Japan is fighting to survive.

It has been five days since the massive earthquake of a magnitude of 9.0 on the RS or 7 on the Japanese scale that struck us here in Japan. Since then many smaller aftershocks where felt some of which where strong enough by them self.
Their epicentre is changing even though most after shocks are still coming from the original epicentre many strong aftershocks are now being emitted in the kanto Chiba area.
This is viewed by some of the experts as a sign that we may witness another major earthquake such as the 1923 earthquake that devastated Tokyo.
However, this does not seem to be the main worry for most here at the moment, since we are already dealing with food shortages and gas stations are still out of gas leaving many stranded.
Furthermore, it is still winter and even for those that still have a house or apartment to call their own, it is difficult to stay warm when there is no gas or fuel available any longer and when electricity is scarce as well. Especially in the rural areas where outages are more frequent then they are in the larger cities.
We just got electricity back three days ago in our area and this only for a couple of hours every day. Many areas do not even have a few hours of power though.
Rice is still around, but it is impossible to buy bread milk or other foods we once took for granted. Still, even when one has rice, it can be difficult to cook this with out stoves, fuel, or electricity.
Most are living on the edge of what they can handle, especially emotionally. The main fear is our nuclear power plant that seems to become a hopeless cause, the news from that one seems to get worth by the day, to the point that the Prime Minister made an announcement, advising all to remain indoors and to avoid outside air or rain in order to minimise radiation exposure. The government handed out Potash Iodine pills to those closest to the nuclear power plant, trying to combat the negative effects of radiation poisoning. It shows the helplessness of government and experts who try to keep all calm and want to avoid to create panic which may make things even worth.
But all know here that this may end up getting a lot worth then the initial earthquake and tsunami where. Still, even though nervous and stressed most try their out-most to remain calm and serene in order to keep the children hopeful and ease their fears.
For the past two day all the school could give their students for lunch was some pudding and a piece of processed cheese with a  200 ml carton of milk. Food has to be rationed now and many get nothing more then a small boll of rice with some bouillon to warm them up.
The things we where all so accustomed to, now seem to be a thing of the past and many are realising that things will never be the way they where before the earthquake of March 11 of this year.
News came that the government can no longer control the nuclear power station and that they will abandon it now, still poring water on it in hope to reduce the radiation some what.
A  colleague approached me today, asking if we will still be around next week, I was some what cough of guard and just said "If not, we shall meet again in the next life and remember this one, so we may learn from our mistakes, if there is a next life that is."
The kids and teens are getting restless and some have trouble dealing with the situation at hand, which is comprehensible.
Still, I do admire the Japanese serenity which most maintain no matter the severity of the situation or the devastation they have to deal with.
I suppose all the drills and disciplinary lessons as well as the moral education every Japanese receives through out their school education and even in university do pay off in such a crisis.
So what next? No one knows for certain, but we expect the radiation to rise and we may have to face another important earthquake with in the next few days.
Many foreigners are on their way out since their respective Embassies have started to evacuate their expatriates from Japan.
Even though the Japanese understand and are sympathetic, it certainly does not comfort those that are stuck here.
I believe for my part that running is useless and that we have to do our best to help each other in this crisis what ever may be. This is especially important for those that have already lost everything and find them self totally helpless in this disaster.
All hope that they wont be another explosion at the nuclear power plant and that we wont have to deal with another Chernobyl. Still, we will have to deal with the radiation and the closer one lives to the plant the worth they will be off. Why people should be evacuated as far away from the plant as possible and the radius needs to be extended to at least a 100 km, this however, will be difficult to accomplish in light of the devastation the earthquake has caused and the lack of gasoline we have as well as the restricted electricity, all this makes the transportation of large numbers of people even more difficult then it would be if all infrastructures where operational and even if we would not face a shortage of fuel or electricity we would have a hard time evacuating people far enough from the power plant to be considered safe.
All know the reality of the situation and know that they wont be able to get out, nor avoid what ever may happen. In stead they all face their faith as they have been thought to do, with honour and serenity. One can sense the fear and worries in many, still they smile and remain polite and courteous. Some thing to learn from.
Wile I wrote the previous paragraph, another more serious earthquake hits us, with a magnitude of 6 on the RS.
 or 5 lower on the Japanese scale.
The radio is on all day and every one hopes to hear some good news and maybe some good news will come after all. In the mean time the announcements about the radioactivity have changed from Micro-severs to mili-severs, it does sound some how better even if it ends up being higher in reality, maybe most wont notice that the 1000 micro-severs the government talked about on Saturday are now 1000 mili-severs of radiation emitted. It is all in the way it is presented, a 1000 ml sounds more or worth then 10 litres of poison.

