The past few weeks have been a transient blur, with our family of four going from Japan to Singapore to Thailand, back to Singapore, then to Japan and finally, taking a 12 hour flight back to Detroit and another puddle jumper over to Portage. As everyone knows from my previous blogs(if you have read them) and the news, Japan has experienced an unimaginable double natural disaster, and to go along with that, is experiencing a nuclear plant that is completely unstable, with what seems like no end in site.
Four days after the initial 9.0 earthquake, after days of non-stop aftershocks, we decided to leave Japan early for our already planned Spring Break trip to Phuket, Thailand. Our initial trip was planned for a few days later, meeting up with Greg and Missy (Scott's brother and his wife) for the last week of their Asian vacation. Luckily, the four of us had booked a 2 bedroom condo at the Marriot Mai Khao Beach club for two weeks already, so all we had to worry about was switching up our airline tickets. We are so grateful to Scott's company for taking care of us, helping us get out of Japan and also giving us the time to try to figure out what our next move will be. We spent 11 days in Thailand, hoping and praying that things would settle down in Japan while we were there and we would feel comfortable flying back to Japan and getting back to our life. However, while we were in Thailand, the Fukushima-Diaichi Nuclear Power plant continued to be unstable, with several blow ups, fears/reports of higher radiation (including unsafe tap water for infants in Tokyo), radiation leaks, as well as many vegetables having higher than safe radiation levels. It is now about 25 days after the disaster, and the power plant issue is no where near stable or resolved.
We are no closer today to having a final decision than we were while we were in Thailand. Our want is to go back to Tokyo on April 14th (we currently have plane tickets booked for that date). That is what the girls want- they both want to go back to school and be with their friends, doing their normal routine. That is what Scott wants- he needs to be physically "at" work to be effective and set a good example. That is what I want- I would like to take part in some way with the relief efforts- be productive, help at the evacuation centers that are all over Tokyo- contribute to the situation, rather than watch it on TV and feel so helpless. However, we also need to weigh the potential issues and hazards with going back to Tokyo at this point. For one, the nuclear power plant issues really make both of us uneasy. All reports say that nothing is reaching Tokyo in terms of radiation levels at this time. But, being that the issues at the power plant aren't even a little bit under control, whose to say that will remain the same? The fear of the unknown, and the fact that we would never forgive ourselves if we came back and then something happened health wise to one of our girls is making this decision extremely difficult. For two, we are not sure what the new normal will be. Quite a few of our friends are not coming back to Tokyo- some until the fall, others not at all. Three, Maya's school, ASIJ, is on the rolling blackout list for TEPCO. School currently starts about 1 hour earlier than it did prior to March 11. Maya had to hop on the bus at 7:30am everyday for school, and now, she will need to get on the bus at 6:50 everyday- that is one LONG day for a 2nd grader. Currently, her class has only 9 kids out of 21 back- the Elementary school has about 290 kids there, and 250 kids who have not returned yet. They have minimal heat (use it first thing in the morning and turn it off for the day- to save energy to help with the energy issues)- so the school is cold, and the teachers are taking the kids outside as much and as often as they can to keep them warm through the school day. I am also extremely uncomfortable thinking about putting Maya back on a bus for 45 minutes each way, each day. I do not know how I will feel about my kids being away from me- I guess that is something I will have to just gut out and see if I can handle it. I thank god daily that they were with me during the quake- it has definitely minimized their fear of going back. That being said, Maya is alone on that bus- yes, she knows a lot of kids, but she has no sibling with her. She is such a softie that if something were to happen again, I would be afraid for how that would affect her in the long run. The trains, though running full routes, are not running full schedules (not as many trains) and are running without lights on. We are told that most provisions- at least for now- are not too difficult to get. Milk seems to be the least available, but they say we can get water at Costco, fuel seems to be back to normal and the grocery stores, as long as you get there early in the morning, have food. The energy issues show no signs of letting up, and they are predicting a huge issue once summer comes and the heat/humidity skyrockets.
Our current options are:
--The girls and I stay in Michigan for the remainder of the school year/summer, while Scott goes back alone or commutes back and forth for the next 5 months. Then return in August for the start of the school year.
--We all go back and hope for the best- Scott goes to work, girls go to school and I try to figure out a new normal (we now have no visitors coming to Japan, so my Spring is wide open).
