what a day

The big pictures: The moment Japan's cataclysmic tsunami engulfed a nation.

Earthquake, Tsunami, Fire and now we have a nuclear meltdown. Sadly, the "Sendai Earthquake of 2011" is now listed as the 4th largest earthquake in history.

Compared to the Tohoku area, Tokyo is ok, we just had transportation troubles. I was in a midtown tower when it happened. Japanese people are used to earthquakes, we can usually sense them because the building sways, but this time it was shaking up and down. Some people screamed and some hid under their desks. I could see Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Tower swinging from an office window. Actually, the top of Tokyo Tower bent. After the shaking, we immediately got an emergency call: "midtown tower has a fire on 42F", so we were all evacuated to a park behind the building and had to wait for two hours or so in the cold until we got security clearance to return. Back at the office, everyone worked on updating news and sites, and stopped all direct mail from all services. After that, I wanted to go home, but all trains and buses stopped service. Some co-workers walked home, some gave up and stayed at the office. I had to wait until the trains were running again. Finally, after midnight, subways and my train line started to run, and I reached home after 3 am.

The good thing is that people were calm, formed queues and there were no mobs at all. Some beverage vending machines set their prices to 0 yen via their operating network connections. Some electronics stores offered cell phone charging services. Restaurants and convenience stores let people use their toilets. Some offered free riceballs on the streets. And I realized the power of the internet: cell phone service was down for a long time because of network jams, so Twitter, Facebook and Ustream became a stable source of information that people relied upon. I checked in with my family on Facebook, kept up with TV news on Ustream, and was notified about train service thanks to people's tweets. 

Comments

[alecho]

Glad to hear you are safe. I was raised in Japan, and still have many family members and friends there. So far, they are all good but Japan is still a mess. Will keep everyone in Japan in my prayers.

[woman]

Are terrible events. I'm sorry.

[Sam]

I am glad you are okay Mari-san! I am in Tokyo area (visiting from Canada) as well and was very impressed by how orderly and calm people were. I have been following your blog since last year when I visited Tokyo and always enjoy it.

[Hope Letters]

Many people want to help out, but other than money or being an aid worker, there is another way to help by sending words of support and hope. You can send your message online to school children and emergency workers in Japan via Hope Letters at http://hopeletters.wordpress.com/. Hope Letters will translate them into Japanese and deliver them to local organizations for posting/broadcasting (when it is practical and effective to do so). Help give hope!

[Wolf]

Hey Mari,

Glad to know that you are safe!

Wolf

[Magpie Jen]

Glad to hear your OK. Hoping and praying for the best for you & all in Japan in such hard times.

[Ken]

Thanks for the post. Glad to hear that you are ok!

[Guy]

Your point on how long it took you to get home reminded me of the Loma Prieta quake which I experienced in 1989. Compared to you, I had it easy. It took me two hours to drive home after the quake. Lights were out in many areas as I drove home. Normally it would take me about 30 minutes to get home.

[gary jennings]

Mari, I hope everything becomes better with time.

[John Gorman]

God Bless you this day and the ones ahead !

[trondd]

Mari, I hope your family and friends are ok and my best wishes to all those effected.

[Sazelus]

.... my God ....

[My Linh]

I'm glad to hear you are okay. I hope the best for the people in Japan.