God's Little Army

My last few posts have been centered around the March 11th earthquake and Tsunami. I have written before about the amazing courage and discipline shown by the Japanese people, which in itself is a lesson for the world. I had mentioned briefly in one my previous posts about the relief and rescue operations which are being carried out in the disaster struck areas. In this post, I wanted to share more on this topic thanks to a wonderful friend of mine who alongwith her family was part of a group of volunteers in a relief centre.

My friend has been posting messages and pictures on Facebook about the relief work which their group has been carrying out in Iwaki city. She lives with her family in Iwaki and they have remained in the city not choosing to evacuate like hundreds of others. Instead of expressing their helplessness or recounting problems faced by them, this family has been helping out in Relief work. As I know from her updates on Facebook and the many messages that we have exchanged during the last one month, they were not alone in this mission. They are part of a group of people who gathered at the Global Mission Centre in Iwaki and volunteered to help the needy and homeless. In the weeks following the earthquake and tsunami, this little church in Iwaki's Taira area had transformed from a place of prayer to a relief centre.

The relief work began with cleaning the center which had broken glass all over.

Then they had to make place to stock the supplies which they began receiving. They would help in receiving and arranging food and other essential items when deliveries came in from other parts of Japan and sometimes also from other countries like South Korea.

They would sort the incoming deliveries before sending them out to evacuation centres and other relief centres in the disaster struck prefectures.

Most of these deliveries comprised of donated goods. The group also cooked for about 300-400 people. Many of these people had to escape from their homes during the tsunami and they had nothing except the clothes they were wearing. My friend's group baked and cooked delicacies from whatever little ingredients they managed to get. At times my friend writes that she felt like a "cabbage-chopping machine".

The positive attitude was evident from my friend's cheerful messages - when they had cupcakes or hot chocolate or some hot Nabe or some Korean food. This was her way of assuring her friends and family that they had accepted these times as a challenge and were bravely facing it and even enjoying those moments. It is touching too know that these good samaritans worked long hours each day to help others even as they were experiencing the repetitive aftershocks and short supply of essentials.

After helping at the relief centre for over 3 weeks with her husband, my friend is back at her teaching job. I feel proud and blessed to have a friend with a golden heart.Thanks my friend "SM" for sharing the pictures and for all your Facebook updates. I wish I could have been of some help too.

Memories of a summer outing in today's evacuated zone

Summer 2010. Our very first experience of the hot and humid Japanese summer. Having felt the heat just a few days into summer we did not plan any long distance outings or trips, preferring to stay indoors at our Iwaki home. In Japan it is common for companies to give weeklong summer vacations usually in August, the hottest month. Most people travel to their hometown and meet up with their relatives. My closest friend in Japan who happens to be my husband's colleague lives in Iwaki while her hometown Naraha is about 40 kms north of Iwaki city. Her parents live in Naraha town and she usually visits her parents home during holidays. She told us one day that her parents had asked her to invite us to their home for lunch during the summer vacation. It was a surprise for us to be invited to her parents home because we had never met them before. She insisted saying that they would be very happy if we visited them. We were excited about visiting them because it would be a good chance for us to meet a wonderful family as her's and also give us a chance to experience Japanese hospitality and cuisine. Finally the day was decided as August 11th,2010.

On that day, we picked up our friend near her apartment in Iwaki and then drove down to Naraha. The road to Naraha was a picturesque drive on Highway 6 along the Pacific Coast. As we drove by, our friend spoke about her school days and how she longed to grow up and live in a big city. Her will power is amazing . She was born in an agricultural family, her grandfather was a farmer who had mentored her till his death a few years ago. Her parents had jobs but also worked in the fields in the harvest and planting season and helping during their holidays. As school kids, my friend and her siblings would be asked to help out in the fields, something they despised then. Determined to change her lifestyle, she studied hard and gave special stress on English. An achievement considering that no one in her family speaks English even today. Also in their small town, it is rare to find an English speaker. She studied in Futaba, a town to the north of Naraha and she took special assignments from her English teacher. She finished her education by graduating from college in Sendai.  She moved to Iwaki about 6 years back when she took up a job here. She is my husband's colleague and she was initially helping us settle down in Iwaki when we moved there in May 2010. But now she is a close friend and like a sister to me.