--We don't go back at all and Scott commutes for the next year. This one is not really an option- we will have next to no family life, and I just can't imagine spending so much time without him around.
This decision is not going to be an easy one. We love living in Japan and have a time frame in our heads of how long we will be there, getting the most out of our experience. We definitely do not want our experience to end like this- with a scary earthquake/tsunami, an evacuation and a feeling of helplessness.
I do want to end this Blog, for those of you reading, by asking for you to do two things- pray and donate what you can to the relief efforts. There are over 28,000 people missing or dead, and hundreds of thousands of people are displaced, living in shelters, sleeping on floors and having no where to go- this includes kids, elderly and every age and income bracket you can imagine. This is an industrialized nation- these people are just like us- hard working, with homes, families, cars, clothing- and now they have nothing. There are reports that the Insurance companies are going to go belly up, and will not even begin to be able to payout to those affected by these disasters....
The list below are organizations that will directly help those affected by these disasters, and are reputable and recommended by The American School in Japan, where Maya goes to school. Please help if you can- it doesn't matter how much- every bit will help.
Second Harvest Japan, a Tokyo food bank sending up food and supplies (http://www.2hj.org)
American Red Cross Hands for Japan Fund donations matched by ASIJ Alum Andrew Ogama '90 (htttp://www.crowdrise.com/handsforjapan)
Japan Red Cross
(http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/relief/l4/Vcms4_00002070.html)
Habitat for Humanity Japan (http://www.habitatjp.org/enblog/2011/03/donate_to_help_japan_earthquake_and_tsunami_victims.html)
JANIC a group fund for NGOs working in disaster relief including Doctors Without Borders and Habitat for Humanity
(http://www.janic.org/bokin/matomete14.php) [Japanese]
(http://www.janic.org/news/japanese_ngos_are_taking_action.php) [English]
Donations to NGO funds through Paypal
(https://www.paypal-donations.com/pp-charity/web.us/campaign.jsp?cid=-12)
Monday, March 21, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
U.S. Embassy letter to U.S. Tokyo residents
The following is the letter from the U.S. Government that we received today. They are not doing a "forced" evacuation, however are recommending U.S. citizens leave, and providing transportation to get to a "Safe Haven" in other parts of Asia. I think we are in a surreal place right now- I just can't wrap my head around all that is going on with Japan and our lives. I have to avoid the news at all costs, because I think all I will do is cry. We lived outside of NYC on 9/11, and I will tell you, I cried for WEEKS..this is very similar and I just am so sad.
I know everyone says "just come home", but what everyone needs to know is that Japan is our home for now. We have great friends, a great life, and a great respect for the Japanese people and I feel if we just "leave" we will be completely abandoning our friends and the only other country we have called home.
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The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo informs U.S. citizens in Japan who wish to depart that the Department of State is making arrangements to provide transportation to safehaven locations in Asia. This assistance will be provided on a reimbursable basis, as required by U.S. law. U.S. citizens who travel on US government-arranged transport will be expected to make their own onward travel plans from the safehaven location. Flights to evacuation points will begin departing Japan on Thursday, March 17. There will be a limited number of seats available on evacuation flights departing from Narita and Haneda airports on March 17. Priority will be given to persons with medical emergencies or severe medical conditions.
Persons interested in departing Japan via USG-chartered transportation should proceed to Narita and Haneda airports or contact the US Department of State and Embassy Japan by sending an email to JapanEmergencyUSC@state.gov or by calling 1-202-501-4444. Please provide the following information:
Name, age, place of birth, U.S. passport number and any special medical needs.
Immediate family members (spouses and children) who are not U.S. citizens must be documented for entry into the safehaven country and/or U.S., if that is your final destination.
I know everyone says "just come home", but what everyone needs to know is that Japan is our home for now. We have great friends, a great life, and a great respect for the Japanese people and I feel if we just "leave" we will be completely abandoning our friends and the only other country we have called home.
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The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo informs U.S. citizens in Japan who wish to depart that the Department of State is making arrangements to provide transportation to safehaven locations in Asia. This assistance will be provided on a reimbursable basis, as required by U.S. law. U.S. citizens who travel on US government-arranged transport will be expected to make their own onward travel plans from the safehaven location. Flights to evacuation points will begin departing Japan on Thursday, March 17. There will be a limited number of seats available on evacuation flights departing from Narita and Haneda airports on March 17. Priority will be given to persons with medical emergencies or severe medical conditions.