We need to help those that are worth off due to this earthquake. An open letter to the mayor of Narita, Chiba, Japan.

標題：
東北地方太平洋沖地震被災者の成田市での受け入れ要望

本文：
標題のとおりです。
被害状況はどんどん悪くなる一方です。復旧には何年もかかるでしょう。
親を失った子供や子供を抱えた母親、年配の方々など、避難所生活が特に
困難な人たちから、できるだけ早く救いの手を差し伸べる
必要があると思います。個人でできることはたかがしれていますの
で、市長にメールをさしあげた次第です。避難民の受入れを、市長
から成田市民に呼びかけていただけませんか?
成田市には農家や大家族も多く、一戸に何人か受け入れても、なん
とかなると思います。市街地に住んでいる人たちも、一人くらい受
け入れられるのではないでしょうか。今は自分の家族のことだけを
考えている時ではないと思います。家も財産も失った人のために、
一刻も早くなんらかの行動に出る必要があると思います。
我が家は成田市の東のはずれに位置しており、夫婦で教員をしてい
ます。ドイツ人の主人は、以前にこうした救援活動を行ったことが
あります。
今日、我が家に電力が戻り、テレビでニュースを見ましたが、現地
はまるで戦場です。快適な生活は約束できずとも、あの避難所より
はましな生活を提供できるはずです。取り急ぎ、メールを差し上げ
ます。何卒よろしくお願い致します。

Magnitude 9.0 Earthquake strikes Japan

As the earthquake struck, I was working in our school, at first it seemed like just another earthquake. However, we all realised very quickly that this was going to be a major earthquake, one that will cause some serious damage and claim many lives.

As we left the building after all the students had been evacuated to the sports area, I saw just how powerful this quake was, as it managed to create great waves in the JH schools pool spreading its water ten meters or further away for that swimming pool.

Some of the students where terrified and so where some of the adults as well, even though all are well familiar with earthquakes, this earthquake was generating fear and panic in many.

I am a pragmatist at heard and believe that we should not fear death and I do not fear death it self, especially not if it was to strike me personally. However, I do fear to see others suffer and lose loved one’s or be severely injured.

Once the students where on their way home and the school was closed up, I tried my cell phone and e-mail as well text messaging system to contact loved one's and friends, expecting the worth and still hoping for the best. Nothing worked though; I just managed to get one twit out. Therefore, I decided to drive back home already fearing that I may not like what I will find. As I took the 51 all seemed normal at first other then a traffic jam, that one was going the other direction though since all tried to move away from the sea shore fearing a tsunami wile I was driving towards that shore since that is where our farm is and where I may find my wife as well.

As I drove suddenly traffic came to halt and those that could left the road and took a detour, soon I fund out why, one of the bridged had been raised by the earthquake creating a road block of sorts. As I looked around I saw fire engines and damaged buildings, that is when I realised that our area was hit much worth then the North of Chiba Kent, the further I drove South the worth it got. What normally takes me less then an hour drive took me well over two hours after the earthquake.

While I drove, I felt the after shocks every now and then and those where strong enough by them self but nothing compared to that initial earthquake.

As I kept on driving, the sun light gave way to the night and I saw no lights on, nor any stores open. The trains where still not moving either. Once I came atop of a hill all was dark as far as I could see, a very unusual sight for the prefecture of Chiba

That was when I realised that we lost power through out a waste area. On the radio finally a broadcast, a tsunami warning or rather that several areas had been hit by a tsunami some with four metre high waves and other with waves much higher, up to ten meters according to the radio station. Now I understood why every one was driving in the opposite direction then I was. Still, I had to get home and find my wife; at least I hoped I would find her there. However, for a moment a thought crossed my mind that I should be prepared not find her or that she may be hurt or even worth. I kept on driving and listening to the radio. It is some what ironic that all our great technology, satellites and gadgets cease to function in such a disaster and that all that remains in operation are some good old fashion FM radio waves and laud speakers. Some more news came through of two nuclear power stations leaking radioactive water and one that is at risk of melt down. As I heard this, I remembered the Chernobyl disaster in the former USSR, I was a chemical student in Germany back then and far away from it, still the radioactive fallout reached us as well, even though it was minimal compared to what the Russian had endured, it was still not something one could shrug off easily either.