On the way to Naraha, she took us to J Village, a sports training complex especially for Football. During the 2002 Soccer World Cup, The Argentinian team stayed here and the place has a souvenir shop and photo gallery and other exhibits commemorating the same.

After taking a few pics and seeing around, we proceeded to her home. We were welcomed with juice and O-Cha the Japanese tea. We were introduced to her parents, grandmother, brother, sister and sister's family who had come down from Kanagawa prefecture to spend their holidays. We were served a lovely Japanese meal with barbecue and home grown vegetables. Afterwards we had some homegrown fruits and saw old family pictures. We chatted with her family members for a long time, with our friend acting as a translator. Late in the afternoon, after having enjoyed time with our hosts, taking some pictures with them we bid goodbye. The hospitality did not end at that..we were given a box full homegrown vegetables, fruits, meat and other stuff to take home with us. The lovely time we spent with our Japanese host family will always remain a cherished memory.

On our way back to Iwaki, our friend suggested a stop by at the nearby Tenjinmisaki Park and camping area. She said it had a nice view of the Pacific Ocean and had a nice playground where our kid could play for some time while we chatted. Like what our friend had said, the view from the park was lovely. We could see the blue waves, the small towns and houses in the distance and also the Fukushima Nuclear Plants.

The closest of the two Nuclear Plants was the Fukushima II Nuclear Plant, known as the Fukushima Dai-Ni Nuclear Plant. This plant is one of the two Nuclear Plants which suffered considerable damage in the March 11th earthquake and Tsunami. The Fukushima I Nuclear Plant also known as Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Plant suffered the greatest damage and continues to be a major crisis even a month after the big quake. At the time of our visit, we had not known that this place would be unsafe for living a few months later. Today the entire Naraha-Futaba area comes under the evacuation zone due to the nuclear crisis. When the evacuation orders were issued, we were worried about the safety of this family which had played hosts to us just few months ago. It is hard for us to believe that the same people who had hosted us are now living as evacuees with their relatives in another Prefecture. For people who had never known dependency on others, this is life's greatest test. The day the tsunami struck, our friend's brother went missing till he was found a few days later. Even as their son went missing, my friend's parents had to evacuate from their hometown , first to Iwaki and then to another Prefecture. Even as her brother was missing, our friend had come to our home in Iwaki to check about our safety and wellbeing after the earthquake, because the phone lines and all other communication modes were down. Today, she is back in Iwaki but her family is still with their relatives and they are not sure when they can return home. They are hoping that the Government will allow people to enter their home town in the evacuated zone for a few hours to collect their essential belongings. Our prayers are with our friends and all those families in Japan who are going through what they had never even imagined in their worst dreams.

Almost a month, but the aftershocks continue....

Just as we thought that Japan was slowly coming back to normalcy and things were improving, yet another powerful quake struck. This time quake which struck at around 11.32 pm Japan time was earlier estimated to measure 7.4 magnitude on the Richter scale but later downgraded to 7.1 magnitude by USGS. We are currently in India but when we heard news of this latest quake it brought back memories of March 11th. This quake is supposedly an aftershock of last month's quake and is the biggest of the thousands of aftershocks that have rocked Japan in the last one month. In a nation already battered by last month's deadly quake, this quake did not cause much damage. But it did cause a lot of panic and sleepless nights. A tsunami advisory was issued only to be lifted a few hours later. When we contacted our Japanese friends, they sounded fine. This quake had failed to shake their confidence or affect their optimism. Many parts of Japan are still without power and smaller aftershocks continue. But people are going on with life. What touched us most was a friend's assurance.. in her own words - "We are fine, everything is ok. No damage, just shook for some time.We expect the tsunami but it will be okay I guess. We are sorry that you had to worry because of us". Yet another reminder of the Japanese politeness, humility and courage. Hats off to Japan, yet again.

Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Log

Check out the below link for latest updates on the Fukushima Nuclear Crisis (in English).

