Text & thoughts from Tokyo
Posted March 11, 2011 6:22 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Edward Cassidy, a Toronto man, has a brother, Roger, living in Tokyo.
Roger has been updating Edward via text.
Roger sent 680News the following message:
“I dashed past 3 cops and a couple of staff looking bewildered at Toronamon subway station, as the Ginza line sent one of almost no trains from Toranomon to Shibuya at about 8pm, but ended up like a salmon swimming with a lot of other cold, but resilient salmon once I popped out at the Hachiko exit, near the famous mass pedestrian crossing. Cell phone wasn’t able to make/receive calls, as the system was overloaded. People were lined up at payphones, few and far between- an infrastructural oversight will be illuminated from this communication challenge.
I was told that certain places/convenience stores were prepared to assist people with free food/water, but I saw it being purchased there and countless restaurants flourished, as people needed warmth, food, and some just killed time. Earlier, simply waiting for trains to start, which did not except for the aforementioned lucky ride, I ate some fish and chips. Some people drank merrily in an Irish pub, but likely not unempathetically, as they couldn’t hear the TV due to the music. I truly hope they weren’t aware, at that point of the devastation in other parts of Japan, especially Sendai. Once couple sat at the top of Meiji-jingu station staircase with a very very young baby bundled in a couple of blankets.
People helpful with directions. Polite. Calm. Stoic in Tokyo. But largely at a loss.
Ambulances were pretty prominent/loud.
Our rented 82-year old house had been rocked, though I wasn’t there, my wife was crying in the garden for a few minutes. Neighbours kindly checked on each other in our immediate area.
CDs, books sent flying. One massive folder that WAS at the corner, support piece part of a book shelf shot 9 ft. across the room to the futon with books from the same shelf. Keyboard, fragile glass light, somehow didn’t come crashing down. Clearly the house’s old wood flexed, then swayed. Steel structures buckle, making them more dangerous arguably. But quakes with shallow epicentres, as in Christchurch, are even more dangerous, even if smaller. They thrust the earth up and down more violently. There was clearly fear in my office. 9-storey (IP) law firm, as the 5F rocked for what seemed like two full minutes, at least. Then again, caused by a 6.4 shallow quake 200km from Tokyo (after the 8.8magnitude quake- 400 km from Tokyo). Several salaried workers, I witnessed wearing construction-type white helmets. Newscasters delivering the news with said helmets. Very bizarre.
Overheard comment yesterday aft.
From colleague under her desk- at 2:46pm
Ahhh – enough. Oh my God. This quake is sooooo scary, and long. Please stop!”
Sent: Friday March 11, 2011
Roger (in Tokyo) sent the following message to his brother:
“Thanks 4 ur concern. Made it home after pit stop in Higashi Nakano at friend’s to rest from long, brisk walk. Waited 3O chilly min. for taxi. Now dressed with earthquake survival gear/food (back)packed in garden. Ready to evacuate. Now aftershocks hitting many prefectures. Have been under the doorframe w/support beams 4 times in the past 40min. It’s a little unnerving to say the least. Newscasters issuing warnings with 10 sec. to act. They are saying move fast, exit, and turn off ur gas heater on the way out, if ur close enough to it. I was under a desk this aft when the 8.9mag rocked my office bldg. It’s a bit like a surreal movie. Bit too real! >(^_^;).”
