Most damage was near Sendai, it seems from the news. I’d finished class at lunch and was close enough to walk home in a couple of hours. Classes tomorrow cancelled, but mainly because almost all the trains are still stopped and not sure if they’ll be back by then. The main problem is Tokyo is that, people stranded by no trains and phone system overloaded and so difficult to get through.
If anyone else wants to use this post to contact other people or ask for info, will do my best to help.
Our thoughts are with you and everyone in Japan. Stay safe.
Thanks Adam
Although it’s the worst I’ve experienced, in Tokyo it really was just books falling from shelves. Some of the underground lines are reopening, but a lot of other people are still stranded on a pretty cold night. They are opening schools etc for people to stay overnight in if they need to.
It’s still virtually impossible to get through from phone to phone, but from Skype to phone I’ve managed to get through to everyone eventually.
I was so happy to find this post, Alex. Was going to contact Josef to see if he had heard from you. I’ll let everyone know via twitter and FB that they can post questions for you here.
Good to hear you are OK.
Hey glad you are okay and I’m sending some good thoughts to people in Japan! Take care.
Thank goodness you’re all right, have been also hearing from other online friends in Japan. I’m at a conference in the mountains of Slovenia and we have only just now heard the news.
Thanks everyone.
I should perhaps have called this “Fine because I am in Tokyo”, because Tokyo only (?) had 4 casulties and no power cuts yet. The worst that has happened here is some panic buying and so shortage of some foods like bread and cup noodles, and some rail lines still stopped. People are also worried about the reactors in Fukushima, which is quite far but I guess something could blow this way if the wind was in the right direction. People in Fukushima have been told to cover their faces if they must go out, just in case.
The videos of the tidal waves in Sendai are really scary, but nothing like that round here.
Some people might have read that there are power outages in Tokyo from today, but that appears to be outside the central 23 “ku” only, so everything running like normal here.
Just returned from a conference and wanted to check in to see how you were – glad to see all’s well.
K
Hi Alex
Thinking about you and everyone in Japan during this awful time. A very good friend of mine arrived in Yokohama with her two small children two hours before the quake, so we’re watching the news (probably too much) with great concern.
All the best…
Thanks everyone
Trains are slowly getting back to normal here in Tokyo, and shops are stocking up on some things that there’d been panic buying of and running out of others. I have two jars of Vegemite and four loaves of bread though, so they can run out of what they want… Scheduled power cuts have started on the periphery of Tokyo and other places such as Niigata where my father in law is, but at the same time other places are slowly having their regular gas, electricity and water restored. You’d think from the news that everyone in Tokyo is panicking about radiation, but actually people are still going to work, playing in parks etc, and no more masks than a usual Tokyo spring hayfever season.
I’m sure your friend in Yokohama is okay Claire. It’s very similar to Tokyo there, just they’ve had more power cuts and train cancellations.