Another strong earthquake strikes the Japanese East coast.

"The Meteorological Agency lifted tsunami advisories for coastal regions of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures before noon."


We where just struck by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 this Sunday July the 10th at 10:15 local Japanese time. A Tsunami advisory has now been issued as well.

The Japanese meteorological agency issued tsunami advisories for coastal regions of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures at 10AM.

The region was devastated by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami.

Tremors with an intensity of 4 on the Japanese seismic scale of 0 to 7 were felt at around 9:57 AM.

Japan's Meteorological Agency says the quake had a focus off the coast of Sanriku, at a depth of 10 kilometres.

The agency observed the first wave off Miyagi Prefecture at 10:28 AM. It estimates 50 centimetre tsunami will hit coastal areas.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it has found no problems with its Fukushima Daiichi and Daini nuclear plants as a result of the quake. It says it ordered its workers to move away from the coast.

Tsunami Warning/Advisory

Issued at 10:00 JST 10 July 2011

******************Headline******************

Tsunami Advisories have been issued for the following coastal regions of Japan:

PACIFIC COAST OF TOHOKU

*******************Text********************

Tsunami Advisories have been issued for the following coastal regions of Japan:



IWATE PREF.

MIYAGI PREF.

FUKUSHIMA PREF.

***********About Tsunami Forecast************



Tsunami height is expected to be about 0.5 meters. Attention advised.

******* Earthquake Information ******** Occurred at 09:57 JST 10 July 2011 Region name SANRIKU OKI Latitude 38.0N Longitude 143.5E Depth about 10 km Magnitude

7.1 

Earth-day 2011.

                               Earth-day 2011.

Every year on earth day, I usually take part in rallies and write several posts about the issue and the need for change.

However, this year, I am somewhat physically and mentally drained, even tiered.

After the March 11 disaster that struck us here in Japan and the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima dai-ichi nuclear power plant, I have not much hope or energy left for another earth-day. In stead the melody of the Doors iconic song “This is the end my friend” is going through my head repeatedly.

I tried to keep my mind sane and clear by planting some tomato, eggplants and many other veggies. Still, It did not help.

I was in my early twenties when Tschernobyl happened and lived right in the centre of Europe then. We went through the milk ban due to radioactive contamination, followed by the mushroom ban and so forth Then we were witnessing children being diagnosed with thyroid cancer this less then a year after the accident. However, in the same year that the Tschernobyl nuclear disaster happened, another followed On the 1^st of November 1986 an explosion occurred in the Sandos Chemical factory in Switzerland, which ended up killing nearly all life in one of the world largest rivers, namely the Rhine, which flows from Switzerland through Germany, France and the Netherlands where its waters enter the Northern Sea. The Sandos accident destroyed over four decades of hard work with some great expenses to clean up the Rhine from pollution and the devastation left behind after WWII. Those two accidents strengthened my dedication to protect the environment and all life on earth. The polluters may be responsible to clean up their pollution and to compensate the victims as well. At least in theory they should be hold accountable. Nevertheless, they rarely do pay up and even less end up being hold accountable. Moreover, when they do pay, it is merely a minuscule fraction of the real damage caused to the environment and society. Part of the blame does lay with the consumers and citizen them self that support those industries since they do benefit from them by means of jobs, cheep energy and cheep consumer goods. Until some thing goes terribly wrong such as at the Fukushima Nuclear power plant here in Japan or the BP oil spill in the Golf of Mexico.

Will we ever learn? I am afraid not, most people have a rather short memory and are easily bribed and this with surprisingly very little.

Why bother any longer then? Humanity does not even deserve to prevail especially not when we look at how we behave in Libya or even the U.S.!

However, there is such a thing as care, empathy, love, compassion and selflessness that some of us human still posses for our children, families, friends, neighbours. And some few even care for plants and insects and this planet, that is why we need to stick around for a little longer to help life on earth to prevail for it is well worth it.

