Where to even begin this update... ?
Japan has been on global news all day, every day for the last two weeks, for the worst of reasons. I was at my normal shift in Sanda when one of the biggest earthquakes in the world struck north-eastern Japan on March 11th 2011.
The school staff asked me if I had felt the earth shake. 'No – there was an earthquake?' I asked, then went about preparing for my kids lessons as usual. It was only after I finished my shift, and was checking my mobile on the train home, that I saw a load of messages from worried friends – 'Are you OK?' 'Let us know you're OK Donna.' So, it wasn't just a tiny tremor in Kansai.
And if an earthquake alone wasn't bad enough, the location of the exact centre – not even on land, but in the sea – caused an unstoppable, terrifying tsunami.
Thousands were swept out to sea, unable to outrun water moving faster than a jumbo jet. Thousands more were killed instantly by their homes, schools, offices, collapsing on them. Buildings in Tokyo wobbled like jelly. My housemate dived under the table at a multi-national WHO conference in HAT Kobe, the very spot of Kobe's tragic quake in 1995.
There was an earthquake? In hindsight my reaction seems so understated, flippant almost. But over the last few months we have felt a few small shudders, nothing scary or long, and I've missed one or two as I was walking around when they happened.
Just as the mind slowly begins to acknowledge the devastation that a huge earthquake, followed by a tsunami, can wreak, the news feeds upped the ante: a nuclear power plant in Fukishima, damaged by the quake, was in serious danger. Nuclear. Danger. The two words no-one in the world, let alone Japan, wants to see about the country they are currently living in.
Before March 11th, I knew next to nothing about nuclear power plants, except that they existed, somewhere in the world. Thanks to the world's media, and countless blogs and tweets, I now know more than I ever wanted. Too much, in fact. I need that part of my brain back for kanji study.
And as news of trouble at the nuclear plant continued to billow forth, while the rest of the people in my life – the konbini workers, my colleagues, my students – just carried on with life as normal, my foreign friends started to get a hunted look in their eye. And soon they voiced those fears.
'Are you scared?' 'Should we go home?' 'Is it safe for us to stay? Will the company say something?'
On March 15th, the company I work for did indeed, issue an announcement to native staff. It included this paragraph:
“You are here in Japan now because at one point in your life, you made some connection with Japan. I am proud of your bravery in coming to live and work abroad. Please stay with us as long as possible and see and learn more about Japan. I realize that it is now a difficult time to be here, but I do hope you will gain something out of being here during this turbulent period of time. Once again, I do hope you will see the real Japan and look to the Japanese people for inspiration. Let us be calm and act accordingly.”
Something in that struck a chord with me. Yeah. I did make a connection with Japan, and I followed it, chose to be here, and that wasn't an easy decision. It affected my family, my friends, my lifestyle. It took so many hours of heart-searching to get me here. I wasn't going to be scared away so easily. Still, seeing a map of Japan with a big yellow and black radioactive symbol slapped on it made me shiver. The media really know how to sell those papers.
Clearly, this wasn't going to sort itself out overnight. I decided the best plan of action was to:
1. Get informed – what exactly was going on? And what would be the worst case scenario?
2. Get prepared – I'd long been meaning to sort out an earthquake kit. This seemed like a good time to sort that ^^;
3. Check my family were OK and not having a meltdown themselves in the wake of the news.
So, I checked the BBC news updates, watched NHK and tried to follow some of the Japanese news to get a better idea of what was happening. I visited the foreign community centre in Kobe to get info on earthquake kits. And I messaged my parents. Who, like the amazing duo they are, were calm and confident I was safe. They really are quite unflappable! *hugs them hard*
While this was happening, my French housemate was getting the other side of the coin – her family, university and the French government all urged her to leave Japan. After giving me some advice about how to prepare a radiation shelter – plus all her leftover veg – she flew back home last Friday.
She was joined by about half the French residents in Japan. The French government seems to have terrified them about the possible radiation leak, while the British government has more of a 'stiff upper lip' and uses its update page to give a practical guide to radiation safety and precautions. Still chilling, but informative.
While I'm no scientist, I feel you have to place your trust somewhere in times of crisis. So I have placed my trust in the British government, and the Japanese government, and the hundreds of people battling even as I type to get that power plant back under control. And while my work continues as normal, there's always a tingle of anxiety when I check the news. I can't wait until this is just a TV movie and not my real life.
But right now all I can do is get on with my job here. Talk to my students, give them a place and a channel to discuss what's happening. Because while the media dances around the power plant, thousands of people are still looking for their loved ones in the rubble. Thousands more have lost their family, friends, homes, offices, livelihoods. It's a sadness beyond words.
I've met students who are still waiting to hear from friends in Sendai, a place that has just been wiped off the map. Still they come to school, study hard, smile at their classmates, and wait and hope. I'm not sure I could do the same in their place. Japanese people have a reputation for being resilient, cool-headed, and community-minded. They have heavy hearts, and concerns about the nuclear problems of course, but what good would it do to cry all day, or panic and run away? Better to get on with things and let those who can, do their jobs. We have to get up, and get on, and do all we can.
I've long been amazed and inspired by this country and its people. That's why I came here, and I'm still glad I did. Ganbatte Japan – keep doing your best, and I will too.
Donate stuff, or money
Second Harvest Japan is getting food and supplies to the thousands made homeless by the disaster. You can donate money or send them care packages if you live in Japan.
http://www.2hj.org/index.php/news/send_us_food_and_supplies/
The Red Cross is a good place to send your money if you live outside of Japan.
http://www.redcross.org/
