We’re heading north to see the devastation from the earthquake. The phone rang early this morning and a very authoritative voice spoke. The coordinator called and said that I would not be able to go due to transportation issues. It was quite disappointing to hear. I immediately asked to be slated for the trip next week. She said, she’d do her best. Then I hastily began calling and contacting other people and other groups. An hour an a half later; I got a call back from the same lady. “You can go, you will go…” I could not thank her enough. You never really know how much you want something until it’s taken away, then how grateful you are when it comes back.
I had told a few colleagues in Tokyo about what I was doing and where I was going and they were very moved. In the evening I traveled to a train station at the edge of Tokyo called Shinagawa to pick up my MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat) and other gear from a friend. We met, had a brief dinner at the station, then I loaded up my backpack with what he brought and headed back home.
Everything is almost ready to go. So far so good, I don’t want to answer my phone for anyone until I’m in the vehicle heading out of Tokyo early Wednesday morning. Now that the trip for me is still a go. Here’s a brief summary of the plan; at each of these places we will be dropping off supplies and providing assistance where needed. What was interesting is that during research; I found that Google Earth has included many images on their maps which contain satellite and aerial views of the destruction.
 |
| Tohoku Region: Ishinomaki and surrounding areas |
We’ll drive north from Tokyo along the Tohoku Expressway. At certain points we will pass near the Fukushima Reactor exclusion zone. Then we’ll stop at to the outskirts of the City of Sendai to rest as it’s a 9 hour drive. Here we will camp or stay at an inn that’s been shut down. The next day we’ll go to Ishinomaki; a coastal town that was hit hard by both the earthquake and the tsunami.
 |
| Ishinomaki:石巻市 |
After Ishinomaki we will head to the north east to a small town of Onagawa.
 |
| Onogawa-cho:女川町 |
 |
| Onogawa-cho:女川町 |
Onogawa was completely devastated by the tsunami and in essence completely wiped out. One of the reason is that this coastal town is nestled in a very narrow and flat valley that stretches far inland. When the tsunami hit, the water was funneled through the low lined valley where the residents lived. The wave and wall of debris plowed and crushed everything in its path for miles inland. Onagawa was one of the hardest hit places in the disaster; the death toll here is astounding. I was told that the entire drive along the coast will be shocking. The Japanese police and military are still searching for bodies. We’ve been told to prepare ourselves.
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.