In the so-called dark ages, the environment was mostly revered and respected, even though life was rather harsh for most, then again, living with radioactive poisoning can not be any better then the dark ages. In 1461 for instance, some businessmen that committed fraud where bricked alive into a wall in East Prussia, wile in the thirteen's century a couple of merchants that polluted the local river in Southern Germany where stoned to death and their families where disowned and forced into exile. Nowadays we are civilised, letting those that commit fraud receive a bonus and those that pollute our waters, our air, our soils and our sea with crude oil, radioactive substances or even toxic chemicals, receive public money to clean up their mess. We let them increase their profits and wealth; still not holding them accountable for leaving countless people and wild live to endure a slow and painful death.

It leaves us to wonder whether we have evolved into civilised and intelligent beings or merely ended up being brain washed in believing so and become uneducated with all the education we received or should we say indoctrination we underwent, leaving us to become irresponsible, maybe even criminal and insane.

Would we be able to bring a person that lived some two thousand years ago into our polluted and mad world, that person would call us mad and uncivilised, even careless. He would want to go back to his time in a split of a second.

We need to change course as a society for the sake of our descendants and their own ability to be able and allowed to live on this planet. 

Sakura.

By Uwe Paschen.

It is spring now, Sakura season, wherever you go you will see cherry trees in full bloom. The Sakura tree is an important symbol here in Japan; it is not only one of the first trees to come to live in spring. Moreover, it is also one of the most beautiful and its flowers are some of the most fragile as well.

It has been symbolising life, its beauty and its fragility and maybe even our brief time here on earth.

Japan has certainly known its fair share of disasters over the course of its 1500-years of history as a nation.

However, this latest triple disaster may very well top them all. Not only have we been hit with the strongest earthquake in recorded seismological Japanese history, we also where struck by one of the mightiest Tsunamis this country as ever seen and as if all this was still not enough we ended up with what may become the world worth nuclear disaster so far as well.

I live about 160 Km South from that nuclear plant where the prefectures of Ibaraki and Chiba share a boarder. We are less then 30 Km from the coast of what once was a beautiful rural area with much history an some of the most beautiful shrines, rice fields, sweet potato fields and vegetable fields as well as dairy animals and several once striving fishery villages.

We where fortunate though, since the tsunami waves where only four to six metre high along our coast line. Where as further north those waves reached in one village up to 23 metres in hight. In addition, in many other areas along the coast in the prefectures of Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Aomori, those waves reached on average over ten metres in hight, taking with them every thing, even steel reinforced buildings, which surprised most engineers here.

Our farmhouse is still standing. However, it is no longer structurally sound and has to be torn down as so many buildings will have to be in our area due to the damage that these last earthquakes have caused to them.

The demolition of our house has been estimated at one million Yen or more ($ 13,000.00). Building a new house will cost at least six million Yen ($78,000.00). Our house was not insured, since earthquake insurance insure only brand new houses and this for a premium that is not affordable anyhow.

Even if we had insurance it would take at least a year before the old building could be torn down due to the massive devastation that was caused through out Northern Japan and that left many homeless and took the lives of over 28000 people and maybe even more.

Even though those expenses may very well bankrupt us and force us to give up, since property values for farm land and houses as well as apartments went down to next to zero due to these disasters and the radioactivity that we received on top of it all, we are still fortunate. Many are far worth off, lost far more in machinery and buildings, and especially loved ones.

It is hard to focus even work and yet I keep my self busy at all times, cleaning up our mess and trying to help others far worth off as much as I can.

Whenever I stop to think about it all, I wonder why I am still alive and survived so many disasters through out my life wile so many good people have died.

I am some what furious at all the talk by stock holders and politicians as well as the nuclear industry, proclaiming that nuclear energy is still safe, and that radiation is some what still okay, when in fact it is not. None of those executives, stockholders or politician dare to put a foot into the contaminated area or volunteer their golf time with friends to help the countless refugees. Many people will end up dying due to this radiation and many more will get sick from it, all just so some few can make a profit at the expense of the masses and those masses end up paying for these accident on top of it. 

