Only One Year

If you're connected to any kind of news source anywhere in the world you have no doubt heard something today about the year since Japan's Triple Trauma. Here we have had reminders in each of these 365 days.  My life no doubt looks much the same as it did a year ago, I live in a slightly different neighborhood and do a somewhat different job from a year ago. However, my life and the lives of countless others here were irrevocably changed March 11, 2011. When you can no longer even trust that the ground under your feet is a stable place to stand, it changes a lot of other things.

I would encourage you to continue to pray for the people of Japan. There are many who are still hurting due to personal loss and the others hurt for them in a way I have not experienced living in America. Pray also for those who are assisting in the rebuilding of lives. They have come so far in a year, but have so far yet to go.

If you know someone who is volunteering here or working with a Christian mission or relief agency, do what you can to support them.  Let them know you care about them.  Send them some tangible support if you can afford it. The cost of living here remains high. A word of encouragement is like gold. Please don't forget Japan.

Another Shake

I was already asleep last night when the latest aftershock hit. It was an earthquake in it's own right at 7.1. The location was close to where the big one hit. The shaking did wake me and the length of the movement impressed me, but after a minute or so things were still again and I went back to sleep.

I hear that power went out in north Japan, but Ichikawa seems to be waking up as usual.

Free Discussion

Sometimes on a Saturday morning my friends at the Ichikawa Volunteer Interpreter Society (IVIS) ask me to moderate a two hour session called "Free Discussion". The participants are Japanese and the session is conducted in English. My job is to set the topic and make sure everyone has a chance to speak. Today the planned Cherry Blossom Viewing Picnic was canceled and we had free discussion instead. Springboarding from recent events in Japan I asked them to tell me something they learned or something they planned to do as a result of Japan's triple disaster. There were around 16 people there this morning so I learned a lot. Oh, did I mention that I usually learn as much or than anyone?

1. A reason for not having Cherry Blossom Viewing Parties this year is that people in Tohoku would see it  in the media and feel really bad.

2. One woman said several times that everyone she knows is depressed.

3. The Japanese Self Defence Force helicopters can't land anywhere that isn't authorized for their use, but American Forces could land anywhere they deemed safe and convenient.

4. One member had been on a plane flying to Osaka on 3/11, and was surprised when he finally found there had been an earthquake that they hadn't had ant kind of turbulence.

5. Part of the training for earthquake preparedness is figuring out the best route from your workplace to your home on foot which helped explain why so many people chose to walk when the trains weren't running.

6. If Japan can build a robot that can play the violin why did they have to borrow a remote control bulldozer from France.

7. Saving power is relatively easy now, but no one is looking forward to Tokyo summer without air conditioning.

I was able to tell this group how much I admire the Japanese People. It was a good session, and truth be told, the cherry trees won't really be at their best till later in the week.

Another Rather Shaky Day

The day started with several rolling shakes that got most folk I know out of bed.  There have been others throughout the day, just light ones, but reminders that we are not in control. I'm glad I know the God who is.

I was able to help out at the Guest Home this morning as there was no power cut. Then I got the filing caught up in Serve Japan. So I have a certain feeling of accomplishment.

Our team in Aomori were planning to set up a kitchen to make and serve curry rice. They found an area where people are able to live in their homes, but aren't able to get food easily. The local shelter requests food for the number of people staying there, but not for those living nearby. Curry rice is a kind of Japanese comfort food to many. It tends to be milder and sweeter than Indian curry and is served with Japanese short grain rice.

Tomorrow is the regular Prayer Meeting at JHQ and it's my turn to lead. There are an overwhelming number of things to pray for, so I hope to help us to encourage each other and to be thankful.

"The Big One" one week later

Apologies for letting this blog go for a few days.

Living in Tokyo at this time, like working with two-year-old children is a bit like being nibbled to death by ducks.

I am so happy to get emails and Facebook posts from people everywhere, but I feel compelled to respond to each. The difficulty is that we are also facing daily power cuts, which means no Internet connection. I have also been keeping up with as much of my regular work as possible, and at the same time I'm trying to be ready for possible eventualities such as the possibility of being advised to evacuate.

If I am advised to leave Tokyo, I would ask to go to Hokkaido for a time rather than to the US or another country. I think that if I returned to Florida, I might no be able to return here to work.

We're due for a power cut soon, so I'll let this go for now.

Another day - a new set of circumstances

I woke this morning to news of planned rolling black outs to conserve electrical power. Everything was organized with lists of places affected and the times. The Osu area of Ichikawa city where I live was scheduled to be blacked out from 9:20 to 12 :20 and again from 3:00pm for three hours. I came to the office to see if there was anything I could do. We had our usual time for prayer a little later, hoping to coordinate with the blackout. However, the power has not gone off and it is now nearing noon. So, I did some of the work that I usually do for Serve Japan. Alison came by on her way looking for some specific items to buy at the stores, only to find that the stores are mostly closed or out of significant amounts of important things.


