52 weeks later...

[matsuki]

I also noticed the word "guilt" mentioned in several posts... it wasn't like you guys were knocking on the people up north... nothing to feel guilty about when your in a critical situation. Especially when you have a 6mo on your chest... that must have been a tough one for GG+friends...

Now the fucks that should feel guilty are the ones pointing fingers and fucking off donations. I would love to have seen a documentary yesterday about the numerous fuckups from the J-gov, TEPCO, and civilians that could be a reference point for the "next" big quake.

Very well put!

[Coligny]

Now the fucks that should feel guilty are the ones pointing fingers and fucking off donations. I would love to have seen a documentary yesterday about the numerous fuckups from the J-gov, TEPCO, and civilians that could be a reference point for the "next" big quake.

(You've been too long in Japan when...)

You think they can learn from their mistakes.
Japanese don't make mistakes, they make shoganaize.

You can't learn from something you are in denial against...

[yanpa]

they make shoganaize.

Thanks, I will adopt that as a verb.

"The unfortunate incident that resulted in 25% of the country's surface area being rendered uninhabitable was finally shoganized by the suicide of the subcontractor found responsible."

[gaijinpunch]

So was I a dumb ass for putting on my bicycle helmet and sitting in the doorway? I was on the 7th floor, but the fire escape was "exposed" and I kinda had visions of being thrown from it. Of course at the time I was like, "why the fuck didn't I go down the fire escape?"

[yanpa]

So was I a dumb ass for putting on my bicycle helmet and sitting in the doorway? I was on the 7th floor, but the fire escape was "exposed" and I kinda had visions of being thrown from it. Of course at the time I was like, "why the fuck didn't I go down the fire escape?"

Staying in the safest position you can until the shaking stops sounds like a reasonable strategy to me. Unless there's some immediate danger where you are, attempting to evacuate prematurely might expose you to other risks (being thrown from the staircase, hit by falling A/C units, caught in a crush of panicked OLs etc.). Of course, I hear that with shindo 7, it's pretty much impossible to move anyway.

Your next move should then be towards somewhere unlikely to be caught up in a firestorm.

Note to self: acquire helmet.

[Samurai_Jerk]

I ran down the fire escape too but you're not supposed to do that even if your instincts are telling you to. I remember how strange it felt when I got to street level. The strongest shaking had already stopped but the earth was still moving under my feet. It felt like I was standing on a floating dock. Then we went back upstairs and the second big one hit and we ran down the fire escape again. After that my boss let people leave and a bunch of us went to a nearby pub with him to drink some pints. It was then we realized how bad things were because there was a TV in the pub showing the tsunami wipe out entire towns.

Eventually I did the 8 or 9 km walk home after having dinner and more drinks at an Indian restaurant with my colleagues. It was tougher than it sounds because I hadn't dressed that warmly since I hadn't planned on being exposed to the elements that long so I was freezing. Plus I was about the only one going north till I hit the Tokyo station area so the first half of the walk was really tiring because I was going again the stream of thousands of people. I remember thinking it was like being in a zombie movie because everyone was moving slowly with expressionless faces and not talking at all.

The other thing that sucked is I really had to use the restroom but all the office buildings and convenience stores I passed had closed theirs so I had to hold it for at least two hours till I finally found a place that was letting people in.

The next few days were bizarre because Tokyo was so quiet and so dark. Plus it was hard to buy basic food and mobiles weren't working well so I couldn't get in touch with anyone. We were told to work from home by our boss while he quietly slipped out of town and then emailed everyone from his hometown and said they could leave if they wanted to. That's when I said fuck it went to Seoul for 10 days of booze and broads.

[gaijinpunch]

I read some interwebs thing a few months later saying that doorways and under desks is indeed *not* safe. It was however, in English, and the building codes are (I would think) completely different.

Anywho, yeah. I can ditto a lot of the above. The main one crept up, so at the peak, I had no clue if it was the peak. I probably could've gotten out then but figured I'd just wait it out. Like a moron, I didn't leave after that. Was trying to figure out what the fuck was going on with (ironically) a Japanese colleague in Chicago who was reading me the J-updates from Bloomberg. Then the aftershock hit and scared me more than the first one b/c they were yelling inaudible shit from the megaphones. For all I knew, THAT was the real one and they were telling me to get the fuck out of my apartment. Sounded like Charlie Browns' teacher speaking Japanese though.