They proclaim that we need nuclear energy to fight CO2, which is nonsense, since the CO2 generated to extract the uranium ship it, refine it and to build those nuclear power plants does by far exceed any other forms of energy production (Other then Coal and Oil of course) especially from renewable energies sources. The production of solar panels and wind mils and so forth, does generate CO2 as well but nothing compared to the construction of a Nuclear power plant, especially not if we compare those to their real operation life and their KiloWatt produced. Those renewable energies do also come with out a death threat attached to them since they just break down or stop working after a major earthquake or tsunami, they do not end up becoming a death trap them self such as nuclear power or other fossil fuel tend to do, See the Golf of Mexico’s oil disaster. It is grand time we start to wake up and face facts.

We could save a lot of energy by simply using energy efficient machines and appliances as well as by stoping to waste so much. The proof lays in Japans current disaster, people voluntarily save energy in order to avoid black outs and it works with out impacting too much on the comfort level of the city dwellers. We do not need all the streetlights to be on, nor all the billboards or five lights on in every room even though there is not one person around. We can do well with less heat in the winter since most places are way to hot anyhow and we can also do with much less air-conditioning in the summer, after all, most of us freeze when ever we enter an air-conditioned building in the summer. We can do with out nuclear power there for. It is simply not worth the risks it generates. The same would apply to all other fossil fuels.

The government keeps on promising that it will compensate the losses encountered due to this nuclear accident, wile this may sound noble at first glace, it is merely politics, permitting crowd control. It will be financially impossible for any government to compensated the magnitude of those loses in business and lives. Nor should the government have to do so, since it is the tax payer that will end up paying for all this wile the industry that caused it will get off with a bonus, making some few much richer in the process wile the masses lose their basics to survive.

Every year the Sakura trees give us much joy in the spring with their beauty. However, this year they remind us of the fragility of our lives as humans and that of our environment more so then ever before.

Changing misfortune into fortune for Japan.

Japan has been severely crippled, this not only by a devastating earthquake followed by a tsunami and a nuclear disaster that is still ongoing. Moreover, it is now losing countless customers through out Japan and the world. Its industry has been severely damaged and in part even destroyed to the point that it will never be able to recover its loses or regain lost customers. Rebuilding will take two years at least, by then it will be next to impossible to retake once former position.

Even if the factories are rebuild and back in operation with in a year, the power supply to run those factories wont be back up by then, especially not if we rely on nuclear power and want to rebuild new nuclear power station risking yet another disaster down the road.

There is an alternative though. If we where to implement a national restructuring plan we could rebuild Japan and end up using this disaster to our advantage by revolutionizing the socio-political and energy make up of this country.

“Two roads diverge in a wood and I took the one less travelled by. And that has made all the difference.”

                                                                                                                                 Robert Frost.

What does the world need most and that every one seeks? It is not cars, nor computers or fish. The world needs power, in form of energy to power its cars, computers, lights and machines as well as its hospitals and food processing plants.

Japan has no oil, uranium, or gas but it does have know how and it is an Island state that is blessed with massive energies such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biomass, a moderate climate and much more. Giving it the potential to become energy self sufficient with in two years.

This would allow Japan to strive again and emerge from the ashes as an energy self sufficient nation and to export its technology as well as it energy revolution. Not only would Japan become the leader in this sector, furthermore, it would be solving many environmental and health related problem at the same time, all the wile saving trillions of Yen in the long run and allowing Japan to witness an international comeback exceeding it growth of the 1960 by several times and maybe even surpassing China anew.

Today Japan is the third largest Industrial power in the World and yet only the eleventh largest investor into renewable energies, relying far more on fossil fuels such as oil, propane and uranium than its main competitors.

This will cost Japan dearly in the long run and cause it to lose its competitiveness with in the next decade leaving it domed to a continual industrial and global decline.

Turning misfortune into a blessing is the gift of great leaders and visionaries. Japan could achieve such massive transition and end up coming out of all this a winner.

One only needs to look at the geopolitical turmoil we are faced with as well as our environmental debacle and the ongoing global climate changes that all still need to be solved to see that there is a great opportunity here amidst all the devastation that surrounds us.

