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*If you would like to see more photos, you can see the photos on The Big Picture at Boston.com here on “Massive earthquake hits Japan” and here on “Japan: earthquake aftermath”.
This weekend I could not keep my mind off of the earthquake and tsunami news from my home country, Japan. The images I have watched over and over replayed in my mind.
On March 11, Friday, my husband called me early in the afternoon when I was in my car after having finished errands. He first stated that Tokyo seemed to be okay (in order to make sure that I won’t get panicky since my family lives in Tokyo) and continued to tell me that Greater Tokyo Area got struck by a large-scale earthquake. After I got home, I looked up the news and called my parents, but of course, the phone lines were over capacity and I couldn’t get a hold of my family. I went to my facebook page and looked for the updates of those friends who live in Tokyo to see what they said. A couple of hours later, I received an email message from one of my sisters letting me know that all of my family members were safe and sound.
People all over the world tuned into the news and watched Tsunami swallow some cities in Japan as they were happening. Then messages to inquire the state of my family and friends started streaming into my email, facebook and twitter accounts. I also received many heartfelt comments on my blog. Every single one of them meant so much to me. I was blown away by some messages I received through twitter. Those are the friends I have only known on internet. I know them because of blogging. For them to remember that I am from Japan, think of me and spend time to drop me a line just blew my mind. Thanks again for the thoughtful messages to me as well as to the people in Japan. I would like to think that humanity gives people hope and hope gives people strength. I believe that those who were touched by the earthquake in Japan need hope more than anything right now.
We’ve been hearing about “globalization” in the last couple of decades, but I seldom feel it even though I have traveled to many places and been immersed in very diverse environments. To me this earthquake in Japan was one of the experiences where I felt being in touch with globalization. The news traveled all across the globe in an instance and many countries reacted to it by extending help. My heart is aching for the people who lost their families, homes and businesses in Japan. At the same time, it is heart warming to know that so many people in the world are praying for Japan to pull through this difficult time.
I feel like a year just turned to 2011, but we have already seen many natural disasters this year such as flooding in Queensland, Australia, an earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand and in Japan. My heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by the natural disasters. Right now I cannot even begin to imagine what those people whose life was turned upside down by the earthquakes and tsunami are going through.
At this moment I cannot help but pray for the Japanese people who were affected by the earthquake in any degree to find peace in their heart soon and sustain strength to survive the current situation.
P.S. Monday is usually the day I post Monday Mode photos, but I felt strongly about writing about Japan and thought that Monday Mode can wait till next week.
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My heart goes out to all those people. I am sorry for what has happened. At least with remarkable thoughtfulness and your advanced technology human loss was minimized. When such a tragedy happens in a country such as Iran where I was born the casualties are a lot worst.
Kaho I am so glad that your family is OK. That must have been a horrible few moments when you couldn’t contact them. It is just awful thinking about what is going on there and all the lives affected. I will certainly continue to pray for everyone.
かほさんのご家族が無事で何よりです。こんな事が起きて、日本ならどこの国よりも早く立ち直れると信じてます。こういう時に家族から離れて辛いと思うけど、たくさん祈って、元気を出してくださいね★
Glad to hear from you and that your family and friends are well. My heart is with all in Japan. I am following the news closely and it only adds to the respect I have for your amazing people. I am at awe with the resilience. Nihonjin, Gambate!!
Hi Kaho, I want to let you know that I am in awe of how the Japanese people are reacting to such a massive disaster… my admiration and respect for your people has grown a thousand-fold. And despite there being no sense to the tragedy and loss, Japan is inspiring the world over and showing us how a nation can respond so something of this magnitude! I want to share with you a post of my friend who was just in Japan and narrowly missed the calamity:
http://ocmominmanila.com/2011/03/14/o-c-stands-for-orderly-and-calm-japanese-even-at-the-height-of-disaster/
Seeing those 2 pictures really got me crying (seriously I am still bawling as I type this). There have been so many disasters wherein people responded in fear and panic (i.e. looting) but the Japanese are such a strong and magnificent people…. Words fail to express what I am feeling right now…. I can only weep! My heart and prayers go out to your countrymen.
Felt myself tearing when I read this post….just the title alone…. Felt touched to the core by the powerful emotions from your words and the pictures. So glad your family is ok.