Fukushima Nuclear Accident Update Log

Rebuilding Japan - Not Just a Dream

In my previous blog I shared some pics of the widespread devastation caused in Japan by the Earthquake and Tsunami. I had also written about my strong belief that Japan will rise from the crisis quickly. It is not just a hope or a dream. Knowing the Japanese willpower to emerge from crisis situations and their never say die attitude, this is a reality.

When a friend sent me pictures showing the speed at which rebuilding was in progress, I was out of words. I am sharing the pictures through my blog so that people outside Japan can also see what makes the nation survive and emerge a winner each time they have a national crisis.

For instance, this particular stretch of road is on the expressway near Naka (Hitachi city) in Ibaraki Prefecture. This road connects Tokyo to northern Japan.

The picture below shows the extent of damage caused to one of the expressways during the earthquake on March 11th.

The next set of pictures shows the different phases during the reconstruction period of 6 days !

Unbelievable as it may sound, the repair work had not begun till  March 17th but the road was back to motorable condition on  March 23rd. As you can see in the next picture, there is no trace of the damaged road.

Hats off to NEXCO who developed it and now reconstructed it.

Ganbatte Japan !

A struggle continues...

A week ago I wrote about our experience of the earthquake and the ordeal that followed. I had also shared it as a note on Facebook since many people are not aware that I also write a blog. Many of my friends responded to it with kind words. They said that my note had given a different view of the crisis from what they had seen or read about it in the media. Being in India now, like most of my friends, my family and I have to rely on the foreign media for “Breaking News” on the Japan crisis. Thanks to our friends in Japan, we get to know more realistic updates on the continuing crisis in Japan. 

In this blog, I decided to share my views on what makes Japan and its people differ from the outside world :

• Having seen the media coverage of the entire crisis in Japan on NHK and other Japanese channels, I have stopped relying on the foreign media. Japanese media gives complete clarity about the news items. Minute to minute details with video footages are broadcast on the Japanese news channels. This is something the non Japanese media needs to learn. Most other foreign channels usually provide updates followed by the correspondent’s personal views leaving the audience with no choice but to believe it. Whereas the Japanese news correspondents are rarely seen expressing their own views. At most we see a few citizens expressing their feelings. While in other countries people rarely leave a chance to point fingers at local authorities and administration, this is not the case in Japan. The Japanese people have full faith in their government and are rarely seen blaming the government or other authorities. Instead they are hopeful that things will improve and they follow every advisory or instruction with sincerity. I feel this is what makes things easier for the authorities as they can go ahead in their duty without having to worry about resistance and criticism.

• The Japanese government’s way of handling the situation is worth mentioning. The government website is up to date with information, advisories and facts. As such people have full faith in information provided by the government. Also in most other countries, the head of the government appears in a televised message expressing condolences to the affected families and declaring a monetary compensation. The Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan and the Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano were appearing on news channels 5-6 times a day with the latest information and advisories and were also answering media’s questions. Infact we read in the newspapers that Mr Edano had not even gone home for few days since the quake as he was on duty. Something we cannot expect from our politicians or government officials.  

• The nuclear crisis that began due to earthquake and tsunami continue to affect millions of people. In most other countries, the blame would have been passed on to natural causes beyond human control. The Vice President of TEPCO ( the company to which the Fukushima nuclear reactors belong) visited the evacuation centers personally and apologized to the evacuees for the disaster at the plant. This can happen only in Japan. Elsewhere there would be a series of criminal proceedings, blame game, absconding officials and bailable arrests.  

• The Early Early Warning (EEW) system in Japan probably saved lot more lives. Under the EEW, earthquake warning could be sent out to millions of people a minute before the quake struck. This warning message is sent out on local TV, radio and mobile phones so that people can take safety measures immediately. All earthquakes above a certain magnitude are covered under the EEW system and in the days after the big quake, we continued receiving these alerts during strong aftershocks. Moreover even as other news items were being broadcast on TV, the EEW message would flash on TV with the epicenter being marked on the Japan map. All this even as the aftershocks were being felt. A far cry from the “breaking news” which is telecast much after the damage is done in most other nations. 