This reminds me in some ways of an approaching hurricane. Or of the aftermath when you lose power or are expecting to lose power. And yet it is different. Everyone is waiting to hear what is happening with the nuclear power station in Fukushima, and speculating as people do. Will there be an explosion, will it release significant radioactive material. Will dangerous dust clouds blow around? Will the wind blow out to sea, toward Tokyo, where? What do you do in case of any of these scenarios?

Our Medical Advisor is trying to keep on top of giving us the best advice, and the Japanese Government has prepared ahead of time for some of the eventualities.

I would urge all of my praying friends to continue to pray for the situation in Japan. Please do not become desensitized by the repetitions of pictures and reports on the news. A nation is held in thrall of the unfolding events. God is still on the throne and doesn't miss a thing.

Sunday Update

It sounds like people everywhere have seen lots of images of Japan in the past few days. One thing you need to remember is that not all of Japan looks like that. In my town, Ichikawa, everything looks the same as it did a week ago. Church was much the same with the addition of a collection point for monetary donations for relief efforts and prayers during the service specifically addressing the distressing circumstances.

I have heard some amazing stories about friends and acquaintances. One man who works in Tokyo picked up his 12 year old daughter who is is in school in the city as well. Trains were not running, so the two of them walked home. I don't know how far, but it took most of 8 hours to accomplish. A mom and dad drove into Tokyo to rescue their two kids who were stranded at school. On the way back they got to the river that divides Ichikawa from Tokyo. Dad and son decided to get out and walk; they got home at about 12:30 am. Mom and daughter made it home with the car after 4:00 am.

Today I saw the local JR train line running. Most activities are continuing as usual. I noticed again at my local market that food was rather scarce in some departments. I wonder now if deliveries were just totally disrupted on Friday and stores have had to make do with what they had.

If we had only had the earthquake, the relief effort would have had mostly consisted of clean-up. With the tsunami so much more is needed. Here "in country" OMF as I mentioned yesterday is partnering with a group called CRASH for coordination of activities.
From the OMF website http://www.omf.org/omf/japan   

OMF workers will be helping with relief efforts in the Sendai region to provide whatever assistance they are able to give to the people in the area. OMF will also be supporting the work of other Christian agencies in Japan that are reaching out to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunami.


The Sendai Earthquake Relief Fund, an OMF Japan project, has been created to channel funds for this effort. Anyone wishing to contribute to this project may do so through the OMF office in their country. (Working through your local OMF office is faster, less expensive and less complicated than arranging international bank transfers to Japan). Please quote project number L60500.

In the States you can make donations to this fund by check or credit card. For more information call 1-800-422-5330.

One Day Later

The subtle rolling and gentle shakings are fewer and farther between. I walked up to the Ichikawa JR Station late this afternoon to get some exercise and to see how things seemed to be going. It's Saturday which is usually a day when families do something together. The shops are busy and so are trains.

Today there were people walking purposefully as usual. Women with several bags of grocery shopping. Moms and dads with babies. The sidewalks weren't crowded, but there were people doing the usual things. At the station building itself, which is full of all kinds of shops, people were looking at and buying food. I went to the gates for the trains and saw that they were running the Rapid Service toward Tokyo and toward Chiba, but it didn't look like there were trains running on the local line. Periodic announcements were being made over the PA system. These, as in stations around the world, are difficult to understand on a good day. I thought perhaps they were saying that the Blue Line was working as a "stop-at-every-station" train, but that can't be right, there aren't platforms at all the stations for the Blue.  A large screen was running through the list of train lines one-by-one saying if it was operating or not. Glad I didn't need to go anywhere.

I went to the bank and used an ATM. There was one other woman there doing the same. I went to several shops that sell ready to eat food and they had  sold most of their inventory. Some were hurrying to make more, and it seemed that some were running specials to make sure they sold everything.

This evening there are problems that everyone has heard with the power plants. Tokyo Electric is talking about "rolling blackouts" (where have I heard that term before?) so I went ahead and took a shower in case there is no power later, or tomorrow morning when I want to go to church. I need to get a flashlight out of my emergency kit. It's not too cold yet this evening, but if it's dark I suspect I'll spend some time under the covers with a book and my battery operated book light.

Like the Japanese I have adopted an attitude of making the best of a difficult situation, and staying calm as the Prime Minister has urged. No moaning and complaining - others have much more difficulty to cope with than I.

OMF Japan works with an Organization called CRASH - Christian Relief, Assistance Support and Hope - which is a network supporting Christians to do relief work in Japan and around the world. Hopefully some of us will be able to contribute various talents and skills to the recovery through working with them. If you want to do something tangible, go to their website http://crashjapan.com/ to see what you can do. If you're looking for a place to make a monetary donation, click on the tab for donations.

Keep Japan in your thoughts and prayers.