My heart goes out to you and your family. I can’t imagine what you must be feeling being so far away 🙁 I looked on a map to find Jakarta (I’m ridiculous and I do not know where it is) to make sure it wasn’t near!
I am really glad to read that your family is ok. Like many others before me, I am in awe of the Japanese and how they have reacted in these adverse times. I love Japan for its culture, its food, its people (so polite all the time!) and like many others, am saddened by what has happened. I guess it’s a time to count our blessings and be thankful.
Hi KAHO I HAVE BEEN A LITTLE ABSENT FROM THE INTERNET BUT I REALLY WANT TO TELL YOU I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT YOU AND ALL MY JAPANESE FRIENDS BECAUSE OF THE TRAGEDY THAT HAS HAPPENED IN JAPAN THESE DAYS. IT’S SUCH A LOVELY COUNTRY AND MY HEART REALLY IS BREAKING AT THE IMAGES I SEE AROUND. I WISH YOUR FAMILY WELL AND I HOPE THE COUNTRY WILL RECOVER SOON FROM ALL THIS..BIG HUGS
Thank you all. Your messages cheered me up. Thank you so much for thinking about Japan. My friends and family in Tokyo are doing their best trying to help out the worst hit area in the northeast part of Japan while they also try to lift up their spirits even in the midst of the scary and uncertain time. Your words mean so much to me. Thank you.
We’re thinking of you, you family, and all of Japan and keeping you in our prayers.
My thoughts are now with your home country and I hope it can get through this. Stay strong *hugs*
Thank you!! I hope so, too… I’m keeping my hope up.
I´m truly glad to hear that your family is ok, Kaho. It has to be hard to see all that has happened to your country anyway. My heart goes to all of Japan´s people.
A big hug from Norway
Nina
Hi Kaho , guess what i am a survivor of 2004 tsunami which also hit the coast of southern chennai (INDIA). We dint feel any tremor in chennai cos we were sleeping it was about 7am in Chennai . the time difference is 1 and half an hour behind jakarta time. My house is just les than 700 meters from the beach . From my house we can hear the beach waves sound.
On that day after we got up we had too many people on the street which goes to the beach so we were very confused why people were so excited and we turned on the TV which had announcement that indonesia had 8.9 magnitude earthquake . then some of our neighbors said they saw a huge wave hit the coast and the water in the beach went far behind and they could see the seabed.
Then quickly i took my camera and all my family members my cousins went to the beach. and i had never seen such a scene like the beach go nearly 500 to 700 meters inside and we went to the shore and watching what was going on then few guys who went close to the sea started running shouting the water is coming back. we all started to run tot he higher grounds when we looked back. the water was till the step it was not just one wave it was wave after wave with increased momentum . It was the second tsunami wave. it was not very strong like the first one. which washed the fishing boat to the road. The beach in chennai is a long beach they say it is the second longest beach after miami.I took few pictures of us standing in the sea shore and watching the water and few photos of how the waves were gushing to the shore.
Even now when i go to chennai every december for a month and i make sure i dont take my children to the beach and it is not safe anymore.
I will send you the tsunami pictures when i go back to singapore. i cant believe that iam still alive and im very scared to go to beaches now and im so afraid of water.
You know the beach sand got rock solid like cement floor. after the waves washed the shores. we dint know what was tsunami till that day and never heared about that word.
but we saw it and now i got an apartment very far from the sea side and i by 2013 my parents will be moving to the new home. Everytime i hear the news about earthquake in indonesia my mom says they get evacuation warning from the neighborhood police and they dont know where to go . my mom has got High BP she gets panic at times she cries over phone saying she dont know what to do .
On that day when tsunami hit india there were rumors in my neighborhood that there will be 10m waves reaching the shore and the neighborhood will be washed away. To tell you the truth i still get dreams of tsunami waves and my family being washed away and i wake up in the middle of the night.it is like haunting kind of feeling..That’s why for my parents safety i wanted them to move soon to my new flat by 2013.
i get goosebumps on my hand. I am even more scared after japan tsunami the nuclear plant prob we do have one nuclear powerplant less than 40 kms from the place where my parents live it is called kalpakkam nuclear power plant. During the last tsunami there was no damage in the power plant so we dint give it so much of a taught. after japan incidence it is very scary to live by coast and next to a nuclear power plant.