Persons interested in departing Japan via USG-chartered transportation should proceed to Narita and Haneda airports or contact the US Department of State and Embassy Japan by sending an email to JapanEmergencyUSC@state.gov or by calling 1-202-501-4444. Please provide the following information:
Name, age, place of birth, U.S. passport number and any special medical needs.
Immediate family members (spouses and children) who are not U.S. citizens must be documented for entry into the safehaven country and/or U.S., if that is your final destination.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Earthquake aftermath
I wanted to write down what is on my mind here, 5 days after the major earthquake that took place off the coast of Honshu, Japan. It has been a long, stressful five days, filled with many, many after shocks- some big, some small. We go awhile without any, and then have several in a row...just when you are comfortable and feeling better, a bigger one will rock your home, and remind you that it might not be over yet. It has been unsettling, to say the least. We spent the majority of the weekend holed up at home, trying to figure out fact from fiction. It is at a time like this when you realize what a big disadvantage it is to not speak the language at all. Most reports, actual reports- such as what areas have blackouts, what train lines are running, etc., are initially in Japanese. There are some major issues with the Nuclear power plants here, that were damaged quite extensively by the quake and ensuing Tsunami. The U.S. Embassy is little to no help. They tell us there is no immediate danger, yet, we find out they closed their Tokyo office and relocated to Osaka, much further away from the Nuclear Power Plant issues. They also recommended/required people on two of their military bases, 200 km from the nuclear plants, go on lock down- no ventilation to the outside, no going outside, etc...yet, they tell us in Tokyo that there is little issue..Tokyo is 236 km away from the plants/Tsunami area. It is so frustrating. They are estimating over 10,000 people died during the earthquake/tsunami, but can't actually find a lot of them, as they were swept out to sea. They lost 4 trains- swept away by the Tsunami- full of people, yet they have no idea where they are. The Japanese, as a culture, tends to sugar coat everything- they are not direct by nature (remember the 10 times measuring my laundry room, 7 months to replace a washer/dryer situation?), so foreigners are not comfortable that they are being upfront and fully honest about the situations at hand. It is unnerving, sad, stressful and being in Tokyo is HUGELY uncomfortable- the not knowing what is going to happen and will you be able to get out thought is constantly sitting in your brain. Most of the foreign community has left. You also have to remember that the earthquake happened off the coastline. So, though Tokyo was spared major damage, if that quake happens again, closer to Tokyo, that city will be a mass of ruins and death. That thought is also always in the back of your mind. I do want to say that the Japanese are about as prepared as anyone could ever be for this situation- their building, road and overall construction with in Japan is about as earthquake proof as you will ever find. They have earthquake drills and go over plans all the time- the schools practice, the kids and adults, in theory, have it driven into their heads their entire life. Japan, being on the Ring of Fire, gets regular quakes, and the feeling, though weird, is normal, once you have lived here for a bit. This was devastating, but unfortunately, it could have been a lot worse.
Aside from the thoughts of more quakes/after shocks, and the nuclear issues, there are the food, water, gas, transportation shortages as well as rolling blackout issues. I went to the grocery store twice and will tell you that there is NO food left.
Just one shelf I could photo- most shelves were like this by Sunday
Everyone is prepping for the worst, and stocking up just in case. There was no bread, milk, water, eggs, prepared foods, meats...basically, condiments, some frozen foods, some snack type food are all that is left. The lines wrap around these tiny grocery stores and they have little food in which to even restock the shelves with. Two days in a row I went, and two days in a row, I left with next to nothing. There is also a shortage on Gas- most stations are out or very low on gas- Scott got turned away trying to go to the gas station that is near our home, as they are completely out of fuel. The stations that do have it are rationing it, and only allowing 5000Y worth of gas at a time- not enough to fill your tank. It is only a matter of time before that situation gets worse. The public transportation system- the trains, buses, etc., are all running limited routes to save on gas and electricity. The trains are not even running out to where Scott works, which means he needs to drive every day...however, he can't get gas, so how is that going to work? 50% of Scott's staff can't make it to work, because of transportation issues. They have also implemented rolling blackouts through most of Japan, to conserve electricity, due the the lack of Nuclear power (due to the current meltdowns that are occurring as I type). For instance, Maya's school will have no power from 9:20-1pm, and again from 6:20-10pm, until mid-April they are saying at the earliest. How is ASIJ going to have school with no power for the majority of the school day? That also means that during those blackout times, trains will not be running in those areas. Scott's company is also scheduled to have blackouts for the majority of the afternoon until mid-April. He is waiting to find out the exact schedule, but that will definitely impact Stryker's ability to manufacture product in Japan during this time. Right now, it is completely unknown on how people will continue to live in Tokyo and go about their daily lives.