• What is most important in any crisis situation is the public behaviour. All relief and rescue operations, efforts and aid are useless unless the general public cooperates. In my view, Japan will rise from this current crisis sooner than any other nation in similar situation would have. And this purely possible because of the Japanese people. The Japanese people and their attitude during the entire ordeal cannot be ignored. In my previous blog, I had mentioned about the patience, helpful nature and the amazing qualities of the Japanese people. What needs to be appreciated is that these qualities are evident even a fortnight after the crisis began. We can see this in the mails and messages that our Japanese friends and colleagues continue to send. The people have accepted this crisis as a struggle and are making best possible efforts to overcome the situation in a peaceful, calm and patient manner. Food, water and fuel are still in short supply. Most stores are open for few hours during the day but they do not have much supplies. Especially water, drinks and vegetables are in short supply due to radiation threats. There is a limit on the quantity of drinks and water that a family can purchase. What is admirable is that people do not resist or argue but are cooperating. There are still no incidents of looting or plundering. Since tap water has been detected with high iodine levels, it has been declared unsafe for consumption especially for children. In the affected areas, government or municipal authorities are providing bottles of drinking water to families with children. People queue in long lines (sometimes 3-4 kms long) from as early as 5 am for gasoline. There are no instances of traffic jams or breaking of traffic rules. People do not speak of suing the government or power company to compensate them for losses. They just seek the government’s help in rebuilding and relief operations. Even the demonstrations against Nuclear power in the country are not marked by any kind of violence. Some of my friends who could not evacuate from the city due to personal reasons have shown amazing confidence and positive attitude. Instead of cribbing and complaining about their helplessness, they have been volunteering in evacuation centers. What is worth mentioning is that the entire nation is collectively fighting this crisis. When scheduled power outages were introduced in areas not affected by the quake or tsunami, people cooperated instead of cribbing. Moreover these power outages were not applied in the affected areas because it would hamper relief work. People started using lesser electricity, fuel and water in most of Japan as the same would be useful in days to come. This amazing self restraint is something people the world over can learn. Graduation parties in schools and universities, Cherry Blossom ceremonies, annual firework festivals have all been put off for the year in most parts of Japan. Restaurants and shopping malls close earlier than usual timings. Decorative lights and neon signs are not being used to conserve energy. Infact people have stopped using elevators,heaters, toilet warmers etc unless it becomes necessary. Even local election campaigning is subdued, something unheard of in other nations. All this without even being asked to do it as a rule. This amazing sense of restraint can only be expected from the wonderful people of Japan.

• While the government and the people are doing their bit, things are looking positive even on the corporate front. Many companies which were affected by the quake, tsunami and nuclear crisis had to suspend operations. My husband’s company too had to suspend the Iwaki operations for two weeks and reopened only this week (28^th March 2011). A colleague of his who happens to be my close friend writes that all the employees of the company turned up at work with high spirits and a boosted morale to resume work. They gathered in the company premises and waited for instructions from the Administration manager. All employees collectively helped clean the mess and restore the work environment. Even in this situation, the company’s president has sent a mail apologizing for the inconvenience caused to our family and expressing his hope that we will be able to return soon once the crisis ends. Further the HR manager sent a mail apologizing that they could not do much for us, despite arranging for our safety and immediate evacuation to India in no time. Even now most employees have had to leave their families in other parts of Japan as the radiation threat continues in Iwaki.  

While the nuclear threat continues, elsewhere things are looking positive and life is slowly returning to normalcy. Rebuilding operations are in progress in the northern parts of the devastated region. In other times, this would have been the peak tourist season because of the famed "Sakura" or cherry blossom season. With the Cherry Blossom season beginning in Japan, hopes are alive that Japan will recover from the crisis soon. 

When Nature plays Havoc....

A fortnight after disaster struck, Japan is still suffering from the effects. Slowly life is returning to normalcy even as the nuclear radiation continues to be a major threat in East Japan.
This time I decided to share a few pics that I got from various sources, some from my friends and some from the internet. These pictures are proof of the fact that when Nature decides to show its fury, all fails.

