Wow, but had no idea of what this actually meant.

After milling around for a while, I walked back to my apartment building. The elevators were down, and there were a few people gathered around the lobby. I was still trying to call through to my wife with no success, then I thought I would try e-mail and amazingly it WORKED. I quickly learned where my wife was, and that she was stuck as all trains had been stopped. I shot off a quick email to my parents letting them know I was ok.

The car parking system at my apartment building was down, but I gathered enough with my broken Japanese to know that it would be back up soon. So, I lugged my way up 11 flights of stairs, got my car keys, dumped my stuff and changed. Then got in my car and headed off to get my wife.

It took a long time. The streets were full of people walking home, and traffic was horrific, it was an odd scene. Thousands walking home… silently sharing an evening no-one would ever forget. It was on my way to get her that I saw the first pictures of the tsunami, on the TV in my car. I’m sure everyone felt the same way, the pictures are more than can be described in words.

Eventually, I got to my wife and we gradually made our way back home.

The days after

I would never have believed in “Earth quake sickness” a month ago, but I do now. Basically, it feels like the earth is constantly moving. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. It’s unsettling none the less.

Of course we also then had to put up with the Nuclear crisis. Don’t get me wrong. The situation is bad, but Chernobyl this is not. No matter how many times the media tries to make out that it is.

“Nihon no chikara o Shinjiteru” Japan’s strength believe in it

I already liked living in Japan before all of this. For many, the events of recent weeks have sent them fleeing, for me I am more impressed with this country now than ever before.

Japan was prepared, but never for something of this scale. Still, even given this infrastructure has been restored in amazing time, many are lost, but many more were saved by advanced warning systems. Buildings have stood up to continuous earthquakes, many big enough to have reduced towns to rubble in other countries. Japan is strong. This much I am certain of, and they will bounce back from this.

For all who read this, and are able please donate. To those who now have been left with nothing, even the smallest amounts are appreciated

Sakura

Lastly, I thought I would share some photos of the Sakura in Roppongi. For Japan, Hanami is an important time. Meant to celebrate the beauty and fragility of life, as the Sakura blossom blooms for such a short time before falling. Now more than ever, this is important and relevant.