Japan is a small country with and very densely populated, another Chernobyl would have far more causalities here then it did in the USSR back in the eighties.

Why in heavens name does any one put nuclear power stations in a country known to be prone for major earthquakes is something I never understood nor will I ever understand it either, there are far safer ways to produce electricity and far more environmentally friendly as well.

Finally I reached our Farm and jumped out the car calling my wife’s name, She was there, alive and well, but in shock and some how traumatised. She wondered how her parent where and then told me that the house was a mess, things all over the place and every thing broken as well. I quickly looked around and assessed the damage as best as I could with a flashlight.

What a mess it was in deed, but the main building was still safe and seemed to be structurally sound as well. 

Therefore, we set out to clean up some of all the broken things to be able to sit down and have some supper.

Fortunately the madjes salad I made the day before was still around since it was in the fridge even though the fridge was no longer where it was suppose to be, its contend was still there and some what okay.

As we had some of that herring and a glass of tea made from the water left in an emergency container, I suddenly remembered the Tsunami.

We have a GPS monitor for the navigation system, however, it can also be used for radio and TV, I asked my wife to find out what was what, since I do not understand every thing that is said especially on a bad reception and she does. The tsunami had already hit land by the time we listen to the latest newscast, fortunately our area was still high enough, but other areas where not so fortunate and many lives where lost. The tsunami claimed far more lives then the initial earthquake did.

A day has passed now; our neighbourhood head and leaders went to every farm to see if all where alive and well. Fortunately, in our community at least, no one was killed, we only lost some buildings and hard ware to the earthquake and that, even if it may not all be replaceable nor will we be able to afford to fix or replace most of it, but at least all where alive.

My wife finally received word from her parents that they where fine, just material losses.

I then set of to the city trying to find a place where I could send a message to my family letting them know that we were okay. I managed to get one message out and hoped that every one else will be notified form that person as well.

Then I had to find some more water since we where still out of electricity and our solar system was down as well. 
Once I got back home more bad news came over the news channel, A major explosion was reported at the Fukushima nuclear plant "number one." The experts did not know what would happen next though. However, the radio active levels reported by NHK where to be at 1051 micro-sieverts, knowing that an X-ray emits between 50 to 100 micro-sieverts, this was not good news at all.
I send a letter to our mayor, that we should organise a relocation program for all those that lost everything, so that they may at least have shelter again and wont have to live in tents or gymnasiums, especially the elders and youngest segment of the victims being the most vulnerable, and knowing that time is of essence to prevent further victims we need to be solidarian and work together now. There are still many empty building standing even in the the areas hit by the earthquake that need to be re-a-located by decree if necessary and many families whose homes have not been destroyed have enough room to welcome one or more people for a year or more until things get rebuild. The men that are in good health and strong need to volunteer a month or more to rebuild Japan and employers have to make accommodations to make this possible. 
This earthquake has devastated this area of Japan far be on what any single country, even a country as  highly advanced as Japan can possibly handle. The magnitude of devastation this earthquake has caused on its own. Even with out side help, it will take over a decade to recover from this last earthquake and to rebuild all the infrastructures. 
However, it will be impossible to recover from all the lives lost, for those are not replaceable.

More news will follow, for now that is what has happened here and I hope that the nuclear power plant will be safely powered down. 

"The Fukushima nuclear power plant. The evacuation radius has been raised to twenty kilometres. All safety futures have failed. Only the shell of the plant seems to remain.
Government agency are on high alert and NHK reported that the expert do not know what will happen at this point. The radiation is now at 1051 micro-sieverts"

Important earthquake hits the Northern Japan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZtLczZWI-Q&feature=player_embedded

The Japanese political Titanic.

Current Prime Minister Naoto Kan beat former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama length of time in office last Tuesday, surpassing the term of his predecessor now. This may be the only good news in this weeks head lines here in Japan, at least for Mr. Kan, whose tenure as Prime Minister is threaten as well due to the difficulties he faces in dealing with a divided parliament and his own fractious party. Kan assumed the premiership on June 8 last year after fellow Democratic Party of Japan member Mr. Hatoyama resigned over his failure to resolve a U.S. base relocation issue in Okinawa.

Wile Mister Naoto Kan has been in office for a mere 267 days so far, being a short time by most countries political standards, it sadly is some what of an event in Japanese politics as of late. Since over the past five years we had five Prime Ministers taking office.

