Aftermath - pt III - Back to the Hash

So this is Thursday. I was getting increasingly ill-at-ease as the week progressesd, leading to a profound drop in concentration. I think I definitely hit a breaking point as so much was/is going on. I've only been here two months, the death toll is rising, the reactors aren't under proper control yet, I worry about my friends in Tokyo, everything is crazy here normally... I can't believe I even went to Chiba at all, to be fucking honest.

Still, I draw whatever positives I can. At least I gave it a shot and at least I got some mega awesome footage and pics of Fuji-san while I passed it.  Truly one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. I should have left Europe long before now... maybe all this wouldn't be quite the headfuck it's been.

Anyway... here are a few vids from Chiba on the Thursday before I fucking bottled it.





Remember me showing the tower I was to be working in...?  Well this is how high up I was. Not actually that high, really. But high enough, thank you very much.

Here are a few snaps that I took, because the view really was stunning. Sort of terrifying, in a way, but still pretty fucking epic.

Looking back at this myself, I can see that I'm not right. This was a short while before reading the FCO warning.




That fucking power button...

So it was during lunch that I agonised with the decision to leave the east. I really didn't wanna go, but something in my gut was telling me to. Maybe I fell victim to the plague of the western media myself, but I am largely ignoring it. Who knows. Bottom line is I ran. Though that did mean having to deal with Tokyo rush hour... The train wasn't so bad though, nor the tube. Possibly because of the people that have either left or who choose not to go out at the moment...

But, silver lining and all that... Behold Fuji-san !

Bear in mind though that I am on the Shinkansen, hooning past at a couple of hundred miles an hour...



Just incredible.




Utterly amazing.




Spectacular.

I don't think it's wrong of me to continue to illustrate the awesomeness of this country during this time. I never for a second stop thinking about the northeast, the damage, the death and the reactors, but there could be a lot of negative repercussions of the media shitstorm telling people to leave or avoid. THIS SHOULD BE IGNORED.

See the place as those of us that are here see it. That was my original intention for writing this horseshit. It seems a bit like duty now. Which is weird.

Anyway, I got a few photos as well.

Finally... something positive I've seen that will stay with me forever. I can't tell you what a nice change that makes.

Blurry. Still cool though.

Out the other side of some long-ass tunnel. The view from the other side of the train was cool as the sky was doing some awesome purple shit as the sunset became twilight... But given a choice between that and Fuji-san ?  No fucking brainer.

Quite enjoyed the juxtaposition of the stunning natural beauty and the post-industrial factory ugh. But that just reminds me of Japan in general.

Love how the world just melts away due to the speed we're going, but Fuji-san remains.

Pretty much the same as above.

And again.

Should give you an idea of just how long my face and camera was glued to the window, snapping liberally.

Noice.

Noice.

Noice. Darker.


Well that's it for Mount Fuji, Fujiyama, or Fuji-san, if you will. (富士山)


I was so glad to get off the train when back in Toyohashi. So glad to get home. Just sort of felt instantly better.

Another thing I probably didn't mention before is that I was the only trainee going through the process. So there was no one else who'd just been here or was unsure or anxious. The guys doing the training had all been here for years. There was supposed to be one other bird, but apparently she bottled it too and fled the fucking country. Completely understandable. But no ta. Not yet in any case.


To peddle an old cliche like one who's bereft of vocabulary, to say that this week has been an emotional rollercoaster would be an understatment of the highest fucking order.