Few scenes of the destruction caused by the Earthquake

  Tsunami waves which caused most of the destruction :

Onahama port in Iwaki city where we live after being hit by Tsunami

An aerial view of Iwaki city's coastline after the Tsunami

Whirlpools off the Ibaraki coast caused by the Tsunami and intense Seismic activity

 Fires raged in few places due to the combined effect of Tsunami and Earthquake :

 Words cannot describe the destruction caused by this disaster

 Finally few scenes as shown on Japanese television

It is sad to see such images of a beautiful country like Japan, images which I would prefer to forget as a bad dream.

The Great East Japan Earthquake and the week after................

The idea behind this article is not to recount problems faced by us but to emphasise on the current situation in Japan, the people's behaviour and the lessons that we have learnt in the last one week.

When the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck in the Tohoku region of Japan and almost devastated the prefectures of Fukushima, Miyagi, Aomori and Iwate. This earthquake has reportedly shifted the earth by 10 cms from its axis while Japan's main Honshu island has moved by 2.4 meters from its place. This explains the intensity of the earthquake. The media has covered the damages done in this part of the country extensively. The videos and pictures are enough proof of the extent of devastation and as such I am not writing much about it. 

I was at home with my parents who had come from India to visit us. My daughter was in the school bus on the way back home from kindergarten while my husband was at work. We felt slight tremors but ignored it. We had experienced many minor earthquakes in Japan during the past year and thought this was another of those harmless earthquakes. Just then I happened to receive an area mail alert about the earthquake on my NTT Docomo Cellphone. It was common to receive such messages as part of the Earthquake Early warning system during all earthquakes above a certain magnitude.  My husband called up that instant to inform us to go out of the home as the tremors began and they experienced the first impact in his workplace. We ran outdoors but were unable to even stand straight. A few neighbours who were home also came outdoors and kept saying “Kowai ne” and “Jisshin”. “Kowai” means scary in Japanese while as strange as it may sound, the word “Jisshin” means Earthquake as well as confidence!  It took a long time for the tremors to stop. Everything from the electricity poles to trees shook but nothing fell. Parked cars also shook. Houses were swaying too but hats off to the Japanese earthquake resistant construction techniques, none of the houses in our locality fell or crumbled. Also in most videos seen on TV, it is evident that very few structures had fallen or collapsed due to the earthquake. The after shocks began almost immediately and in quick succession. Some of the aftershocks were full fledged earthquakes and measured above 6.0 magnitude. The aftershocks continue to rock various parts of Japan even a week later. We had sleepless nights right from the day the earthquake struck till we arrived in Mumbai. My daughter said that she wasn’t scared when the bus shook. The bus was stopped near an open ground when the tremors began and moved further only when the tremors had completely stopped. She said that their teacher told them to be calm and also told them to hold on to their seats. I am not sure how the teachers managed to stay calm, at the same time taking care that the children were safe and kept their calm. They did a great job because perhaps my daughter was the only one in our family who remained calm in the week that followed. My husband said that at his workplace, the entire building swayed and computers and other things fell off desks and shelves. Flooring was ruined in the buildings while a new building which was under construction was badly damaged. The real extent of the damage remains to be ascertained as of now.

The Tsunami which followed the earthquake caused more widespread destruction than the earthquake itself. The rubble and debris resulting from the earthquake was washed out into the sea or into the interiors. We still cannot forget the images we saw of Ships lying on home roofs, cars lying on building tops or people’s houses being washed away.  

Lightweight houses built to withstand earthquakes proved to be fatal as the 7 metre high waves washed them out into the sea. In Sanrikucho, Ofunato the tsunami waves are reported to have been 23 m high. Thousands of people have been reported missing and whole cities and towns have been vanquished. Lots of unfortunate people’s entire lives savings were washed out in no time. Lots of families were separated or displaced. Nature was showing its worst fury. Our house was about 10 kms away from the coast and on an elevation. As such, the tsunami waves did not reach our place. But the coastal areas of Yotsukura and Onahama port in Iwaki were badly affected. I have been unsuccessfully searching on the internet for information on what happened to the Iwaki La La Mew and Aquamarine Fukushima during the Tsunami.  The Tsunami caused much more damage to most of Tohoku’s Pacific Coast than the earthquake.

