Just after 2:oo p.m. on a lovely early spring afternoon the shaking started. At first it seemed to be no more than the usual rocking, which is viewed with general nonchalance by the majority of residents. Then it kept going, and growing stronger. Concern began to creep into voiced thoughts. “Is it time to get under the desk?” “No. It’s better to get out.”
Outside the office building we stood on a narrow strip of road, feeling it sway beneath our feet like the deck of a ship at sea. Overhead we watched power lines sway and dance. The rocking lasted for several minutes, or at least what seemed to be several minutes. As it calmed the adrenalin kept coursing, creating uncertainty as to whether it was our bodies or the earth that was still shaking and swaying.
Aftershocks of various magnitudes followed quickly and frequently. On the eastern horizon plumes of black smoke stretched skyward. Phone service – both land and mobile – halted. SMS texts did not go through. We all turned to the internet, sending out flurries of e-mails and Facebook posts to keep in touch, to find out if friends and family were okay. The trains ceased running.
As evening rolled around and lesser tremors kept rolling, those with housing or places to stay within walking distance – a phrase that took on an expanded meaning – began their treks home. Power, fortunately, was still on. My own journey from my office took my largely against the flow of human (and vehicle) traffic. On the main thoroughfares cars waited patiently in unmoving lines. Throngs of people moved down the sidewalks. There was no shoving, no shouting. There was, as I have seen aptly described elsewhere, a melancholy calm in the crowds. A few people wore helmets, likely company provided. More often, the helmets were carried, in hand should the ground start moving again.
Convenience store shelves were stripped bare of instant foods – cup noodles, mostly – and ready to eat meals, rice balls and sandwiches by orderly lines of customers. By the next afternoon most grocery store shelves followed suit. Staples have become hard to come by. Water, milk, eggs, rice, batteries are in short supply.
Aftershocks continued through Friday night, waking people up on Saturday morning and keeping us up through Saturday night into Sunday morning. Another at about 10:00 a.m. Monday shook long enough to be eerily like the one that started it all Friday afternoon.
Images of the damage caused by the massive tsunamis that came ashore in Miyagi dominated the television, with focus shifting Saturday afternoon to exploding nuclear facilities.
Restaurants, bars and retailers opened more of less normally on Saturday, though without the normal Saturday trade. A few subway lines began running late Friday evening, others opened only again on Saturday with limited service. Ueno Park was quiet Saturday, but near brimming on the warm Sunday afternoon, as people looked more relaxed, walking around the lake, laughing, renting paddle boats, snacking from the usual food stands, watching seagulls try to steal food from a duck.
Most of the damage in the Tokyo metro area seems to be in the eastern part in Chiba, or at least the heaviest seems to be there. A refinery burned Friday. Disneyland is said to be closed for the week while they deal with a busted up parking lot and minor flooding. A friend reported taking a 20km hike Friday night back to his sodden neighborhood. In my neighborhood I saw only minor damage, including to a shrine in Ueno Park. A friend has said that his local grocery store is closed because of a damaged wall.
Monday morning train services were still limited as people started going back to work. Services will be spotty for a while as the Tokyo electric company proposes rolling blackouts be used to compensate for so many power generators being offline. The blackouts, however, have been put off for the time being as consumption has remained lower than expected. Some lines have not opened or have opened only for the morning and even rushes.
Decent information is hard to come by, in English anyway. In Japanese it is better since it can be taken straight from the source. CNN and BBC have the most dramatic aspects, but little else of use. The US embassy is sending out fairly regular warden messages with information and links to primary sources. Japanese television has kept near 24-hour coverage on all channels, with the exception of one that was at least for a while showing beautiful nature scenes from around the world and then a weight-loss program. Facebook, though it proved extremely useful in connecting with people can quickly become a source of incomplete or incorrect information.
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