We decided on Sunday, after speaking with and getting the OK from Scott's bosses in the States, to leave for our Spring break trip early. Initially, we were going to leave on Thursday, the 17th, and meet Scott's brother Greg and Missy in Thailand for a week. However, with the constant after shocks, threat of a nuclear meltdown and the cancellation of both girls schools for the next two weeks, we decided that we should leave early. I spent all day running around like crazy- trying to book flights, pack bags, get money (I had to bike to the bank to get money, leaving my girls for the first time with a sitter since Friday- I have never biked so fast and so furious in my life). I am thankful that we were able to get tickets for Tuesday, as many people were not able to leave until Wednesday or Thursday. Every airline is completely booked solid right now, the airport is completely understaffed (their people can't get to work either) and overwhelmed.
Leaving Tokyo
Yesterday we were able to get out of Tokyo, but not without a few adventures along the way. I spoke with our travel agent in Tokyo, and he informed me that no trains were running to Narita airport, all limosine buses were booked as were the majority of the cabs for Narita runs. I informed him we would be driving, in which he informed me to leave 3.5 hours early, as there were cracks in the highway, and we would have to detour. The lucky thing was that we were leaving super early in the morning, so traffic was lighter than it would have been if we had left later in the day. The ride to the airport went off without a hitch...however, when we got to Narita, at 6:30am, it was JAM PACKED with people trying to leave- students, residents, foreigners- everyone trying to get out of town for awihle.
Airport lines at Narita
We had booked through Singapore Airlines, and it said that the flights were operated by ANA from Narita to Singapore, and then by Silk Airlines from Singapore to Phuket. We stood in line for TWO + hours, in the Singapore airlines line, only to be told that though they sold us the ticket, we would have to go stand and check in at the ANA counter. Frustrated (after trying to keep the girls from killing each other- a little too much togetherness in their minds lately) we booked down to the ANA counter...only to find the line was ungodly long- down the corridor, through the entire South wing, and nearly reaching toward the North wing. We couldn't even find the end of it- it just kept going and going...so by this time, it was 9:30am, and our flight was leaving at 10:40am. We would NEVER had made it to check in waiting in that line..we had met another younger Singaporian man who was heading home, and who was on the same flight as we were- the 5 of us found a self check in that we were able to check into. However, because we were flying on different airlines, no one was able to book us on our second leg to Phuket. We only had 1:15 between landing and taking off in Singapore, no idea how to check in, etc. It all ended up OK though- we were able to figure it out, grab some food and get on the plane. I don't think we have ever been so happy to leave a place and touch down in another. It was just an emotional relief not feeling the constant tremors and having the "what ifs" on our minds. We are currently in Phuket, Thailand with Missy and Greg until March 25th. We will be paying attention to the news and spending time here trying to figure out what our next move will be. We have some friends that are doubting they will be returning to Tokyo after this weeks events, we have some that don't know how long they will decide to stay away. We just don't know what is going to happen or what we will decide to do, but for this week at least, we are going to sit by the pool and relax, spend some time as a family and try to catch up on some much needed sleep.
Aside from the thoughts of more quakes/after shocks, and the nuclear issues, there are the food, water, gas, transportation shortages as well as rolling blackout issues. I went to the grocery store twice and will tell you that there is NO food left.
