hey all,
Still alive, still here in Japan. I wish the news and the Universe would give this poor little island a break. We had a smallish earthquake earlier this week (Wednesday, apparently, but I must have slept through it or something), but by now I can't count how many we've had. Of course, if you asked a seismologist, he or she would probably tell you that Japan has several seismic events every day, but most of them are so minor that we can't feel them. But I've actually lost track of the number of times I've felt the ground or the building I'm in swaying like a boat on slightly rough water, or see items on shelves visibly shake since the Big One on Friday.
Yesterday I went up to Tokyo on the excuse of picking up some warm gloves that I'd ordered (just in time for the weather to warm up, BTW), and Michi and I met up. I had gotten a hold of her Friday night, but seeing her in person was a real load off of my mind.
By this time, news was coming in from some of the places that had been out of contact, and we were also getting news about this continuing streak of (potential) disasters, such as this nuclear power plant fiasco. It doesn't look as bad as Chernobyl or Three Mile Island, but both of those happened either before I was born or far away from me. While Fukushima is still a good distance from Yokohama, should an even minor explosion occur, the weather could easily carry radioactive material this far.
We were planning on going rock climbing today, but the nuclear reactor news changed our minds. We stayed in and watched lots of South Park. I also got in some Japanese study time while she was checking the news, etc.
Next week, I have work on Saturday (and there will probably be work tomorrow). We're planning on going to Hakone, but we might have to cancel if the disaster toll keeps rising. I keep expecting Mothra and Godzilla to suddenly appear.
Cheers
