A post about life just after the earthquake that features in my book, The Teas That Bind:
In Kashiwa, life goes on.
The station is running on reduced power, with some lights dimmed and the escalators out of service.
Some stores are closed in case of blackouts, but more are open. The proposed rolling plan of power outages has not been implemented yet, as people are trying to save energy in order to avoid them. Milk and bread are in short supply, perhaps because they are being diverted to the affected areas, or because of logistical problems with deliveries, but other food and drink is available.
The city feels less busy than on a usual working day, perhaps closer to a weekend or public holiday. People are out doing their shopping, or paying bills at the bank, while children play in the parks and no-one I see seems panicked or even visibly concerned. Life is going on as normally as possible. Perhaps there seem to be fewer cars on the roads, but that could be because we have been asked to conserve petrol for the relief efforts.
Today had already been scheduled as a holiday for us, so as good Northern girls, we head to the cafe to sit and talk of everything and nothing, accompanied – of course – by a round of these:
And as we do, it is impossible to believe that all the disaster headlines the media are coming up with could ever be applied to us.
To read more, please download a copy of The Teas That Bind, the story of my experiences in Japan after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, available now from Amazon and Lulu.
Ten Million Hardbacks is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Clicking on an affiliate link to purchase the product will not influence the price you pay but Ten Million Hardbacks may receive a small commission.