There was Shinto Abe (2006-07) who got sick. He was replaced by Yasuo Fakuda (2007-08) who resigned to protest a legislative gridlock and was replaced by Taro Aso (2008-09) who ended up loosing an election to Yukio Hatoyama (2009-10). Mr. Hatoyama was the hope for many to redeem Japans political arena. The expectations and hopes that where generated towards him where some what comparable to the Obama syndrome only Japanese stile. He did not last as long as Obama though, since he had to resign due to his inability to give the US a good kick in the derriere. This gave us Mister Naoto Kan who seems to break a record as far as time in office is concerned as a Prime Minister in Japan, even though he is rather unpopular with just about every one and any one.

Then again he is not a “soiled silver spoon” like his predecessors where, since he does not decent From the crème de la crème of Japans political dynasties. All of his predecessors are sons or grand sons of former Japanese Prime Ministers and considered weaklings by the masses, why the term “soiled silver spoons.”

It is unlikely though that Mr. Naoto Kan, japans current Prime Minister will be any more successful then his predecessors even though he may be able to hang on to power a few weeks longer then they did.

The malaise is one that is much deeper and that is not limited to the Japanese political arena either. it is spread through out all segments and all levels of the Japanese society.

At times it seems almost that this country is like a ship headed for an iceberg, wile the crew and passenger are petrified almost hypnotized by the iceberg, the captain with his officers are busy debating whether or not to change the color of the uniforms rather then changing the heading of their ship, wish would allow them to avoid a total disaster.

The few that speak out will be silenced and ordered to sweep the deck even if they would be far better qualified as machine engineers that could by pass the command structure and reverse the engines of that ship, which would avoid colliding with the iceberg and save the ship. Instead they are demoted even humiliated and marginalized.

It is almost as if Japan wants this to happen and can only strive once this ship has hit the iceberg and sunk.

Maybe a few will survive and rebuild a new ship that will be better…

Through out Japans history this sort of thing seems to happen, the country seems to move forward and be able to change course only after a major catastrophe such as the Tokyo earthquake of 1923 or the carpet bombing of all Japanese cities toped by the two nuclear bombs that the US dropped on Japan, causing such grave disaster and pain that Japan changed course and became a beacon for all. At least for a time it was. Because since the mid eighties Japan finds its self stuck anew. Even paralyzed heading right for disaster. To the point that some seem to be hoping for another 1923 earthquake that would allow them to get the old guard out and rebuild this country so it may be able to move forward, avoiding total destruction and finally be able to face the realities of the twenty first century.

What ever happened to reason and common sense? 

The Japanese Farm ministry will raise the wheat price by 18% in April of this year

The Japanese government will raise the price for five major brands of imported wheat to be resold to flour milling companies by an average of 18 percent, starting in April due to rising wheat prices on the international market, so it announced last Wednesday. The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said the planned action will bring the average price to 56,710 Yen ($620.00)per ton, which could translate into higher retail prices for bread and other wheat products. The average prices for basic food items in Japan are already one of the highest as is, making this latest price increase challenging for consumers through out the country.

In the U.S. for instance a loaf of bread cost around 130 Yen($1.60), where as in Japan that same loaf of bread does cost 360 Yen($4.10). The price difference between Japan and other Industrialized countries can vary to an even greater amount depending on the product. Apples for instance will cost per unit an average of 130 Yen ($1.40) Where as the same apple will cost only 32 Yen ($0.45) in the U.S.. Japan is overall one of the most expensive countries, even Japanese made products are far cheaper to purchase in North America or Europe then they are here in Japan. Still the difference in the price of food items can be dramatic at times.

Japan's food self-sufficiency ratio is the lowest of all advanced nations.
Australia is 237%, Canada 145%, USA 128%, France 122%, Germany 84%, England 70%, Italy 62%, Switzerland 49%, South Korea 47%, Japan 39%.
With one exception, being rice, for which Japan’s self-sufficiency is 100% and yet, even this segment of the Japanese agricultural sector is on  the brink of collapse, in large part due to an ageing rural population with an average of 65 years of age for farmers and with no one to take over those farms. Japan depends on imports for the majority of its food intake. This certainly not because of its climate nor its rich top soils, since Japan's climate and soils are most favorable for agricultural production that could easily make Japan a food exporting country and feed all it own people at the same time.

The trouble is that the Japanese policy makers have not only neglected the agricultural sector but more over they have sabotaged it in order to force the rural population to work in factories such as Toyota, this mainly to avoid having to allow massive immigration in of a foreign labor force to maintain and expand the export boom of the 1960^th and 70^th that Japan witnessed. Even today the driving force for reforms and changes such as allowing free trade as well as immigration into the country after opposing such so fiercely for decades is changing in part due to an aging population and an almost extinct rural population caused earlier by an exodus in favor of Japans heavy industry.