But this wasn’t the end of the ordeal for Japan. A newer and perhaps more deadlier problem arose in the form of the Nuclear crisis. The Earthquake and Tsunami waves led to the Nuclear reactors malfunctioning. Media has covered this event extensively so I will not go into the details.

Our home in Iwaki is about 50 kms from the Fukushima Nuclear plant. When the radiation threat was detected, the Govt had issued an advisory for people within 10 kms radius of the plant to evacuate. This was gradually increased to 20 kms and people within 30 kms radius were asked to stay indoors if they could not evacuate. The immediate threat is of the nuclear radiation which is likely to affect residents of this area and also likely to spread to other areas of Japan. It is sad that the same country has to experience yet another nuclear threat 66 years after the World War II. The recovery of Japan from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing has been a true example of the determination of the Japanese people. Hiroshima was not only rebuilt but it is one of Japan’s most modern cities. The resurrection was swift and while most other nations would have continued to enjoy sympathy, Japan came out of this strongly. This is a lesson that most other nations need to learn from the Japanese people. I am confident that Japan will rise from the current crisis within no time with their kind of determination and attitude.

The triple disaster disrupted normal life beyond imagination. The first effect was Phone lines stopped working and internet connection was down. Water supply stopped from the next day. Department stores and Convenience stores ran out of supplies and had to be shut down early the next morning. But hats off to the Japanese people for maintaining an amazing discipline and calm even in this crisis situation. In other nations, usually shortage of food and basic essentials leads to a looting and plundering situation. In Japan, there were no reports on any such instances. We did not even witness any such incident ourselves.  This shows that Japan as a country has raised its level much higher than all of this. Even in the queue for water collection, there was a sense of discipline as no one objected to other people filling up lot of containers with water while the people standing behind had only one or two containers.  All this at a time when the people in the queue behind were not sure that the water would last till their turn came. Since they had never needed to store water, people did not even have adequate containers and were collecting water in plastic bags.

 Even in such times people were helping others. Even in the videos showing the conditions in the evacuation centres, we could see people realized the need of other people and restricted their food requirements to a bare minimum. This is something the world needs to learn from the Japanese people.

 It was the first time for us to see a different side of Japan. It was the first time to see people queuing up for water near public places. It was the first time to see people queuing up outside stores in the hope that they would reopen. 

It was the first time to see a fuel shortage – Petrol bunks were closed and there were long line of cars waiting in the hope that the petrol bunks will reopen soon. 

Long queues for kerosene were a common sight

Expressways were closed and people moving out to Tokyo area or other prefectures had to use the Highway 6. Highway 6 was congested and we even heard rumours that it took almost 24-30 hours to reach Tokyo from Iwaki (a distance of approx 200 kms which normally takes approx 5 hrs driving time on Highway 6 and 3 hours on Joban expressway). I have lived in other countries before but the Japanese people have come across as the most humble and straightforward. Most people will agree with me when I say that the Japanese people are disciplined, polite, calm, brave and selfless. But to be able to control our emotions and fears and respect other peoples’ needs in trying times is very difficult. The patience and understanding that the Japanese people have demonstrated shows why the country has achieved so much. Shortage of food, fuel, electricity, water and fear of further problems have failed to change the people's attitude. Relief and restoration work started almost immediately and it was surprising to see that the badly damaged roads (at places the roads had been displaced by a feet or so) had been repaired/fixed quickly to help rescue and relief operations and evacuations. My family and I will always have the highest respect for Japan and its people. We consider ourselves lucky to have learnt most valuable lessons in life from the Japanese people in the current crisis.

