Japan is a small country, but the earthquake, tsunami, and fallout have only directly affected a small bit. When newspapers, newscasters, and websites say "Japan," they mean "the Northern quarter of Honshuu, the main island." The reason they generalize is simple--before the quake, very few people knew where Sendai city (or Miyagi, Iwate, and Fukishima prefectures) was located.
I promise not to launch into a rant about The State of Journalistic Integrity and Media Madness. However, I would like to point out the ENORMOUS GAP between the newsfeeds and actual life here.
1. Fukushima is NOT the next Chernobyl. It's not even the next 3 Mile Island. Here's what I have heard from JET supervisors, embassies, and people who live in affected areas.
- Radiation in prefectures that neighbor the Fukushima plant is one-tenth the level of the radiation present in a chest x-ray.
- Tokyo has electricity and running water. Food shortages have occurred because of people running to grocery stores and buying more than they need. My partner's host family in Chiba says that sometimes they lose power or water for a little bit, but overall, their lifestyle is the same.
- The drinking water in Tokyo is within acceptable levels for adult consumption. The city and national government has recommended that infants and pregnant women not drink Tokyo tap water because the level has risen.
- Precautions against eating dairy and produce from around Fukushima are just that--precautions. There have been no deaths from eating the food in the area.
- The US is only evacuating people from the tsunami-affected areas and from the areas within about 50 miles of Fukushima.
3. Where I live is physically unaffected by both the tsunami and the reactor. Yes, we felt the earthquake, but only very lightly. Nothing swayed, fell over, or cracked. Animals didn't freak out beforehand. We were at least 250 miles away from the epicenter. There are mountains and a peninsula between Komatsu and any fallout, weak though it is.
Think of it this way. If a 9.0 earthquake struck Seattle and did equivalent damage, Spokane would feel only tremors. Komatsu is 270 miles away from Sendai; Spokane is only 220 miles away from Seattle. Like Spokane is from Seattle, Komatsu is seperated from Sendai by vast distance and high mountains, and gets its water and food from different places.
If a 9.0 earthquake struct Seattle, it would be insane to flee Spokane, right? It's in the same state, but practically a world away. You would only recommend evacuating Seattle and its surroundings. It's common sense. Accordingly, no one in either government has mentioned evacuation except to people who are in Touhoku, that northern quarter of Honshuu.
This spring break, I'm travelling southwest to Kyoto, Nara, and Osaka for a little while. These areas felt less tremors than Ishikawa, being over 400 miles from the epicenter. Though traditional rivals with Tokyo and the northeast region, Osakans are leading the Japan-based relief efforts. Tourism from within Japan is especially important in Kyoto and Nara this year, as thousands of would-be travelers from abroad and from affected areas have cancelled their plans. Life only goes on if people continue to live it.
It's almost cherry blossom season. Lest this read like a complete nonsequitor, cherry blossoms symbolize hope and new beginnings. Japan is not hording, looting, and blaming in the aftermath of the earthquake. People are banding together to help out, giving as much as they can, and showing reverence by not wigging out.
Many people have remarked on how stoic people in Touhoku appear to be in the face of tragedy. Natural disasters happen here frequently, all over Japan, and so from a young age people are taught to keep calm and carry on. You help no one by freaking out; you help everyone by taking responsibility for yourself and your community.
In that vein, rather than worrying about whether or not I should stay in Japan, I'd like to ask my family and friends instead to look into the disasters that hit your area and find out how you can prepare your family and community. Where would you go? How would you contact relatives to tell them you were alright? Where would your water and heat come from? Are there public resources for you and your family? Where would you go to recieve them?
For news on Fukushima and the Touhoku coast, I would recommend the BBC online site rather than American news outlets. Their reporting has been timlier and less sensational.
This is going to be my last earthquake-related post. You know where to go to give aid, and my area is unaffected. Since all people hear about Japan now is misinformation about how it's exploding/falling apart, I'm going to use my piece of internet to help people differentiate between the affected areas and the unaffected areas.
I want everyone to see that while all of Japan is strong, at least 2/3rds of this country is still safe, healthy, and beautiful.
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