Rather then reviving its agriculture and insuring that Japan will be able to feed its own people and maybe even be able to export food through out the world, the government is neglecting the agricultural sector even further, promoting instead the revival of its industry and building factories in India and the US to insure its marked shares there. All the wile creating not only more unemployment at home and increasing the national deficit but also putting into jeopardy an aging population that needs to be taken care of.

The most important sector in this day an age of global unrest, food insecurity and climate changes is certainly not the profit margin of Toyota nor that of some stock holders, but rather insuring and securing the very basics of life, being food, shelter and peoples health.

It is crucial to revive and invest heavily into the agricultural sector again now, since it takes a very long time to get this sector going again as well as  train a new generation of Farmers to produce food efficiently and this with new environmentally sound methods. Certainly Japan is not the  only country to find it self in an agricultural crisis. Germany, Italy and many other countries find them self in a similar dilemma. However, Japan is by far in the worth of positions when it comes to its Agricultural sector. 
We can not afford to take any further risks here, since far to much is at stake as is.

正月 Japanese new year

正月 (shōgatsu) the Japanese New Year.

Japan will celebrate the 23d year of the Heisei era. Or in accordance with the 皇紀 (Koki) calendar, the year 2670.Kōki one is the year when legendary Emperor Jimmu founded Japan, 660 BC according to the Gregorian calendar.

The Gregorian system was adopted in 1872 replacing the Chinese lunar calendar wish was celebrated at the beginning of  spring, just as the contemporary Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese New Years are celebrated to this day.

 However, the Gregorian calendar was only used for the month, weeks and days. The years where still counted in eras, this system was introduced in practice during the Meiji period and instituted by law in 1979. Therefore, the posthumous names of the emperors and empresses who reigned before 1868 may not be taken as era names by themselves. 

We can also use the Kōki year that emphasizes the long history of Japan and the imperial family.

Nowadays, the Anno Domini years are used as well though, but only for business, not with in any government institution.

The New Years celebration here in Japan, is maybe the most important of all celebrations of the year and could be compared in importance to the Jewish Hanukah celebration or Christian Christmas or Eastern Celebrations and the Muslim Eid celebration.

It is a time for families to unite and practice Hatsumōde wish is the first trip to a shrine or temple with the entrance of the New Year at midnight. This should be done preferably in a kimono.

Every thing from there on is taken rather seriously and of great importance. One has to pay special attention to all things done for the first time, called “firsts”.

 初日の出 (Hatsuhinode) is the first sunrise of the year. Before sunrise on January 1, people often drive to the coast or climb a mountain so that they can see the first sunrise of the New Year.

Other "firsts" such as 仕事始め (shigoto-hajime) the first work of the new year or 稽古始め (keiko-hajime) the first sport practice of the new year all the way to the first tea ceremony of the new year called 茶の湯 (chanoyu).

This new year as every new year we will eat the traditional sashimi and sushi as well as boiled seaweed, mashed sweet potato with chestnut and this will be followed on the sevens day by a died of seven-herb rice soup wish is known as 人日 (jinjitsu) literally "Human Day".

The name comes from an ancient Chinese custom called Renri. These consist in the opening days of the first lunar month. Each day is assigned to a particular animal, it is forbidden to kill that animal on that day. The first seven days of the month are assigned as Chicken Day, Dog Day, Boar Day, Sheep Day, Cow Day, Horse Day, and Human Day: on this seventh day, no punishments can handed out to Humans including criminals.

Important as well this time of the year are the postcards called 年賀状 (nengajō) those are well marked and have to arrive on new years day. It is almost imperative to do this.

However, It is customary not to send these postcards when one has had a death in the family during the year. In this case, a family member sends a simple postcard to inform friends and relatives they should not send New Year's cards, out of respect for the deceased.

The New Year traditions are also an integrate part of the Japanese poetry, including haiku and renga.

We do decorate for new years as well, just as Christmas includes the Christmas tree the Japanese New Year needs the kadomatsu wish is a traditional decoration for the New Year holiday.

Most popular greetings for that time of the year would be 今年もよろしくお願いします (kotoshi mo yoroshiku o-negai-shimasu) meaning, “I hope for your favour again in the coming year.”

There for I shall conclude with 謹賀新年 (kinga shinnen) Happy New Year.