Day 04; On this night, it’s darker than usual. We are conserving electricity so that those who need it much more than us have enough. It’s going to be a cold night for them. I think that in the dim candle lit rooms and shelters up north they know and feel that all of the world hears them. Many lights in my building and the lights at homes in the neighborhood are off. The street lamps still remain but the side streets and parks are now pockets of darkness.
When your eyes get used to the dark the bright things of the day are still bright in a relative way with the night. This is so true with these Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) that I shot.I studied art in school and one of the greatest lessons I learned when drawing or painting was this; “The Darkest of Darks are always closest to the Lightest of Lights. I like this shot most because these days and nights are darker than usual and I’m just looking really hard for something bright.
The news today was the same as yesterday’s. Another reactor blew up. Shopping at bare stores to find food and supplies. Newly found footage of destruction.We had more quakes and aftershocks. At this point I’m desensitized to small and medium earth quakes. The repeat of the reactor scenes however were alarming. Tokyo is not far from these. A few folks I know are leaving town for a while. Ironically one of my good friends took his wife and family of 3 to Hiroshima today in fear of any nuclear accident in Tokyo.
Tonight they are staying a few blocks from the famous domed ruin where the first atomic bomb exploded. Ironic indeed. Do I want to leave too? For those who know me, two weeks ago you could only hear me talk about planning another adventure and going off on one of my wild expeditions. The strangest thing is. right now, I don’t want to leave here. I have so many friends here, I have so many people here who are my extended family. I just feel that leaving Japan now is running away from a place that’s been my home for all these years. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to sit it out, do my part, and see what happens next. I think right now it’s important to share in the positive thinking, share in the compassion, and share in the search for brighter things.
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.
