Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Aqua
Well now that the water in Tokyo is contaminated, it may be time to join the 'flyjin' in escaping from Japan or at least moving to points west.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
She Makes a Good Point
Blog link a friend sent to me on Facebook... have to say she raises a good point about the use of money.
http://jankenbpm.wordpress.com/
http://jankenbpm.wordpress.com/
Microsieverts
Had never heard this word before but have heard it 100's of time per day in the last week. Sadly no matter how often I read the wikipedia entry, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me!
Update (revised)
Hubby and I are still in Tokyo. Many of our foreign friends have left, either by choice or because their companies or governments flew them out, even though Tokyo itself is supposed to be too far away from the power plants to be at any risk from radiation. However, we can't eat spinach or drink milk from the area anymore, as these are deemed unsafe. (You can get them from other parts of Japan though.)
Some companies have relocated to Hong Kong, such as the banks (eg., Goldman Sachs), because we have rolling 4-hour blackouts every day in Tokyo to conserve energy. This has obviously interfered with business. H and I are in a sweet spot, so our section of our ward is not turned off though other parts of our ward are. Since we live on the 27th floor, it is great that we can use the elevators freely. Most stores that are open have turned off their escalators and elevators and many floor lights and heat to save electricity. It is kind of eerie to shop in those conditions, especially when entire shelves are empty-- toilet paper still a scarcity, though I did manage to snag one of the dozen packages that came in to the local store the other day. Cup noodle and many dry goods are still all gone-- including rice. We don't keep or cook rice in the house anymore, haven't for years, so this has not affected us. Even if we needed it, H's relatives could send us some from their farm in Shiga (Kansai).
My Swiss friend went through a rather dramatic rescue from Fukushima City once the area she lived in was declared off-limits because of the ongoing nuclear situation (by the Swiss-- the J govt has said that the safe zone (from radiation) is outside 30 km, but most other govts are saying it is 80 km). Because the roads are so bad, she missed the bus to travel with the Swiss rescue team from Fukushima to Tokyo. She was somehow able to reach Miyagi prefecture and was finally able to get on a bus organized by the British embassy from Sendai. Because of highway damage, instead of driving directly to Tokyo, they had to go via Niigata! This is like going from San Francisco to LA via Tahoe or Reno.
Anyway, once she got to Tokyo, she was flown Business Class (!) by the Swiss govt with 3 other Swiss from Fukushima. She was planning on moving home to Geneva in June, so she got a free flight... though she was of course only able to take essentials with her. She is safe, but her J husband and J in-laws are still in Fukushima. Not an ideal situation by any means. (Americans were only flown as far as another city in Asia and had to pay for their flights. Too many of us!)
H and I are 150 km from the power plant, so no concern for us, but H is of course avidly watching the news. He studied physics at university (though his research was in thin films for solar cells), so is fascinated by all of this, especially the fact that the head of the IAEA is Japanese. Many people are risking their lives to contain the situation. It is very sad. It has been over a week now but all they can do is keep pouring water on the cells. (I am not very clear on this but expect H will tell me when it's time to hit the road.)
As I mentioned, many expats (and friends) have fled the country. We talked about leaving on last Monday and looked into flights, but decided we could just drive to Kansai if need be-- car is gassed and we live next to the highway entrance. By Wed I heard flights were sold out for the week, and even charter flights were not available at any price (supposedly). Many people were panicking about getting their visa situations sorted out so immigration was a mess. (If you have a valid work or spouse visa, you still need an additional re-entry permit to leave and come back. Americans can get re-entry permits valid for multiple trips, but other nationals cannot-- they are single use only.)
We had two more earthquakes yesterday, closer to home-- one in Ibaraki. One of my friends from Ibaraki is doing research on freshwater shrimp. During the big earthquake, about half of the shrimp were sloshed out of the aquarium by the shaking. They could rescue most of them, but many died. She was at home yesterday (in Tokyo) so I wonder if her shrimp were sloshed out of the tank again. If so they probably will die before she can get to them. It's such a small thing to worry about shrimp but when you think of how much effort goes into research, it would be a shame to lose them.
More later this week!
Some companies have relocated to Hong Kong, such as the banks (eg., Goldman Sachs), because we have rolling 4-hour blackouts every day in Tokyo to conserve energy. This has obviously interfered with business. H and I are in a sweet spot, so our section of our ward is not turned off though other parts of our ward are. Since we live on the 27th floor, it is great that we can use the elevators freely. Most stores that are open have turned off their escalators and elevators and many floor lights and heat to save electricity. It is kind of eerie to shop in those conditions, especially when entire shelves are empty-- toilet paper still a scarcity, though I did manage to snag one of the dozen packages that came in to the local store the other day. Cup noodle and many dry goods are still all gone-- including rice. We don't keep or cook rice in the house anymore, haven't for years, so this has not affected us. Even if we needed it, H's relatives could send us some from their farm in Shiga (Kansai).