We got to experience the best of Japanese care, concern, support and hospitality in the week following the earthquake. My husband’s company and his colleagues and friends took utmost care of our family. At times they have given priority to our wellbeing and safety even before they arranged basic necessities for themselves. Since English broadcasts are not continuous on the local TV, they even kept us informed of the latest advisories. A few friends had planned to take us along with their families to Tokyo area knowing well that we had no relatives in Japan. My husband’s company’s President himself arrived at our doorstep with water and food items and assured us about their concern for our wellbeing and safety. Even people having limited fuel in their cars came to our home first to check if we had enough food and water to last till we evacuated. One friend whose brother had gone missing during the Tsunami and parents were in an evacuation centre, came to our home to check about our safety because she was unable to call us. As the Nuclear crisis worsened, my husband’s company arranged for our immediate evacuation from the city of Iwaki to Tokyo and for further movement to India. Flight tickets were almost impossible to get but the company managed to find tickets for us. The company arranged transportation and interim accommodation till we moved to India. Since fuel was in short supply and no taxi service was operating, we were driven down to Tokyo by a director of the company who stayed with us till the time we boarded the flight from Narita. We feel guilty to have been a major concern for our friends and company in Japan in these times. Our return to India was essential in order to relieve them from worrying about us. Many of our acquaintances in Iwaki and vicinity had not been able to evacuate due to fuel shortage or other reasons like old relatives who could not be moved. A week later the situation is slowly improving but there is still a long way to go. My friends write to me that fuel and food shortage is still a concern in the region. Radiation levels were high but are slowly falling with the latest developments at the Fukushima Nuclear plant.  The personnel at the plant who have been working day and night to resolve the crisis are the real heroes. Their selfless service in this crisis situation cannot be forgotten.  

On our way to India, we stayed in Tokyo for 3 days. Contrary to media reports and rumours circulating at the time, people in Tokyo were living a normal life and there was no panic whatsoever. Buses to the Tokyo immigration bureau were crowded and we saw many foreigners queuing up for Airport buses or buses to the Immigration bureau. Narita airport was crowded beyond imagination and we saw many people waiting for tickets or for their flights days later. 

We reached my hometown Mumbai on 17th March 2011. Though we have returned to India, our heart and mind is still in Japan and we pray for the country and its people to overcome this situation and recover at the earliest. And we hope to be able to return to this wonderful country at the earliest. 

Hina Matsuri- Girls' Festival

We recently received a unique gift from our Japanese friends. They had visited the Tokyo Disneyland resort recently and had brought a gift for our daughter. The instructions that we got with the gift surprised us. They told us that the dolls should be displayed only for about a month beginning after the Setsubun festival and should be removed from display on 4^th March. This was our introduction to the Japanese festival of “Hina Matsuri”. This festival is also called “Doll’s festival” or “Girls Festival” and is celebrated on March 3 every year.

The main focus of this event is the display of dolls called “Hina Ningyo”. This festival is to pray for the healthy development and happiness of girls in the household. It is believed that by touching these Hina Dolls, the bad luck and illness will be transferred to these dolls and the girls will lead a healthy and happy life. The doll display usually begins in mid February and is kept till Hina Matsuri. It is believed that displaying the dolls after March 4^th will delay the marriage of girls and as such the doll display is taken off before March 4^th.  

The festival owes its origins to the Heian period when it was common practice among girls in the royal families to play with Cloth or Paper Hina dolls. It was believed that these dolls had powers to contain bad spirits. Towards 19^th century the common public adopted the custom and thus began the tradition of displaying dolls.

The dolls are modeled after the lifestyle and fashion of the Imperial court and family as existed 1000 years ago. The display of dolls is usually on a shelf called “Hina Dan”. The traditional doll arrangement is on a seven tiered shelf. A red carpet is used to cover the shelf. The highest shelf has two dolls – one male and another female. The male doll is called “Obina” or “Odairi sama and is modeled after the Emperor while the female doll is called “Mebina” or “Ohina sama” who is modeled after the Empress. The Emperor doll holds a ritual baton while the Empress doll holds a fan. This is the aristocratic couple and they are seated in front of a golden folding paper screen called “byobu”. At times two lampstands or lanterns are placed on the side. Some arrangements have various accessories placed between them. One interesting thing to note is the seating of the female doll. In traditional arrangements the female is seated on right side of the male doll. This is because the Emperor was seated on the right side of the Emperor till the 20^th century when the Empress began to sit on the left side of the Emperor. This change was incorporated even in the Hina doll placement. In modern displays the female doll is seated on the left side of the male doll. However in places like Kyoto the dolls are placed in the traditional positions.

