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EARTHQUAKE in Tokyo
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^^^^^^Local Tokyo Time^^^^^^
Direct link to start of quake photos - You can return to the main site by clicking on the 4WARND logo at the top of the gallery pages.
5/7/2011 10:23am - Well we've just finished up the national holidays known as Golden Week, neither a full week nor particularly golden this year (lots of clouds/rain), and I wanted to post a couple of things for you hangers-on (thanks for keeping tabs on me). Nearly two months out and there are still shortages at my local grocery store; not many items but missing nonetheless. Apparently Coca-Cola has great production and distribution abilities for while a number of other cold drink vendors are having problems there is always an abundance of Coke. Our new company is nowhere near large enough for it to matter but personally I would love to know how they do it. In my store the missing items are still some brands of ramen and bread, drinks (water included), and a few other things. I also noticed a customer scrutinizing all the rice bags. It seemed he was looking at the production location and date. I'd be surprised if tainted rice made it into the system already since I'd imagine that what is available was harvested last year around September. That said they did find one chain store selling tainted leafy vegetables, of course they said they didn't know anything about it.
On the business front we just finished paying taxes and found out that in fact we won't be getting the 5% decrease on corporate taxes anytime soon. They'll be needing all the coin they can get to help with the rebuilding. Some of the models are slowly coming back to Japan but with all the belt tightening at the big companies it's been a little slow. The import/export company has been getting interest partially because we only handle foreign food products currently. Things are still on a very small scale but look to have good potential on down the road. Nothing ever happens at the speed you'd like it's either too fast or too slow but in this case at least it's forward movement. In that same vein I just finished installing a block and tackle to move products into a storage room in our office's basement. In addition to my other roles I get to play at being a carpenter from time to time, it's actually kind of fun to do something other than sit at the computer pounding my head against the keyboard. ;-)
Better to be branded a 'flyjin' than a man of the 'sheeple' - This is a more than disturbing situation that definitely makes me wonder sometimes why I'm here. It's more than one trend really but based on the same premise, that foreigners are the root of all evil in Japan.
Safecast - Crowd sourced radiation readings, this is truly an inspired idea. Considering the dearth of information on radiation, particularly in the early days during and after the event, this could really fill the knowledge gap and make it easier for people living here to make more informed decisions about whether to bug-out or not. This is especially helpful since they've yet to control the reactors fully.
Tokyo Web Cams - On a lighter note here is a great place for web cam views of Tokyo. One of these days I'll try to get my own camera back up but in the mean time check these out. The Shinjuku, Shibuya, Akihabara, and Odaiba cams show haunts of mine (eating, shopping, whatever) and the "Omotesando Avenue Cam" is just minutes away from my office.
5/15/2011 11:27pm - It's Official: Fukushima Was Hit With a Nuclear Meltdown - Not exactly a surprise in this current shower of "other shoe(s) falling" but it isn't going to help our case. They still only have limited control over events and any estimations previously put out there are likely pipedreams. Since there's probably not a lot of ongoing info out in the US media I figure I'd mention we had another 6.2 quake on Saturday. It was enough to roust me, determine it wasn't the alarm clock, and roll over back to sleep. My bug out bag is still right next to the door, the rappelling harness and rope were in the hall until this last week, I've still got a couple of Camelbaks loaded with water, and there are 3 data backups I'm trying to keep active. I keep wondering to myself how long I can keep up with this level of vigilance. I don't want to leave myself unprepared but how long can one stay on the edge without falling off or getting cut (or going numb).
Here's the government's pitch regarding earthquakes, on one hand they say the aftershocks are becoming fewer and on the other we hear "be ready for the big one". To that end they've requested (same as an order) the shut down of another nuke plant that wasn't even damaged. Mind you this is one of the primary sources of juice for Toyota, not the best way to jump start the economy. At last tally we were down to 40% of the nuke plants that would normally supply about 30% of the power for Japan; before the quake they were hoping to get it up to 40% by 2017.
5/21/2011 1:19pm - The last 24 hours were pretty seismic, one 5.8M (magnitude) and a bunch of smaller but noticeable ones. It must have shaken loose a few neurons because Friday was not one of my more brain active days. I managed to misread the Costco website and thought the location we use for both business and personal purchases was open again. Thinking to get a jump on the weekend customers I hauled myself out there to find it's nowhere near ready for business. This was the location where the ramps to the parking facility collapsed killing two. Since I was already there I took a few photos and will put them in the gallery. I'd be surprised if it's ready for business before the end of the year unless they open without the parking garage.
