11 March 2011 – A Day to Remember
Contributors are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the contributor directly
As I sit in my comfortable business class seat having 30 minutes ago departed Tokyo Narita airport, I can’t help but feel a great deal of sadness for all of the people left behind in Japan. Yes, I’m relieved to have got on the plane and left behind the anxiety of wanting to feel safe and to be with my family; however for the people in Japan – whether they be Japanese nationals or expats – they continue to live with the unknown, and the not knowing what will happen next.
They have not only one major issue to worry about, but three; with the earthquakes, the tsunami, and now the ever growing threat of the nuclear meltdown. As well as ongoing aftershocks, it’s the nuclear reactor that’s gripping people’s lives as there is a growing fear that its worse than people are being told. That’s the talk on the street of Japan. One report I read said that it had potential to be worse than Chernobyl. That created a panic attack in me, which made me ever more determined to get the first flight out. It may of been an overreaction; maybe we will never know, but maybe we will.
The week started out as a very normal business week coupled with a few twists and turns; with a last minute decision to go to Japan for three days of meetings. In the first 48 hours I had experienced my very first tremor of this trip, yet no-one who lived there seemed all that fazed by it. By all accounts it was still reasonably big, but it was just cast off as another earthquake “off the coast”. That was at 11.45am on day one and then later in the early hours of the next morning there was another. This one woke me up as I was on the 39th floor of the hotel so as you can imagine we were swaying quite a lot, then at 6.30am we had another. Three tremors within my then 48 hours of being in the country should of told me to get out of Japan and go home, yet on the other hand wisdom also tells us to listen to the locals; after all they have got used to tremors having had to put up with them all of their lives. So much so that youngsters are taught at school what to do in the event of an earthquake. When I went to school I was taught how to look left and right at the school crossing, how we take things for granted.
The fear built slowly but surely
With my mind put at ease by the locals I decided to take advantage of another two business days and extended; a decision I will never regret simply because it gave me yet another life experience; one that you have to go through to fully appreciate the life-changing impact it has on you. It reinforces the theory of “don’t sweat the small things in life” and the firm rule to love your family and your friends with all your heart. The eventful day came, Friday 11th March; a day which will go down in history. For me it was again, like any other; a routine day of appointments. That it was, until 3.30pm when I was in the middle of a business meeting with my client. The tremor came slowly at first and then it just got bigger and bigger. I remember seeing the fear in my clients eyes when she realised and commented that this one was serious. We quickly discussed our options; our eyes darting everywhere looking for somewhere to hide. Was it safer to stay inside the lobby of the hotel or go outside where there are other dangers? The fear built slowly but surely but you do what you have to do to survive and make the best choices you can at the time; hoping they are the right ones.
Our choice as it turns out, was the relative open space of outside – in the arrivals area of the hotel. Mixed emotions were confusing the reality; it was just so surreal. All of us have been on scary rides at places like Universal Studios, I remember doing the earthquake simulator at one of them but you know you can get off at the end. Being an unwilling contender in a real earthquake, you’re just thrown in the deep end without any warning or preparedness, mentally or otherwise. The last 24 hours, with over 160 recorded aftershocks was like being on that ride over and over and over again; one that you have no control over whatsoever and one that you know may just be extremely dangerous or even worse; life threatening and one that the people of Japan just can’t get off at the moment.
People screaming, running, others fixed in one position too frightened to move
The 11 March 2011 3.30pm earthquake was recorded at 8.8 at the epicenter and in downtown Tokyo it was estimated to have been around 5.5. I saw first hand the impact it had in the capital, so how I can only imagine what it must of been like being closer to the epicenter. What you witness in these circumstances is difficult to put into words. Buildings are not supposed to swing back and forth without falling over but somehow; amazingly (in Tokyo) they stood tall to see another day. Power poles, traffic lights, power lines, trees alike were just whipping left to right; shaking violently. People screaming, running, others fixed in one position too frightened to move; just like deer paralyzed in the head lights of a car.
As I left Japan today the streets of inner Tokyo were virtually empty, not surprising as I’m sure most people are with loved ones now and staying at home. I understand however that many of the freeways are at gridlock getting out of Tokyo and to the main airport, Narita. The train station I used to get out was operating as normal and was also very quiet. Haneda airport was surprisingly quiet, I’m told many flights are full but as airlines put on extra capacity and re-route aircraft getting seats out will slowly become easier.
Japan is one of my favorite countries in the world, with beautiful people – well mannered, caring and understanding people. Great food and culture just add to the magic, mysticism and charm that this country has to offer. It is a visually stimulating place with a myriad of stunning little villages and magical shopping. It’s a shame that it’s Japan’s turn to be brought the attention of the world in this way. Japan will recover (sadly not without many fatalities, casualties and pain) just as Asian destinations recovered from the tsunami of 2004, so let’s pray for Japan and support them in every way we can. My thoughts also go out everybody who has also been affected by this terrible tragedy.
Comments are closed.