Just one shelf I could photo- most shelves were like this by Sunday
Everyone is prepping for the worst, and stocking up just in case. There was no bread, milk, water, eggs, prepared foods, meats...basically, condiments, some frozen foods, some snack type food are all that is left. The lines wrap around these tiny grocery stores and they have little food in which to even restock the shelves with. Two days in a row I went, and two days in a row, I left with next to nothing. There is also a shortage on Gas- most stations are out or very low on gas- Scott got turned away trying to go to the gas station that is near our home, as they are completely out of fuel. The stations that do have it are rationing it, and only allowing 5000Y worth of gas at a time- not enough to fill your tank. It is only a matter of time before that situation gets worse. The public transportation system- the trains, buses, etc., are all running limited routes to save on gas and electricity. The trains are not even running out to where Scott works, which means he needs to drive every day...however, he can't get gas, so how is that going to work? 50% of Scott's staff can't make it to work, because of transportation issues. They have also implemented rolling blackouts through most of Japan, to conserve electricity, due the the lack of Nuclear power (due to the current meltdowns that are occurring as I type). For instance, Maya's school will have no power from 9:20-1pm, and again from 6:20-10pm, until mid-April they are saying at the earliest. How is ASIJ going to have school with no power for the majority of the school day? That also means that during those blackout times, trains will not be running in those areas. Scott's company is also scheduled to have blackouts for the majority of the afternoon until mid-April. He is waiting to find out the exact schedule, but that will definitely impact Stryker's ability to manufacture product in Japan during this time. Right now, it is completely unknown on how people will continue to live in Tokyo and go about their daily lives.
We decided on Sunday, after speaking with and getting the OK from Scott's bosses in the States, to leave for our Spring break trip early. Initially, we were going to leave on Thursday, the 17th, and meet Scott's brother Greg and Missy in Thailand for a week. However, with the constant after shocks, threat of a nuclear meltdown and the cancellation of both girls schools for the next two weeks, we decided that we should leave early. I spent all day running around like crazy- trying to book flights, pack bags, get money (I had to bike to the bank to get money, leaving my girls for the first time with a sitter since Friday- I have never biked so fast and so furious in my life). I am thankful that we were able to get tickets for Tuesday, as many people were not able to leave until Wednesday or Thursday. Every airline is completely booked solid right now, the airport is completely understaffed (their people can't get to work either) and overwhelmed.
Leaving Tokyo
Yesterday we were able to get out of Tokyo, but not without a few adventures along the way. I spoke with our travel agent in Tokyo, and he informed me that no trains were running to Narita airport, all limosine buses were booked as were the majority of the cabs for Narita runs. I informed him we would be driving, in which he informed me to leave 3.5 hours early, as there were cracks in the highway, and we would have to detour. The lucky thing was that we were leaving super early in the morning, so traffic was lighter than it would have been if we had left later in the day. The ride to the airport went off without a hitch...however, when we got to Narita, at 6:30am, it was JAM PACKED with people trying to leave- students, residents, foreigners- everyone trying to get out of town for awihle.
Airport lines at Narita
We had booked through Singapore Airlines, and it said that the flights were operated by ANA from Narita to Singapore, and then by Silk Airlines from Singapore to Phuket. We stood in line for TWO + hours, in the Singapore airlines line, only to be told that though they sold us the ticket, we would have to go stand and check in at the ANA counter. Frustrated (after trying to keep the girls from killing each other- a little too much togetherness in their minds lately) we booked down to the ANA counter...only to find the line was ungodly long- down the corridor, through the entire South wing, and nearly reaching toward the North wing. We couldn't even find the end of it- it just kept going and going...so by this time, it was 9:30am, and our flight was leaving at 10:40am. We would NEVER had made it to check in waiting in that line..we had met another younger Singaporian man who was heading home, and who was on the same flight as we were- the 5 of us found a self check in that we were able to check into. However, because we were flying on different airlines, no one was able to book us on our second leg to Phuket. We only had 1:15 between landing and taking off in Singapore, no idea how to check in, etc. It all ended up OK though- we were able to figure it out, grab some food and get on the plane. I don't think we have ever been so happy to leave a place and touch down in another. It was just an emotional relief not feeling the constant tremors and having the "what ifs" on our minds. We are currently in Phuket, Thailand with Missy and Greg until March 25th. We will be paying attention to the news and spending time here trying to figure out what our next move will be. We have some friends that are doubting they will be returning to Tokyo after this weeks events, we have some that don't know how long they will decide to stay away. We just don't know what is going to happen or what we will decide to do, but for this week at least, we are going to sit by the pool and relax, spend some time as a family and try to catch up on some much needed sleep.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Earthquake in Japan
Yesterday, March 11, 2011, Japan's Honshu Island was hit with an 8.9 earthquake. It hit off the northern coast, near Sendai, which is about 230 miles from Tokyo. The devastation is unbelievable, unbelievably sad, and I hope everyone is praying like mad for the people of Japan as they muddle through this disaster.
