Before moving to Japan in 1987 I went to a bookstore in Australia to find out more about the country I knew mainly for its geisha girls, samurai and sushi. I remember reading a description of the 1923 earthquake that hit in the wrong place – near Tokyo – at the wrong time: it was the lunch hour, and people were cooking over fires. About 40,000 residents of the city fled to an open area, presumably to find safety from falling buildings. They were incinerated.
The article noted that a large earthquake strikes Japan approximately every 60 years. That fact, combined with the graphic description of the 1923 earthquake which killed an estimated 140,000 people, almost made me change my mind about moving there. I did end up going, and left 17 years ago. By that time the big one was overdue.
Sometimes the earth moves and there's that pleasurable little death, as the French refer to it. And sometimes the earth moves and there's horrific, big death.
Go to these ones too
Friday, March 11, 2011
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7 comments:
And now there's been an explosion at a nuclear plant. What a horror story. I'm glad you're safe and sound in sleepy Kingston.
Yes, but a friend who went to Japan and never left lives in a town only slightly inland, between Tokyo and Sendai. No word from her yet, but I think it's probably difficult for people to phone or email at this point.
Helen: I hope you hear from your friend soon.
You've lived a most fascinating life.
It is all so painful to watch and hear about.
I emailed a Japanese friend shortly after I heard about this earthquake and just this morning received word that she and her family are safe.
Helen, I'm thinking of you and your friend. COming so soon after Chch, and seeing such vivid footage of the tsunamis, this is all too much. A time to be grateful we're all okay right now, because nothing more can be guaranteed at any time.
(And at some other time, I would love to hear more of your years in Japan.)
Glad you came home.
Keep flinching as I watch the raw video. The internet is a mixed blessing. Eh.
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