By Gordon McKenzie in Tokyo
Saturday 12 March
It’s been a strange day. Things give the impression of having pretty much returned to normal, except that the phones are unreliable. Some folk are without running water and electricity, but we are OK. The shops were busy – I went twice to stock up and on the second trip the supermarket and convenience stores had almost run out of pot noodles, bottled water and batteries. The secret to survival, evidently.
There have been notifications of power-cuts later and potentially more aftershocks, not to mention concern about the explosions and instability at the nuclear reactor in Fukushima, but other than that things are fairly calm here.
The destruction and carnage is mainly in the north-east and on coastal areas, and it certainly has been terrible. The death toll continues to rise and the images are heart-wrenching. I think that in most other parts of Japan, the inability to account for relatives and friends is harder to deal with than any damage and fear that has occurred to them directly.
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Fortunately Japan accepted foreign aid straight off this time and there is a massive and professional effort across the country to deal with the situation. It is also a credit to Japanese construction and infrastructure that the situation is not much worse. The upstairs rooms in our house are a bit of a mess (not that you could tell any difference in the boys’ room), but there is no structural damage. The office building I was in at the time of Friday’s quake swayed like a boat on the high seas and visibly slid from side to side by a good foot – the way it is designed to do – but afterwards the conference continued as normal. In most other countries, the impact would unquestionably have been magnified and devastating. It took a while to get home and the road outside was like the Royal Mile after the Tattoo – a constant stream of folk walking home. We filled the bath, took everything off the shelves that hadn’t already fallen off, prepared our emergency kits – all the regular stuff. One worry is that this was not the big one expected for decades to hit Tokyo directly, so that could still come, although only the Lord knows when. Probably after everything has returned to normal and complacency sets back in. Sunday 13 March We managed to get in touch with friends in the Sendai area, who were fine. Living in the hills, they were largely unaffected by the quake and tsunami but decided to self-evacuate as uncertainty grew about the nuclear power plant. Unfortunately the wife has been unable to contact her parents, although she did confirm her brother’s safety, to obvious relief. Although badly shaken, most people here experienced little more than a fright and subsequent inconvenience and have been watching TV with the same horror as the rest of the world. You could almost be forgiven for thinking the whole event happened nowhere near. The raising of the main earthquake’s magnitude from 8.8 to 9.0, continuing aftershocks, and now reports that there is a 70 per cent chance of a magnitude 7 aftershock (raised from 6 earlier in the day) within the next three days, and possibly closer to Tokyo, have brought the concerns back to fore a little more. That hasn’t been helped by continued uncertainty about the nuclear plant and an announcement that there will be electricity outages across Tokyo and its environs, starting tomorrow: three hours at a time on an area-by-area basis between 6am and 10pm and running through until the end of April. These are not planned for the central Tokyo area, so we should be unaffected where we live. I think it is telling, though, that the management of Tokyo Electric appeared on TV and apologised that they would have to take these measures. Like it was their fault! In my view, we should be thanking them that there is still any electricity at all after what happened. There is a paradox in Tokyo. On one hand, things are continuing much as always, as if last week was just another tremor. On the other hand, there are small indications here and there. We went out for dinner. The restaurant was open as usual but had a sign on the door explaining that their neon signs were not lit up, in an effort to conserve power. There generally seemed to be fewer lights on in houses. Watching TV is disconcerting. Several colleagues who live closer to the coast are still without running water. Those familiar with Japan – and Tokyo in particular – will know that this is the Land of Convenience and Efficiency, so these are weird things. Some foreigners with whom I have spoken have a sense of post-event defiance, of having come through unscathed, almost accusing locals of panicking and over-reacting (especially re the mass buy-out of certain items). Ironic, really, since most of us do not come from countries or areas prone to this sort of danger. Personally speaking, I would prefer to err on the side of caution and be prepared. This week will be interesting. The thought of leaving your family to travel to the other side of Tokyo knowing that you might not easily get back is not a pleasant one. Without wanting to sound over-dramatic, it’s scary thinking that your world could fall apart, perhaps literally, at any minute, whether through another quake or escalation at the nuclear plant. My own company has decided that we will work from home tomorrow. The big car manufacturers will not open and Tokyo Disney Resort will remain closed. But everything cannot stop simply because of a threat, so we will see. Tuesday 15 March The big aftershock has not come. Frequent small tremors continue, but they have almost become as accepted as before. There was a large tremor at about 5am – only magnitude 1, although it felt more like 3 as it was much closer to Tokyo. A subtle reminder, though. Our friends in Fukushima called to say that they had contacted the wife’s parents. She still has a few relatives unaccounted for, but any good news is considered a blessing now. Life in Tokyo continues much as described, although there is more focus on the nuclear plant. It is difficult to know who to trust. I have read many different reports and follow what is reported on the news, but the story varies greatly: from under control to potential Armageddon. One piece of advice is to eat lots of konbu, a type of seaweed, apparently high in iodine. It is supposed to be good for your hair as well. There was a lot of confusion around the power outages, which started yesterday. Most of the train companies cut capacity as a result of the expected cuts, meaning many people stayed at home. As a result, it was reported that the deficit was not as bad as originally estimated and there would no longer be the need to cut power to civilian homes that day. So you can have power as long as you stay at home… and the economy doesn’t collapse while you’re not working. I had a quick look around today and verified what was on the local news: lines of empty shelves in the shops, petrol stations closed from being sold out, neon signs left off. Panic-buying, shrewd preparation, whatever. It is strange, though. Although a complete insult to those who experienced the real thing, it feels almost like being in a war with rationing. This really is quite something in a city/country where the trains come every two minutes in peak periods (and they not only apologise but give you a slip of paper to prove it when the train is more than ten minutes late), where the 7-Eleven stores have five deliveries a day, where you can send luggage by courier so you don’t need to carry it when you travel – and it gets there. We are moving into a more reflective and reactionary stage. People are frustrated at the confusion and seeming lack of information, not least relating to the nuclear plant, which we were assured on Saturday was under control. The power outages and seeming failure to properly provide for those who were evacuated or rescued are further examples. I don’t think, however, that anyone would fault the tremendous effort that Japan and many other countries are putting into the rescue and recovery operations, at risk to themselves as well. I have read a lot about how, although far better than in the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake in 1995, there is still not a great deal of information available in English. Tokyo Electric has announced that information pertaining to the power outages is changing so frequently that they are unable to maintain it in two languages. Everyone is confused, Japanese and foreign alike. We have just had another aftershock, magnitude 3 where we are but 6 in Shizuoka. No tsunami warning according to the TV. The shaking continues, albeit barely discernible. Funny the relief that a “small” tremor brings. I just hope that those who live where the effects were stronger have the same opinion. – Gordon McKenzie is a project director with Medidata.Donate to us: support independent, intelligent, in-depth Scottish journalism from just 3p a day
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