Contrary to a previous post it looks like, to some extent, I am a news aggregator for events here. Some of this stuff you guys might not find and my own diligence has increased out of necessity and morbid curiosity. The necessity is wanting to know what's headed my way the curiosity is the confirmation of troubles I suspect. It seems nearly every day we are hit with another barrage of updated information that shows how little real information we had or have regarding the events here. Some is oversight or lack of data, a fair amount falls into the obfuscation category. Reminds me of that quote by Benjamin Franklin "Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see."
It is my hope that you read most of the links in this blog. While I can't talk to the majority of you in real time these posts and links are my running monologue to try and keep in touch.
Japan's thin, white security blanket - While not quite the ostrich approach, I am not one that puts much belief in the surgical masks everyone wears here.
Radioactive cesium detected in tea leaves south of Tokyo - This location is South and West of me. Makes me wonder if what they found went over my place before it landed there.
Japan delays decision on joining Pacific free-trade talks - This isn't going to help our import/export business. . .
Japan consumer confidence dives at record pace - . . . neither will this.
Japanese Officials Ignored or Concealed Dangers
Gov't raises alert level for erupting Mt. Aso to 2 - Another volcano alert. I've actually been on this mountain back in 1989 when I first visited Japan.
More nuclear reactor shutdowns lie ahead - Death by a thousand paper cuts; no juice, no business.
Photos of tsunami striking Japanese nuclear plant
A warning sign? Atmosphere above epicentre of deadly Japan earthquake heated up 'rapidly' in days before disaster - This will be pretty cool if they are able to put it to use as some kind of warning system.
Instruments saw Japan quake lurch - To quote Jerry Lee Lewis "Whole lot of shakin' going on". Seabed sensors show some huge movements.
This is a video showing areas in Tokyo before and after the quake. You can see there's a pretty big difference in electricity use as they try to conserve energy.
5/28/2011 2:07pm - Time for the weekend update. Some good news this week as one of our trading company clients placed a fair sized "test" order. They anticipate getting it out to all their stores in the next month or so. I managed a little more carpentry this week; sawdust was all over the balcony at work. It must be the finality of those projects that gives me satisfaction unlike the computer work that never seems to be finished.
Even more contridictory news this week. We're told to leave the radiation measure to the experts but the experts have stopped producing the info because the IAEA told them it wasn't needed but then that agency goes on to slam TEPCO for not disclosing info. Confused, so am I.
U.N. cites 'synchronous' infrastructure failure
Cooling pipe breach now laid to temblor
Fukushima No. 1 eyed as site for nuke fuel graveyard
Tepco now says reactor seawater injection wasn't halted - Really seems like no one knows what they are doing or what's going on.
Japanese refuse to bow to authority - Furious public demands truth about meltdown - Even the staid Japanese are getting a bit bent.
FOCUS: Judging gov't steps inadequate, schools take action against radiation - Apparently it's not just the foreign contingent that doesn't trust the government here.
Demand for personal Geiger counters soars in Japan
Japan ends projections of radioactive substance spread from nuke plant
Japan slammed as new leak found at stricken nuclear plant
High radiation found on seabed in 300-km stretch off Fukushima
AP Exclusive: Fukushima tsunami plan a single page - Nothing amiss here. (tongue firmly planted in cheek)
Summer temperatures likely normal or higher in most of Japan
Rainy season zone reaches central Japan, Tokyo - Typhoon no.2 is coming in this weekend and with it the beginning of the rainy season. It was here that I found out that mold can grow on practically anything including plastic.
Japan's orderly Shibuya Scramble - Nothing really to do with the quake's aftermath but Shibuya is a place I used to hang out a lot and it's about a 20 minute walk from out office. I've been through that intersection many many times and on the weekends in particular it's crazy.
6/5/2011 11:42am - This week has been mostly calm relative to past events. It seems like most, including myself unfortunately, are concentrating on the current days' grind rather than previous or potential catastrophes. I am however working on a micro bug-out-bag to carry with me daily when I am between home and the office. The idea is to have only what is needed to get me to my larger bags or a place of safety even if that is another city or country. I have a variation of this that I currently carry but I am going to add an encrypted USB drive with all the data I would need plus a few other items. The idea is to keep it so small that there is no reason not to carry it but with enough gear that it will actually serve my purposes.