Luckily I had my bicycle, and I passed about 500 cars on the 6k ride home. I got home with just as much time as I always did, and went for a jog in Yoyogi park that night. It was fucking cold though. Anyone remember how lovely Tokyo was during that day? Very temperate. Talk about shit luck.

[yanpa]

Anyone remember how lovely Tokyo was during that day? Very temperate. Talk about shit luck.

I remember it being a bit chilly but not uncomfortably so. Didn't feel cold on the walk home.

Random memory: passing the ABC Mart on Meiji-dori in Harajuku, it was doing a roaring trade with fashionable gyarus and OLs looking for less fashionable but more suitable footwear.

[GomiGirl]

52 weeks ago I was baking bread with some friends. It was a weird, almost wartime atmosphere to it. Rationing of toilet paper, looking at empty supermarket shelves, eerily empty streets. The trains were back running albeit on reduced schedules.

But I do recall it was an awesome time to go shopping as there were no crowds. I went to Akachan Honpo to buy a high chair with my Mum and people were panic buying nappies (diapers).

We were able to take our time and really check out all of the options without any crowds. It was totally weird though as it felt like the shops would close any minute as the other customers were rushing about in a panic. But the staff said we had until normal closing time. They had a bit of a deer in headlights look about them though.

That was the day that the fallout was measured in Tokyo.

[gaijinpunch]

I was working in Roppongi, and living in Yoyogi. So, the cycle would take me through Roppongi both in the morning and evening -- I think it took 3 weeks for Roppongi to not look like a ghost town. Even on Friday or Saturday night. That was truly eerie. I'll never complain about the lack of jackasses there, but I will say cycling through and not seeing them was very strange.

[GomiGirl]

I was working in Roppongi, and living in Yoyogi.

Cool - we live in Yoyogi and Hubbilicious works in Roppongi so he does the same cycle every day - but he works hospitality hours so sees Roppongi in all its *glory* every night.

[Coligny]

So was I a dumb ass for putting on my bicycle helmet and sitting in the doorway?

Tssss... amateur...



(Still have to stencil my callsign though)

[IparryU]

I was working in Roppongi, and living in Yoyogi. So, the cycle would take me through Roppongi both in the morning and evening -- I think it took 3 weeks for Roppongi to not look like a ghost town. Even on Friday or Saturday night. That was truly eerie. I'll never complain about the lack of jackasses there, but I will say cycling through and not seeing them was very strange.

it was at least a month... i was falling asleep on my feet (literally) working 2 weeks straight cause no one else could come to work cause of trains... (BS)

I went to the other bars/clubs to see who was getting customers... no one... even gaspanic/jumanji was empty...

i did find people in places near roppongi hills... but not as much as their should have been...

ya.. fucked times.

[Cyka UchuuJin]

like SJ, the freezing and walking around like a zombie was something i remember. i was definitely not dressed for what ended up being a very long walk from shinagawa to gotanda, because i actually didn't know how to get there above ground. and because i was only supposed to be there for the day and go back to osaka in the afternoon, i had no clothes or contact lens stuff with me. wandering into conbenis was useless, all the personal hygiene stuff was sold out. planned on spending the night in our 6th floor showroom (the perk of working for a furniture manufacturer?), but the building owner found me curled up on a sofa under some moving blankets and insisted i go home with her.

after that, i remember finally getting back to osaka the next day to get my things packed up and return to tokyo to wait out info for my flight back to europe. i remember being totally dazed watching the tv about the daiichi meltdown and radiation on the 50th floor of my hotel. and then there were all the aftershocks. not fun when you're that high up and they shut the elevator down every time. when the staff brought me a crash helmet thing, 'for safety reason', i really freaked out.

then there was the vertigo that went on for weeks after getting back to europe. i was waking up in a panic and lying there sure that denmark was having earthquakes.

those earthquakes yesterday, especially the one in chiba...makes me really worry that the next big one is around the corner.

[Coligny]

Just back from Kahma... (daily trip)... they are in full quake gear showoff once again...

didun't even shake here yesterday...

where is that 188 days quake pattern video already...