The Quake: My Day

 I have experienced couple earthquakes since moving to Japan so when this one hit on Friday, I thought it would just be like the other ones which usually fade in a minute. However, the initial shock was different from the usual swing. It started with like a groan from the ground then followed by a slight up-and-down shake, and the shock intensified afterward. At my last day of work in RIETI, I was sitting in front of the computer in a 11 floors high government building and my office was at the highest floor. My hands gripped the keyboard tight as I sat uneasily and the shock persisted. My coworkers all stood up and they looked at each other with a surprised look. The binds in the office room made loud noises and the cabinet was banging the wall. After 30 seconds or so, I felt dizzy but I went ahead to email my parents and Kentaro about the quake and that I was fine, noting the unusual strength of the quake. I guess I was trying to find solace thousands of miles away in the midst of horror which was exaggerated for my being in an unfamiliar environment. Luckily, Kentaro was next to his computer and was able to send his comforting words over almost instantaneously, which somewhat unease my nervousness.

Floor of my office building

The first wave eventually quieted down but just when I thought it was over, the second wave hit. We all stood up, holding onto the table and I ran through scenarios in my head trying to decide whether it would be safer to be on the 11th floor or the ground floor if the building started to collapse.  We were all checking the web feverishly about any possible updates of the earthquakes as subsequent aftershocks made their presence felt. The news started to float on the web and I came to the realization that this one was indeed massive, but at that point, I still thought the damage would be minimal. After all, this is Japan, if anywhere, a nation that is best prepared for earthquakes, both technically and mentally.

people stormed inside 7-11 and all food items were gone

Things, however, made a quick turn for the worse in matter of hours. Reports of deaths started to come in and all trains were called for a halt. I left the office just before 6pm knowing that train service was unlikely to be resumed anytime soon. I looked up the route on google and took notes of the landmarks and names of the streets that I should set out for my journey. The streets were flooded with people, a rare sight that reminded me of Hong Kong but the temperature was still at single digit and I secretly regretted wearing only a thin jacket. Despite a long journey walk alone, I tried to cheer myself up by telling myself that this was quite an experience and that I was walking with all the commuters, so I was not alone. But I could not help feel sorry for myself that no one had called to check on my safety, not knowing that phone service was also disrupted. I went on walking, and stopped in a 7-11 trying to get an origini or something. To my surprise, the food racks were almost bare and I ended up getting a hot yuzu juice to warm myself before moving further. Then I realized almost all convenience stores along the way were stormed with people and all fresh food, bentos, origini alike were gone. Fast food chains and other food places that provide quick services also saw lines of people waiting, and I waited for 20 minutes to eat at a small Ramen shop across from the Tokyo University campus after walking for 1.5 hours in the cold. 

It took me another two hours to get home, in an almost uneventful fashion. I moved forward quietly with the rest of a orderly crowd, and there was no sense of panic in the air. Not even cops were needed for crowd management. The traffic barely moved but again, no horns or any signs of agitation, sirens of ambulances and fire trucks went off every 15 minutes or so and cars always made way for them to go through. 

I got home, and felt blessed that power, water and gas is still running. I turned on my laptop and saw all the emails, and messages on Facebook that friends, some of whom I have not talked to for ages, left me. I was very touched. And I guess that is the only good thing about a crisis like this. It bridged gaps of time, geography and draw you closer to people who care about you just when you thought you are alone. I cannot be more grateful for everything.