The rainy season is here and though is still relatively cool, about 82F/28C, trains and many buildings are already getting uncomfortable inside. That is actually the government recommended temperature for air conditioning this year; of course many places and trains haven't turned on their cooling systems at all yet. When our office is first opened in the morning the initial temperature can be as high as 98.6F/37C. I've been working on a project to ventilate the rooms better when we aren't there. Keeping our people and computers cool this year will be a challenge.
I'm trying a different format for the articles of interest this time working them into the commentary. The week started off with a bang, literally, but no one seems worried. They think it was a gas cylinder. Nearly 3 months in and very little is definite. There was also a pump failure at the plant. It also looks like my prediction about their 6-9 month estimate is going to prove accurate. One of the main problems is what to do with the water they're pumping in to cool everything; it has to go somewhere. Since the government couldn't come together and adopt a version of Daylight Savings Time some companies are doing it themselves which should prove confusing at best. It looks like we'll see a doubling of the sales tax to 10 percent in the not too distant future. Also another nuke plant sprang a leak but again no one seems worried. There's another isotope floating around now, Strontium 89 (if I recall correctly that's added to radioactive isotopes of Cesium, Plutonium, and two types of Iodine). The government is going to get info to the foreign community via Facebook and Twitter; guess I'll have to join one of those to try and keep up. Finally both the country of Japan and Tepco are taking hits via Moody's and S&P.
6/14/2011 11:08am - Another milestone just passed, 3 months since the quake and associated mayhem. Surprisingly there were few jolts this past weekend and nothing local that caused more than a little "quake fish" movement which is a good thing since many over here are hypersensitive to ground movement. Sometimes I have to look to my fish to double check what I think I feel. The government here has more than doubled its estimates for the radiation release, not really a surprise and probably won't be the last revision. Part of the new numbers may be related to indications that there was a "melt-through" not just a meltdown. Strontium has been detected 62km/38miles from the Fukushima plant. Oh and one more isotope added to the list of released nasties, tellurium-132. Japan also admits that it was unprepared. They have also added new areas to the radiation affected list and are considering others. This one I can't quite figure out, the Fisheries Agency stopped Tepco from releasing water into the ocean after removing radioactive material. I must have missed something, where is the water supposed to go once cleaned? Estimated reconstruction costs are being estimated at about 175-225 billion U.S. dollars (at the current exchange rate and if I've don't the calculations correctly) over ten years; can you say "tax increase." We also have a bit of a green tea scandal brewing (pardon the pun). It seems that although the tea has been tested as higher than the allowable amount of radiation the local government told a vendor not to mention it on their website. This is a really good look into the mindset over here and I commend the retailer for sticking to their guns and informing their customers anyway.
If you don't have time to read everything here do try to read this series. (NUCLEAR CRISIS: HOW IT HAPPENED - part one, two, three, four, five It covers the nuclear troubles better than I've seen elsewhere in the press here. They're talking about power cuts in Western Japan this Summer too. That would include Osaka where we went when we left Tokyo last time. This coupled with local governments not allowing nuke plants to restart is going to make recovery that much harder. The following is a double edged predicament, there's not enough emergency housing and some of the people that won the lottery to get the available housing aren't moving in choosing instead to stay at the shelters. In another bit of oddity, local governments are cutting off benefits to some survivors. One 50 year old man received about $14,000 because of the earthquake relief and was told that it should last 10 months. It might sound like a lot of money but not in Japan. If you wondered why Japan had to use foreign robots to help with the disaster here, have a look at this article. It shows that Tepco's reach doesn't just help in government circles but restrains tech it doesn't favor. In other Tepco news, 150 police to attend the shareholders meeting. That is one assignment I would not want, it's going to be a zoo.
And for the simultaneously cute and scary part of this report, it seems they've found mutant rabbits and perhaps even more scary is a look at Tokyo Fashion. I see this walking to work pretty much every day (the fashion not rabbits). ;-)
7/10/2011 10:34am - Just wanted to put a quick note up for those still monitoring things here. Had a 7.0M quake up the coast from us here about 40 minutes ago. All is well but I figured I'd better put something in case the international news actually picks up on it.
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