This past week, we have had Greg, Scott's brother, and his wife Missy visiting us from Arlington, Texas. We have spent the week (another blog will cover all of the fun week leading up to the earthquake) being touristy- literally on the go all day long, every day. On Wednesday, we went to the top of the Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills to get great photos of the view of Tokyo...that day, there was a 7.3 earthquake and we didn't think twice about going up to the sky deck on one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo. Thursday, we spent the day in Kamakura, which is an hour outside of Tokyo by train. Friday, because everyone was super tired, we decided to stick close to home- do laundry, run a few errands and just have some down time before Greg and Missy flew off Saturday to go to Phuket, Thailand. Maya had the day off because of Parent Teacher conferences, and Hanna had a half day, also due to Parent Teacher conferences. Scott was out in Inagi in the morning- Inagi is literally an hour train ride from our home- and then the afternoon in Idabashi at Stryker Japan for some meetings. Idabashi is a lot closer to our home than his work in Inagi (which he is at 95% of the time). It is also home to big high rise buildings all close in proximity. That morning, I worked out with some friends,and then Greg, Missy, Maya and I picked up Hanna from school and we took them out to lunch at our favorite Hamburger place. From there, because it was a beautiful day, Greg took the girls to the park, and Missy and I went into Shibuya to do some shopping- buy some fabric for a friend, get Greg a book and pick up dinner at the Food Show under the Shibuya train station. We took our time getting back, stopping in a few shops along the way. Once we got back to the park, we decided to head home and relax. We had just walked out of the Yoyogi-Uehara train station and reached the corner of Inokashira Dori when the earthquake started. The shakes started fairly mildly, but then kept getting more intense. We all huddled together, as did everyone around us. Kids were crying (including mine), the Koban (police) all came out as did everyone- the streets were filling with people. Immediately you knew it was serious- people were very controlled, but you could see the fear. The buildings, stoplights, train tracks, wires- everything was shaking violently. It seemed to go on for a very long time as we all just held on to each other. Maya says it was like we were standing on a raft in the water- with no control of our feet..very good description of what it felt like. We were very lucky in the fact that we were in an open area, and had something to lean on. Maya started crying and Hanna kept saying "everything will be OK, everything will be OK", while hugging her. It was a very intense, scary few minutes that I would like never to have to feel again. A Japanese man, carrying a transistor type radio came over and let us listen to the English warnings and news about what just happened. The earthquake just kept going and going, and the aftershocks have been happening quite a lot since the initial Huge quake. We walked up the street to our apartment, to find everyone had been evacuated outside. Everyone said it was VERY bad inside the building, and that it was swaying like crazy, things were falling off the walls, out of cabinets, etc. It was very scary- the middle and high school kids were still out at ASIJ in school, people were trying to reach their spouses (including me) and make sure they were OK. My one friend and neighbor had one of her girls sick at home, the other at school and a husband that was out of the country for work. Lots of tears were flowing and people were very nervous and scared. They finally let us back in the building lobby, where we stayed for about 45 minutes, only to experience another big quake/after shock, in which they made us go back outside. About 2 hours later we finally got to go into our apartments. We had minimal movement in our place- a speaker had fallen over, picture frames were all fallen down, etc., but no major damage or issues. Scott was in Idabashi, walking to meetings at Stryker Japan. At first, he didn't know what was going on- people were spilling out of buildings and running all over the place. He had a glass window fall from the building next to him and land 5 feet in front of him...it was a scary, scary day. He ended up walking about 10K (6-7 miles) home, as Tokyo was in a major gridlock- trains all shut down, expressways all closed, traffic not moving. It was mass chaos, and I was SO happy to see him walk in our door last night around 9pm. Scott's workplace in Inagi was damaged quite a bit- everything fell over, the stairs cracked, and a lot of his workforce was stuck at work for the night, or didn't get home until 5 or 6am this morning. One of his workers walked 12 hours home...how horrendous and scary. The cell phones were all down, so there was no calling to see if anyone was OK, but luckily, the internet was up and running.