Mathematically and physically we can change the country with in two year from fossil fuels to renewable energies, giving the expertise, know how and skilled labour force that Japan has, makes this  very feasible. There are only few nations that could pull this off nowadays and Japan is certainly the best suited to achieve this, giving its past history and achievements, I cannot think of a better candidate.

The possibilities are endless and the options as well, energy could become the focus for this nation, rather then cars or gadgets. This energy could also be exported in form of Hydrogen gained through electrolysis or the development of new batteries to store energy more efficiently and more effectively.

Furthermore, renewable energies would be far more compatible with Japans culture, main religion and history then fossil fuels could ever be; Fossil fuels danger, pollution and impact are overall negative, especially when we look at the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant.

The long term success of a society, its industry and energy uses depend on its ability to balance the social sector with its environment and its economy, all the wile insuring that the three remain viable, bearable and equitable to one another or they wont be sustainable and if they are not sustainable then the system will inevitably collapse. This collapse is already well underway in most industrial nations today.

The future is now, tomorrow will be to late.

Dealing with an ongoing crisis.

It has been eighteen days since the triple disaster here in Japan.

Dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami would be by far enough on their own. However, the crippled Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant only adds to the grief and stress for all and makes relief efforts all the more difficult for the victims of this disaster as well as for the aid workers. Our main house will have to be torn down, due to the damage caused by the earthquake, it is no longer safe to be lived in and be on repair now. Saving the building would exceed the cost of building a new house by several million yen. The recent events force us to tear down the old buildings as soon as possible. Never the less, we are still very fortunate since we did not lose any one in our family nor have we lost our property (land) or car in the earthquake, just a lot of material damage so far. Why it is important for us to focus on helping those that lost loved ones and their livelihood before worrying about rebuilding our own place.

After, I saw the extend of the damage in the Prefectures of Chiba, Ibaraki and Fukushima for my self, it was far be on what one could imagine to be possible, no TV nor any pictures can possible show the extend of this disaster or the conditions in which the people find them self in now, especially the smell in some areas is gruesome. The worth may very well be the still out of control nuclear power plant, that leaks massive amount of radiation and contaminates our food and ground water be on safe levels. I urge the government and all aid organisations to focus on the children and pregnant woman first and to get them out of the most affected areas now, and keep them out until this problem is under control after which they may all return once the radiation are below a safe level. We need to find foster homes and convince people to adopt those children that find them self orphaned due to this earthquake and tsunami. We also need to educate people to overcome their cultural or traditional barriers, so that those children do not find them self extradited or isolated for being orphaned and for having been exposed to radioactive contaminations, as it was the case for the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

I saw people refusing to drive much needed fuel or food to Fukushima because they where afraid of radiation, even though I can understand the fear, we need to be rational and help those we can. It saddens me to see such lack of empathy, compassion and solidarity by so many in this crisis.

Even though, I have to command the Japanese overall, would this have happen in the US or France, we would have riots by now and more people would have been killed due to civil unrest then by the disaster it self.

Still, we need to do much more and help where ever we can and when ever we can. As of today, we have 10,901 confirmed dead and still 17,840 missing. On top of that, many are now dying due to lack of heat, medication and due to excessive stress.

This is mainly why I resigned my position in Narita. I will now work mainly in Ibaraki, Fukushima and Chiba so I may be able to better help those most affected and I hope that we will be able to convince people to take in children, especially those that are now orphaned so they may have some kind of normality again.

These times demand to be open minded and they demand solidarity from all. There is no room left for selfishness or self-pity.

The worth part in all this, is the lack of understanding of the gravity of this nuclear accident by some of the companies and entrepreneurs that are already engaged in talks to build nine more nuclear power plant around Japan. Not one of those politician, entrepreneurs or stockholders has set foot on the site of the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, nor will they ever do so. Their houses are far enough from those plants so that they may not have to worry too much.

In a country such as Japan, with countless hot springs and volcanoes it is inconceivable why we do not have geothermal energy plants making full use of the gifts that nature gave us.

Such as is the case in Iceland, where the high concentration of volcanoes in the area is used as an advantage in the generation of geothermal energy, the heating and production of electricity. During winter, pavements near these areas (such as Reykjavík and Akureyri) are heated up.

