Things we can learn...

[quickag]

As many of you know, my life in Japan has been complex. The stereotypical gaijin, I've experienced the best and the worst of Japanese and Okinawan culture.

This week I've seen first and secondhand as the country most prepared for natural disasters was decimated by the exact natural disasters that they prepared for. There is literally nothing left in some places. As of now we still have NO idea how bad things are and how bad things can still get with the damaged reactors.

Japanese pride is showing us how people SHOULD act in a disaster; people helping people survive in one of the worst natural disasters in history. One thing I keep reading and hearing in the media is why the Japanese aren't looting. The causes for this are complex and aren't really the point of this message. Take heart in the fact that people are doing an incredible job of taking care of their own.

The other side of the coin is a continuation of my frustrations with the pride and stubbornness of the local culture. We have a massive military contingent in Japan. We have special forces and rescue teams who are trained and ready to assist. We have massive amounts of supplies that are ready to deploy.

And they're just sitting there. Instead of letting our military set up temporary forward operating bases to assist with medical needs and search and rescue, our teams are being hamstrung by Japanese laws that don't allow for 'new military bases.' We want to help...we can help...and we're being asked to hold out on helping the local population due to red tape. It's incredibly frustrating.

I'm not really sure what I'm trying to say. I'm amazed at both the severity of the problems and the selflessness of the locals. I'm amazed by the ignorance of the people screaming 'payback for Pearl Harbor' and the stubbornness of the locals to allow help from the gaijin. Look at what's happening and learn from the mistakes. Take pride in your local community and don't let the negative influences define your neighborhoods and cities. Let the good in your community shine and work together to destroy the negative people and negative influences on your families and children.

For fuck's sake have some kind of plan. Spend the $100 and make an emergency kit. It can literally save your life.

[R.Liverman]

How's the saying go? Live by the sword, die by the sword? I find the way people at my office in Toyama act as if nothing has happened oddly reassuring and at the same time disquieting. That pride and stoicism is also matched with a fondness for bureaucracy that those who haven't lived here would never understand.

It's been crazy to see it from this vantage point in Japan since its inception.