I feel that we were so fortunate yesterday. Our normal routine/day would have had Maya 45 minutes outside of Tokyo in school (the buses didn't get home until after 11pm last night), Hanna 15 minutes away at school, Scott out about an hour outside of Tokyo in Inagi (one exit past Maya's school), and who knows where I would have been. We would have been trying to find each other, figure out where and how the others were, etc...it could have been a way more stressful day for us as a family. I was blessed and truly grateful to have both of my girls with me, as well as have Greg and Missy with us through the quake. I know it is not something they probably even ever considered being part of, and probably will not come back here to Japan again, but I am so glad I was not alone with the kids.
The entire day yesterday was filled with very large after shocks, which were completely unnerving. They continued through the night, with another 6.6 after shock rocking Tokyo around 4:45am. We all had a few beers (definitely needed), and slept fairly well- I woke up for about 6 after shocks, and everyone but the girls woke during the 4:45am one. My girls were very scared, and slept together. Right now, the day after, we are still getting after shocks, but not nearly as often. They are saying over 4million people in Tokyo are out of power. We are not one of them, but the Embassy now says we need to conserve power, as their may be some shut downs coming throughout the day. We have filled the tubs with water, as a precaution and are going to stay close to home today.
My perspective on Tokyo and earthquakes is a lot different now. I usually leave Hanna, 5, in the apartment while I run up to grab Maya at the bus stop- that will not be happening again. My girls roam the building, and most often, I have no idea where they are or what they are doing...I will definitely be keeping closer tabs on my kiddos. I am also extremely glad that we thought ahead when choosing where to live and what type of building to live in. I was pretty nervous about moving here, to Japan, in the Ring of Fire, and both Scott and I wanted to live in a smaller building, with the new roller earthquake technology (the buildings actually sit on rollers so they can move with the earth, instead of fighting the quake). Our building is built into a hillside, only 5 floors and is relatively new...which is why the damage was not terrible.
The devastation here in Japan is horrendous. Many lives lost, as well as overall damage to everything, due to both the earthquake and the later ensuing tsunami. It is going to be a rough go for Tokyo, and especially for those who live closer to Sendai, where the quake and the tsunami hit the hardest. It is a sad time here in Japan, and the new photos and coverage have been making us sad all morning.
Here are some photos from Scott's work:
This past week, we have had Greg, Scott's brother, and his wife Missy visiting us from Arlington, Texas. We have spent the week (another blog will cover all of the fun week leading up to the earthquake) being touristy- literally on the go all day long, every day. On Wednesday, we went to the top of the Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills to get great photos of the view of Tokyo...that day, there was a 7.3 earthquake and we didn't think twice about going up to the sky deck on one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo. Thursday, we spent the day in Kamakura, which is an hour outside of Tokyo by train. Friday, because everyone was super tired, we decided to stick close to home- do laundry, run a few errands and just have some down time before Greg and Missy flew off Saturday to go to Phuket, Thailand. Maya had the day off because of Parent Teacher conferences, and Hanna had a half day, also due to Parent Teacher conferences. Scott was out in Inagi in the morning- Inagi is literally an hour train ride from our home- and then the afternoon in Idabashi at Stryker Japan for some meetings. Idabashi is a lot closer to our home than his work in Inagi (which he is at 95% of the time). It is also home to big high rise buildings all close in proximity. That morning, I worked out with some friends,and then Greg, Missy, Maya and I picked up Hanna from school and we took them out to lunch at our favorite Hamburger place. From there, because it was a beautiful day, Greg took the girls to the park, and Missy and I went into Shibuya to do some shopping- buy some fabric for a friend, get Greg a book and pick up dinner at the Food Show under the Shibuya train station. We took our time getting back, stopping in a few shops along the way. Once we got back to the park, we decided to head home and relax. We had just walked out of the Yoyogi-Uehara train station and reached the corner of Inokashira Dori when the earthquake started. The shakes started fairly mildly, but then kept getting more intense. We all huddled together, as did everyone around us. Kids were crying (including mine), the Koban (police) all came out as did everyone- the streets were filling with people. Immediately you knew it was serious- people were very controlled, but you could see the fear. The buildings, stoplights, train tracks, wires- everything was shaking violently. It seemed to go on for a very long time as we all just held on to each other. Maya says it was like we were standing on a raft in the water- with no control of our feet..very good description of what it felt like. We were very lucky in the fact that we were in an open area, and had something to lean on. Maya started crying and Hanna kept saying "everything