Five major geothermal power plants exist in Iceland, which produce approximately 24% (2008) of the nation's energy. In addition, geothermal heating meets the heating and hot water requirements of approximately 87% of all buildings in Iceland. Apart from geothermal energy, 75.4% of the nation’s electricity was generated by hydropower, and only 0.1% from fossil fuels. Consumption of primary geothermal energy in 2004 was 79.7 petajoules (PJ), approximately 53.4% of the total national consumption of primary energy, 149.1 PJ. The corresponding share for hydropower was 17.2%, petroleum was 26.3%, and coal was 3%. Plans are underway to turn Iceland into a 100% fossil-fuel-free nation in the near future. 

Japan could certainly match Iceland its power production with geothermal energy and achieve the same goals as Iceland strives to by generating 100% of its energy production with renewable energies giving its location and geological configurations.

This sort of proposal is not new either here in Japan, since several experts over the past decade have wondered why Japan is persisting in using nuclear energy and other fossil fuels when it has such an abundance of natural geothermal energy just waiting to be used.
Wake up Japan!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/3345616/Harness-volcano-power-energy-experts-say.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_science

http://thinkgeoenergy.com/archives/4823

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.

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"

The Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival.

By, Uwe Paschen.

The Japanese Cherry Blossom festivals.

 In Japan, the Cherry blossom has a very particular and important meaning since the cherry tree is botanically a native of the Japanese Isles.

From an early period, it has been the national tree of Japan. Since the Man’yoshu, the earliest anthology of Japanese poems and songs (7th-9th cent.), down to the present day, the cherry tree has exerted on the Japanese psyche an almost mystical fascination. Most of today’s festivals traditions and poetry started in the Heian Period (794–1191), where poems such as Princess Shokushinnai Shinno – Private Anthology

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“waga iado no   izureno mine no   no hana naran / seki iru taki to   ochite kuru kana are famous."

 "(from what lofty heights

      "come so many blossoms to my hut?

      first as if held back – then,

      unforeseen, this sudden cascade!)”

 Yet, one of the greatest poet was probably Saigyo a Japanese Buddhist priest-poet, one of the greatest masters of the tanka (a traditional Japanese poetic form), whose life and works became the subject matter of many narratives, plays, and puppet dramas. He originally followed his father in a military career, but, like others of his day, he was oppressed by the sense of disaster that overwhelmed Japan as the brilliant imperial court life of the Heian era passed into a period of civil wars in the latter half of the 12th century.

One of his greatest poems still honored today and that most Japanese may know by heard is about the cherry blossom.

“ negawaku wa, hana no motonite haru shinamu, sono kisaragi no mochizuki no koro."


"I pray that I might die beneath the cherry flowers in spring, in the month of February (by the lunar calendar) when the moon is full.”

 Here in Narita as else where in Japan we celebrate our Cherry blossom season as well. Where our temple is, as well as around the City hall, Schools and private houses, all are  surrounded by many Cherry trees now in full bloom.

Giving the eye a feast of natural beauty and harmony.

This season is as a master painting of combining nature’s beauty, seasons, colours and human ingenuity in trying to reflect that beauty in its architectures and temples.

 Some, that have the luxuries of time and financial independence will follow the Cherry blossoms through out Japan going from one festival to the next starting in the southern Islands of Kumejima followed by Odaiba, Sado and ending all the way North on Okushiri Island.

 The list of places and Islands is rather long, other then the five main Islands, with in each are  many places worth visiting in the Cherry blossom season as well as in other seasons.

 For us here the first festival in Chiba took place at the end of March in Tateyama, followed by Narita today wish will be followed for us by Nikko, (named a World heritage site by the UN) in two weeks.

 An almost two most long festivity since Japan is blessed with five climate zones, from the most Northern Island to the most Southern Island. Making the Cherry blossom trail a real adventure of sorts and a dream for many to look forward to undertake one day.

 The Hanami (cherry blossom viewing party)

 http://gojapan.about.com/cs/cherryblossoms/a/sakurafestival.htm