After The Earthquake...

It's been a while since I wrote the last article. That was very brief report and it wasn't structured very well...

4 days have passed since the earthquake hit Japan. As I wrote before, people start to return to normal lives in Tokyo though there are the scheduled blackouts. It is not such a big deal, I think. We should accept this situation without complaining for people who are damaged by the earthquake in Tohoku area. Because of the blackouts, some trains are out of service and others are disrupt. This disruption kept people from going to their offices or schools. In spite of these disadvantages, I can live almost as usual. However, my mobile phone sometimes rings very very loudly because of Earthquake Early Warning System. It woke me up in the night and aftershock came soon after this alarm. The number of aftershocks are so many that I take aftershocks for granted...In addition,  I sometimes have feelings that the ground is shaking though it is not shaking. Maybe it comes from the psychological stress.

At supermarkets in Tokyo Metropolitan Area, food and supplies are selling out because people buy up a lot of food and supplies in order to survive. They should act calmly. Tokyo is not a devastated area. Media report is prompting fears of the lack of supplies, I think. Of course it is very important to report the victims and afflicted areas, but Japanese media focuses on victims too much. Does it want to make people's tragedy into an entertainment? Japanese media is too insensitive and rude for victims. All they have to do is to report the place of safe shelters and safety confirmation. They seem to be fear-mongering.

While I continue a normal life, self-defense force of Japan and rescue teams are working in the disaster area, Tohoku. As the number of death is increasing, the number of survivors is increasing. It is sad and happy. (very complicated feeling though...) I hope victims of the disaster can return to a normal life and Tohoku area enters the first stage of recovery. I am going to do what I can do now and corporate to help them. The recovery of Tohoku is going to be a big job, but I strongly believe we can be restored from this disaster. That's because..we are Japanese. How many times did we recover from the hell in the history?

In this circumstances, foreign media also pay attention to this earthquake. As one of Japanese, I was so moved because people in many countries pay attention to us and pray for us. We can see a lot of heartful and warm messages with the hashtag "#prayforjapan" on Twitter. In additinon, Japanese student who goes to Keio University (Shonan Fujisawa Campus)(@mocchicc) made the Website in which we can read all the messages and pictures with this hashtag. http://prayforjapan.jp/

Lady Gaga (I like her!) decided to make the wrist bands which is printed "We Pray For Japan". I heard all proceeds come directly to Japan relief efforts. I am so moved again and I think it is very great way to donate. (Website here)
To my surprise, Afghanistan donate 4,000,000JPY(=$50,000) to help Japan. It must be much money for Afghanistan and there are still conflicts in the country. I was moved again and again for these kindness and support for Japan as Japanese. Thank you very much for your attention and supports.

Also, my Japanese friends in Florida, who are an exchange student of Florida International University, raised money for Japan in U.S.A. He performed Japanese calligraphy on the street for collecting donation after he reflected on the situation of Japan and what he can do for Japan and his friends. I am so proud of him as one of his friend and admire his ability to take action even in the foreign country. He was on TV. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIc76-dCgUU (I hope this movie won't be deleted.)

Now, the whole world is behind us. As one of the citizens in Tokyo, where is very far away from the disaster area, I also reflect on what I can do now. But, in the meantime, I think the only thing I can do now is to donate money and save energy. I know laymen volunteers are useless in the afflicted area because the same fact was said when Hanshin Earthquake occurred in 1995. So, I should go there after they really need me, or I should go there when they really need entertainment. I hope I can do something for them as a magician and as a student in near future.

By the way, foreign media also pay attention to nuclear plants in Fukushima. Employees of The Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc.(TEPCO) is working so hard, but correspondents of Japanese media are very rude and bubble-headed, I think. Their questions are too ridiculous. Every time I watch press interview held by the government, I question their qualifications as the correspondents. However, I thank TEPCO workers very much and feel for them because they work very much at the risk of their lives in the face of criticism. They are tackling with very difficult problem which no one has ever had to deal with before.


This is the last article on the earthquake. I think I have to return the real normal life as soon as possible and spend money for Japan. I strongly believe this action will contribute somewhat to re-construction of Japan.