will be OK, everything will be OK", while hugging her. It was a very intense, scary few minutes that I would like never to have to feel again. A Japanese man, carrying a transistor type radio came over and let us listen to the English warnings and news about what just happened. The earthquake just kept going and going, and the aftershocks have been happening quite a lot since the initial Huge quake. We walked up the street to our apartment, to find everyone had been evacuated outside. Everyone said it was VERY bad inside the building, and that it was swaying like crazy, things were falling off the walls, out of cabinets, etc. It was very scary- the middle and high school kids were still out at ASIJ in school, people were trying to reach their spouses (including me) and make sure they were OK. My one friend and neighbor had one of her girls sick at home, the other at school and a husband that was out of the country for work. Lots of tears were flowing and people were very nervous and scared. They finally let us back in the building lobby, where we stayed for about 45 minutes, only to experience another big quake/after shock, in which they made us go back outside. About 2 hours later we finally got to go into our apartments. We had minimal movement in our place- a speaker had fallen over, picture frames were all fallen down, etc., but no major damage or issues. Scott was in Idabashi, walking to meetings at Stryker Japan. At first, he didn't know what was going on- people were spilling out of buildings and running all over the place. He had a glass window fall from the building next to him and land 5 feet in front of him...it was a scary, scary day. He ended up walking about 10K (6-7 miles) home, as Tokyo was in a major gridlock- trains all shut down, expressways all closed, traffic not moving. It was mass chaos, and I was SO happy to see him walk in our door last night around 9pm. Scott's workplace in Inagi was damaged quite a bit- everything fell over, the stairs cracked, and a lot of his workforce was stuck at work for the night, or didn't get home until 5 or 6am this morning. One of his workers walked 12 hours home...how horrendous and scary. The cell phones were all down, so there was no calling to see if anyone was OK, but luckily, the internet was up and running.
I feel that we were so fortunate yesterday. Our normal routine/day would have had Maya 45 minutes outside of Tokyo in school (the buses didn't get home until after 11pm last night), Hanna 15 minutes away at school, Scott out about an hour outside of Tokyo in Inagi (one exit past Maya's school), and who knows where I would have been. We would have been trying to find each other, figure out where and how the others were, etc...it could have been a way more stressful day for us as a family. I was blessed and truly grateful to have both of my girls with me, as well as have Greg and Missy with us through the quake. I know it is not something they probably even ever considered being part of, and probably will not come back here to Japan again, but I am so glad I was not alone with the kids.
The entire day yesterday was filled with very large after shocks, which were completely unnerving. They continued through the night, with another 6.6 after shock rocking Tokyo around 4:45am. We all had a few beers (definitely needed), and slept fairly well- I woke up for about 6 after shocks, and everyone but the girls woke during the 4:45am one. My girls were very scared, and slept together. Right now, the day after, we are still getting after shocks, but not nearly as often. They are saying over 4million people in Tokyo are out of power. We are not one of them, but the Embassy now says we need to conserve power, as their may be some shut downs coming throughout the day. We have filled the tubs with water, as a precaution and are going to stay close to home today.
My perspective on Tokyo and earthquakes is a lot different now. I usually leave Hanna, 5, in the apartment while I run up to grab Maya at the bus stop- that will not be happening again. My girls roam the building, and most often, I have no idea where they are or what they are doing...I will definitely be keeping closer tabs on my kiddos. I am also extremely glad that we thought ahead when choosing where to live and what type of building to live in. I was pretty nervous about moving here, to Japan, in the Ring of Fire, and both Scott and I wanted to live in a smaller building, with the new roller earthquake technology (the buildings actually sit on rollers so they can move with the earth, instead of fighting the quake). Our building is built into a hillside, only 5 floors and is relatively new...which is why the damage was not terrible.
The devastation here in Japan is horrendous. Many lives lost, as well as overall damage to everything, due to both the earthquake and the later ensuing tsunami. It is going to be a rough go for Tokyo, and especially for those who live closer to Sendai, where the quake and the tsunami hit the hardest. It is a sad time here in Japan, and the new photos and coverage have been making us sad all morning.
Here are some photos from Scott's work:
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Gas Station
Filled up my car today..have to say, I LOVE the Gas Stations here. It is full service. They give you a cloth to clean the inside of your car, they clean your windows, fill your tank and direct traffic so you can get back out on the road!! That is service, and something I will definitely miss when we move back to the States!
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