After the Earthquake – Part 10
This is an archive post from my old blog. I’ve put this series here for others that may still be interested and so that I don’t forget…
Sunday 20th March – Day nine
Life is beginning to get back to normal in Tokyo. The weather was warm and people came out in droves to enjoy the sunshine. The fear has subsided. From looking around in Tokyo it’s difficult to believe that just over a week ago 10,000-15,000 people were wiped out (estimates at the time of writing) in an instant just 150 miles (250km) up the road. Everything here looks the same.
Still no toilet paper in the shops, still lines at petrol stations, and some shelves remain empty in supermarkets, but in Tokyo those are the only signs of what was one of the most terrible weeks in Japanese history.
Problems remain at the reactors, but the situation feels much more stable than it did. The world media has already started shipping their reporters to Libya, and the soaps are back on TV. Now 800,000 people must begin to literally rebuild their lives.
The British Embassy started giving out iodine tablets yesterday as a precaution. It feels to me like they want to be seen to be doing something. There were big lines of people waiting for them, but I didn’t go as there didn’t feel like there is any point – last Sunday I probably would have been one of the first in the line.
As I write this I’m in very reflective mood. Thinking about the randomness of the world, and what it means to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Today I thought a lot about those who had died, and those who remain and never got the chance to say goodbye. I think this whole experience has changed me, I feel different, things around me look different although everything is the same.
After today my blog will go back to normal, and will focus on images around me, and my slightly quirky view of them. But before that happens I would like to thank all those that risked their lives to ensure our safety this week, not just those in the reactor but those looking after the people in the shelters, clearing the streets, and those doing all the other things we tend to overlook and take for granted. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude, and I hope we repay it by living better lives.
Goodnight from Tokyo
2 Comments
Sharon Stevens
30/03/2013Thank you for sharing your experiences in Tokyo after the Earthquake. I have often wondered what it must have been like. My brother lives in Tokyo and chose to stay. He has never discussed the experience because he does not want my parents to worry…so he told no-one back here at home in South Australia.
I always try to watch the documentaries that occasionally appear on TV so that I can keep up with what is happening during recovery there.
I hope and pray that all the survivors of the tsunami and Fukushima fallout will be OK. I wish that I too could do something to help them.
I gave money to The Red Cross appeal which I hope went to the survivors and not just to administration.
Regards Sharon
Draycat
31/03/2013Hi Sharon, Thanks for reading. The situation is pretty much back to normal here in Tokyo, but there still remains many problems in the north. Lots of radiation still has to be cleaned, they haven’t found places to put dirt containing radiation, many of the people feel depressed, high suicide rates, etc. These are just the shot term effects, it will be longer before anyone knows the longer term threats, and even longer before any government here will admit to them. And as always in Japan there are always more earthquakes with the risk of another big one around the corner. Even now, 2 years later, my heart stops when there is an earthquake. But if you have family here its not so easy to just leave, we continue and pretty much just hope for the best!