Day 03; Today was quiet and for the most part the streets are less crowded. People are going about with a certain level of normalcy. Shops are selling out nonperishable foods, water, toiletries, and essentials. For the first time since I’ve been in this country I am seeing bare shelves. Since the reactor failures power and electricity here in Tokyo is still about the same as normal. But we will likely start having periodic black outs to ration energy and make enough capacity for those stricken north of here. Everyone has to do their part.
In Tokyo we are lucky, we were shaken and rocked but nothing here is anything like the harder hit areas. Of course there’s lingering worries about radioactivity from the power plants. The company running the plant is known as TEPCO; which is the Tokyo Electric Power Company. They are historically notorious for hiding information and not telling the truth when it comes to their reactor issues. Yesterday during a live press briefing the announcer mentions that “…they have things under control.”
During his live broadcast a reactor exploded. It’s not a far stretch to say that a non exploding reactor means things are under control. The amounts of radiation leakage from one reports says normal while another states that in some case the levels were 8,000 times the acceptable amount. So far no one has any idea. Despite the radioactive shadow, warnings of aftershocks, and more quakes; we are the lucky ones here in Tokyo, luckier than those not so far from us. Just north of here, I read that the death toll may exceed 10,000 now.
The thoughts and prayers of us all should be directed to them. The best and most uplifting news today came when I heard that a 60 year old man was rescued from the sea. He was washed out with the tsunami and sat floating on a rooftop 15km from shore. It’s a bright glint in the mix of dismay. In Tokyo, we are managing today, the parks had people out playing, children laughing. On my walk I noticed the first Sakura (cherry blossoms) in bloom. Oh how I wish the Sakura this year came in good spirits and at a happy time.
Linh Vien Thai is Amerasian, born in Dalat, South Vietnam, where he continued to lived during the war. He left for the U.S. and is now an American living in Tokyo. He enjoys adventure traveling and doing what’s right to make the world a better place.
