Aftermath - pt II - Journey to the East

So teacher training began on Tuesday (yesterday), but I was supposed to arrive on the Monday. Suffice it to say that didn't happen because a lot of the trains weren't running. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved when it was postponed.

Little did I realise though, that this postponement was only to be for a few hours. I'm pretty irked that I didn't get to spend the afternoon with friends in Tokyo, but it was not to be. No, instead I had to cross half the fucking country during the next morning.


It seems somewhat improper of me to display any levity at this time in respect of the dead in the northeast. But are we truly honouring their memories if we don't take what good we can from this horrible time ?  I can do very little very well, but one of those things is apparently writing. So write I will about this place. It's sickening the amount of people that have fled this place but irritatingly ambivalently, I can quite understand their feeling and motivation. But it's ungrounded. And of course, it's mostly the foreign denizens of this country, bakka gaijin if you will, who are doing so. It doesn't take a nuclear physicist to understand why. The plague that is the western media have put such a repellant spin on what's going on here that family and loved ones have insisted they come home. Much have my own. It is touching and genuinely heartwarming that people have done so, continue to do so... and I have never felt more loved in my life. I think it has a lot to do with this strength I've found that I didn't know I had to stay here.

Erm. Those of you on lamebook will know I just experienced another quake. Literally, as I was typing this, my building shook like Louise Woodward's charge. I hope to god people are safe and no tsunami will result.

Living in Japan though, this is just a fact of reality. Last Friday was apparently a once-in-a-thousand-year event, but that does not change the reality of the ground. There is palpable uncertainty in the air. Every tiny tremor, every loud footfall across the floor, every siren that occurs and the uncertainty becomes fear. I expect this will happen for a while yet though.


Watching footage of a man and his wife searching for their lost son on TV has just made my eyes stream. Their names were Seiichiro and Machiko. It was heartbreaking. Their son's name was Shiro.



Well... it's now Friday night. The FCO issued advice to get the fuck out of Tokyo... Now while I don't for a minute believe anything that comes out of William fucking Hague's office, it was kind of the last straw... Before you (quite rightly) accuse me of being some retarded ponce who couldn't even take his own advice (especially after the shit I last wrote) I ask that you reserve judgement until you see my Chiba footage. Then ask yourself what you would have done. The UK has now begun chartering flights to repatriate its people.

Also, you must remember, I was there to learn stuff. To be trained. I found it immensely difficult to concentrate before that edict. But after, it was impossible. I asked for a postponement so I didn't waste people's time. I suck if I'm not focused... Again, these are excuses and I accept my epic failure, but again, see these videos and then ask yourself what you would have done...


At first it began as any normal trip did, but considerably more subdued. I challenge any of you not to get a tiny bit lifted by the thought of going on the Shinkansen. Plus I'd be passing Fuji-san and would be able to see it for the first time. Still. There was definitely something not right about it all...




Had to get up at five fifteen in the fucking morning... Training was initally postponed... FOR ONE FUCKING DAY !!!




As a nod to older, simpler times, I caught this one for nostalgia's sake. Hah.




It's nice to be able to complain about things that are ultimately meaningless.




Musings, smokings and admittings. Prospect of Fuji-san was exciting.




Just some landscape like previous footage. See the country. It rocks.




Like the title says. Tectonic activity is the price you pay for such amazing landscapes.




Into Tokyo...




Properly now.




Having the usual fag.


OK, I seem to have made a bit of a strange jump here. It is now the Wednesday morning. I am surreptiously filming a long line of people outside a supermarket. It's creepy.



I'm talking to Ben, the trainer... He was asking if I was gonna take a picture of the queue... Little did he know (until I told him).




Starting to get a bit freaked out now...




Continues...




Some more damage.




Nom nom.




Akin to a swarm.

The mood changes considerably.




I could easily have been on the 16th floor. But buildings here are built so well, I would have been fine. Physically. Emotionally however ? Well if that degree of movement made me feel like that on the ground floor, then I have no idea how the fuck I would have felt halfway up a massive tower, feeling like I was at fucking sea. Urgh. No fucking ta. That was bad enough.

By this point, I think I had experienced about five earthquakes now. Friday's brutal one. And then four since arriving in Chiba. I draw your attention back to what I said about every tiny tremor possibly being the harbinger of a lot worse... Yeah. It was not so pleasant being there at all really.




After the big quake, the lifts were out for ages. I can still hear that fucking building siren man.
But we were on reclaimed land, so the shaking was much more pronounced...


Right it's taken me fucking ages to get all that stuff up. I'm back in the Hash now. I have more stuff from the Thursday, which was the day I bottled it about halfway through.

Watch this space for a view out of the window on the 16th floor and FUJI-SAN on my journey of shame.