My Swiss friend went through a rather dramatic rescue from Fukushima City once the area she lived in was declared off-limits because of the ongoing nuclear situation (by the Swiss-- the J govt has said that the safe zone (from radiation) is outside 30 km, but most other govts are saying it is 80 km). Because the roads are so bad, she missed the bus to travel with the Swiss rescue team from Fukushima to Tokyo. She was somehow able to reach Miyagi prefecture and was finally able to get on a bus organized by the British embassy from Sendai. Because of highway damage, instead of driving directly to Tokyo, they had to go via Niigata! This is like going from San Francisco to LA via Tahoe or Reno.
Anyway, once she got to Tokyo, she was flown Business Class (!) by the Swiss govt with 3 other Swiss from Fukushima. She was planning on moving home to Geneva in June, so she got a free flight... though she was of course only able to take essentials with her. She is safe, but her J husband and J in-laws are still in Fukushima. Not an ideal situation by any means. (Americans were only flown as far as another city in Asia and had to pay for their flights. Too many of us!)
H and I are 150 km from the power plant, so no concern for us, but H is of course avidly watching the news. He studied physics at university (though his research was in thin films for solar cells), so is fascinated by all of this, especially the fact that the head of the IAEA is Japanese. Many people are risking their lives to contain the situation. It is very sad. It has been over a week now but all they can do is keep pouring water on the cells. (I am not very clear on this but expect H will tell me when it's time to hit the road.)
As I mentioned, many expats (and friends) have fled the country. We talked about leaving on last Monday and looked into flights, but decided we could just drive to Kansai if need be-- car is gassed and we live next to the highway entrance. By Wed I heard flights were sold out for the week, and even charter flights were not available at any price (supposedly). Many people were panicking about getting their visa situations sorted out so immigration was a mess. (If you have a valid work or spouse visa, you still need an additional re-entry permit to leave and come back. Americans can get re-entry permits valid for multiple trips, but other nationals cannot-- they are single use only.)
We had two more earthquakes yesterday, closer to home-- one in Ibaraki. One of my friends from Ibaraki is doing research on freshwater shrimp. During the big earthquake, about half of the shrimp were sloshed out of the aquarium by the shaking. They could rescue most of them, but many died. She was at home yesterday (in Tokyo) so I wonder if her shrimp were sloshed out of the tank again. If so they probably will die before she can get to them. It's such a small thing to worry about shrimp but when you think of how much effort goes into research, it would be a shame to lose them.
More later this week!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Emails to Home & Friends
3/11
Japan had a huge quake this afternoon but Tokyo is fine. Bldg swayed a lot but not to worry. It was up in Iwate, far from here.
3/11
We had lots of shaking but no damage here. It was so scary, and I was so glad H and I were both home and together. We went out to buy lots of groceries so we can eat for a few days in case things disappear off the shelves tonight and tomorrow.
3/11
There have been several quakes and aftershocks here in Japan and lots of tsunami warnings in effect along the Pacific shore, but our part of Tokyo is safe and sound. H and I were both home together and were able to go out and buy groceries to cover us for a few days. No need to worry about us.
3/12
Either google and skype are not working or there is some problem at your end, so can't call you.
Cannot tell you what an exciting and scary afternoon/evening we had. Living on the 27th floor, our building swayed a LOT and for a long time-- off and on with every quake and aftershock from 2:46 until about midnight. Felt quite seasick from it. The initial shock went on for over a couple minutes-- things falling, rolling, H and I wondering what to do-- hold things down or run for the stairs. It is SO lucky we were both home. I would have been really scared if he had been out and I'd been alone and worried for him (no cell service for hours) and I'd've been terrified if I had been out-- cannot imagine having to cope with all the massive queues/waiting around Tokyo by myself.
Trains were stopped so streets were flooded with cars/cabs/buses, and sidewalks were flooded with people trying to walk home, huge queues for food, toilets, buses, taxis, etc, all over Tokyo... many office workers had to sleep in their offices-- which is lucky because at least they were warm and indoors. Considering this earthquake was miles from here, it is hard to imagine how bad things would be if it had been closer to us. Even still, there were fires in Tokyo caused by damage from the quake (Fuji TV hard hit in Odaiba) and a huge fire at a natural gas plant out in Chiba. Friend in Chiba reported lots of damage-- furniture, knickknacks, etc.
Anyway, things seem more or less normal here now-- trains running limited service but are operating since 7 am. Quite an experience!
3/12
Thanks for checking on us.
There was a lot of chaos in Tokyo with trains stopped-- that alone led to a 100K people unable to get home, so shortage of food, toilets, shelter, etc. Crazy number of people trying to walk home-- a friend's husband walked for 5 hours! Another friend for 12!!! Luckily, H and I were home and are fine.