Three female dolls are placed on the second shelf. These are called the “San nin Kanjo” and are modeled after the ladies in waiting. They serve the aristocratic couple. At times these dolls are shown holding sake equipment . Occasionally other pieces of furniture holding other food items are also displayed alongside these dolls.  

The third shelf has five male dolls called “Gonin Bayashi”. They are the court entertainers and are shown holding various musical instruments. One of these five is shown holding a fan and he is supposed to be the singer.

The fourth shelf has a set of two dolls who are Ministers- Minister of the Right and Minister of the Left. The Minister of the Right called “Udaijin” is usually shown as younger in age than the Minister of Left called “Sadaijin”. Sometimes tables with food items are shown between these two dolls.

The fifth shelf holds three helpers or samurai. They are protectors of the royal couple .

The sixth and seventh shelves usually hold various pieces of furniture and accessories, tools etc. The sixth shelf usually holds things in use while at the royal palace while the seventh shelf holds things which are used while away from the royal palace. Most often a calligraphy set is seen. This was generally placed in the hope that the daughters of the family will become well educated young ladies. Other things on display include sewing kits, mirror stand, chest of drawers, and tea ceremony utensils.  

  

Some Hina Ningyo displays are elaborate and extravagant. The cost of few such sets ranges between a few hundred thousand yen to millions of yen. Keeping the cost and space factor in mind, it is now a days common to see smaller versions on displays at homes. These days the most common display is a set of two dolls depicting the Emperor and Empress.

(The above video is a link which I viewed on Youtube and liked it. Since I felt it is informative, I am sharing it on this blog.)

And finally here is the cute “Mickey and Minnie” Hina ningyo set that we received as a gift from our Japanese family friends:

On the day of Hina Matsuri, our daughter came back home with a small package containing a greeting card and a special Hina Matsuri cake. 

At the kindergarten, they were taught the Hina matsuri song which goes like this...


Akari wa Tsukemashou Bonporini
Ohana wa Agemashou Momo no hana
Gonin Bayashi no Fue Taiko
Kyou Wa Tanoshii Hina Matsuri


Odairisama to Ohinasama
Futari Narande Sumashigao
Oyomeniirashita Neesamani 
Yokunitakanjono Shiroikao


Kinno Byoubuni Utsuruhino 
Kasakani Yusuru Haruno Kaze
Sukoshi Shirozake Mesaretaka
Akai Okaono Udaijin


Kimono wa Kikaete Obishimete
Kyou wa Watashi mo Haresugata
Haruno Yayoi no Konoyokihi 
Nani Yori Ureshii Hina Matsuri.




To all the little girls in Japan, here's wishing you all a "Ureshii Hinamatsuri". 

Japanese toilets

Japan has always been associated with technological advancement. Even the humble toilet is not free from technology. 


Most foreigners on their maiden trip to Japan are intrigued by the Japanese toilet. 

The toilet here is no less than a throne. Firstly, it comes with seat heater, to keep your butt warm when you are doing your "business". Next, the toilet seat comes with a bidet, a shower for cleaning and sometimes also with a dryer. Some models may even have a deodorizer and a Flushing sound button to filter out any sounds that may cause embarassment. (Sometimes this is also termed as Etiquette bell.) 

Operating the bidet/wash and dry functions is through a panel of buttons usually attached to the side of the toilet seat or sometimes to the wall. Pictures on the buttons tell it all. Like most other Japanese equipments, this comes with a long list of instructions, mostly in Japanese but accompanied by English most of the times. And the functions come with a sensor attached to the toilet seat which ensure that unless the user is seated the functions don't work. 


Toilets also have the toilet papers. Toilet papers in Japan are designed to be flushed in the toilet and not to be put in the garbage bin.  


Toilets come with baby rest seats- a boon for people with infants. 


These toilets are found almost everywhere in Japan, be it shopping malls, hotel rooms, restaurants, railway stations, airports, public rest areas and even in some parks.


 Most new homes are equipped with these bidet toilets or washlets as they are known. 

The traditional Japanese style squat toilets are commonly found and the older generation still prefers them to the new Western style toilet.  


While almost everything in Japan comes for a price, using these hi-tec toilets is still free of cost.