3/13
We are fine here. We were at home together so no stress about locating each other. Only concern is a friend in Fukushima who I have been unable to contact. Other family and friends are fine.
Thank you for thinking of me. I hope all is well with you.
3/15
Thank you for checking on me. My husband and I are perfectly fine and safe. We were home together when the 9.0 earthquake hit and have stayed close to home since. We have plenty of food, water, electricity, etc., in this area of Tokyo.
There have been many threats of cutting off electricity in our ward of Tokyo, but since we live near a major police station, fire station, several hospitals, highway patrol, and the Tokyo Gas office, we are unlikely to be affected and would have access to plenty of help if we are.
Our main concern now is the nuclear reactors... we may go stay with family in Kobe or Hawaii if the situation is not contained soon.
I appreciate all the well wishes and support on Facebook and email and hope everyone is doing well back home too.
3/17
H and I are doing well. We were home together when the first quake came and have been home together since. We went out to buy food and gas immediately after the 9.0 quake on Friday, so we were well stocked over the weekend. We went shopping today and aside from a shortage of toilet paper (?!), there is plenty of food and supplies available in Tokyo. I guess everyone is hitting the toilet heavily with the quakes and threat of nuclear fallout. lol. Been a bit scary at times but by and large the ongoing uncertainty about the reactors in Fukushima is more worrying than the quakes were. We decided we will leave for Kobe if radiation does actually become a concern in Tokyo but so far it's not.
March Comes in Like a Lion
Well what to say about January and February? Seems like they have been totally forgotten and now eclipsed by the Earthquake of March 11. Does it have a name yet, like the Hanshin (Osaka-Kobe) Earthquake of 1995? Not sure... so far it seems to be known as the Higashi Nihon (East Japan) Earthquake. A 9.0, the largest magnitude on recorded history. Wow, even the devastating Hanshin quake was only in the 6's... though like this quake, there was little damage from the quake itself compared to what was caused by the aftermath. In Kobe, it was fire, and in this case, tsunami.
Aside from one friend of mine and one friend of my husband's, we don't know anyone living in the Tohoku area (Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures). Luckily, they were both ok in the quake and safe from any tsunami, but suffered through lack of water and electricity. Once that was fixed however, there were shortages of everything-- we even felt the effects here in Tokyo, where staples like rice, milk, and bread sold out completely, as did sundries like toilet paper and cup noodles. Things seem to be returning to normal at the stores, but now the focus is on radiation danger. More on that tomorrow.
Aside from one friend of mine and one friend of my husband's, we don't know anyone living in the Tohoku area (Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures). Luckily, they were both ok in the quake and safe from any tsunami, but suffered through lack of water and electricity. Once that was fixed however, there were shortages of everything-- we even felt the effects here in Tokyo, where staples like rice, milk, and bread sold out completely, as did sundries like toilet paper and cup noodles. Things seem to be returning to normal at the stores, but now the focus is on radiation danger. More on that tomorrow.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
December 3 & 4
The week gearing up to Christmas was busy with job applications, interviews, and other tedious activities. Not much exciting going on.
On Christmas day, we set off to Fukushima for an overnight ski trip. Snow was coming down so heavily that a truck overturned, blocking the access road to the ski area where we had a reservation. After more than five hours in traffic, we finally made it up the hill to the hotel. We arrived so late, we had a private meal in an empty restaurant, then tottered off to the onsen and up to bed. The second day we got up early to ski and enjoyed beautiful weather and fresh powder. It was worth all the time spent in traffic to have such a beautiful Boxing day.
After we got back home, we went shopping at Ikea to get some more book shelves and a new dining table. We assembled the furniture, cleaned the house, and felt pretty darn proud of ourselves for getting the house all pulled together. On New Year's Eve, we stayed home and watched the Kohakuutagassen, the end of the year musical program hosted by NHK. We ate soba, drank a bottle of champagne, and got off to bed by 1 am. All in all I enjoyed my first three weeks back in Japan.
On Christmas day, we set off to Fukushima for an overnight ski trip. Snow was coming down so heavily that a truck overturned, blocking the access road to the ski area where we had a reservation. After more than five hours in traffic, we finally made it up the hill to the hotel. We arrived so late, we had a private meal in an empty restaurant, then tottered off to the onsen and up to bed. The second day we got up early to ski and enjoyed beautiful weather and fresh powder. It was worth all the time spent in traffic to have such a beautiful Boxing day.
After we got back home, we went shopping at Ikea to get some more book shelves and a new dining table. We assembled the furniture, cleaned the house, and felt pretty darn proud of ourselves for getting the house all pulled together. On New Year's Eve, we stayed home and watched the Kohakuutagassen, the end of the year musical program hosted by NHK. We ate soba, drank a bottle of champagne, and got off to bed by 1 am. All in all I enjoyed my first three weeks back in Japan.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)