Earthquake, Tsunami, & Meltdown

As quite a few sites are doing bland, unoriginal retrospectives on last year's earthquake today, I thought I might provide the much less common "foreigner living and working in Japan" perspective as well as a comparison of Eastern and Western media reports on the disaster.


On this date exactly one year ago, space and time changed.

745km (463 miles) from where I am now sitting and drinking beer, a earthquake occurred off the coast of Japan. An earthquake so strong that it actually shifted the Earth's axis and moved the entire country 8 feet. This change in the earth's axis actually shortened a day on the planet by 1.8 microseconds. You can hear it here.

As we all remember, the earthquake set off tsunami waves (some up to 128 feet high. After striking the shore, at least 15 thousand people lost their lives. Entire towns were literally wiped off the face of the earth. Thousands of buildings disappeared. I saw an interview with one old fellow on TV. He had gone to work that morning and come home to find his family - all three generations -, his house, and his job and city all gone. Though he choked back a cry, his emotional restraint was striking - I couldn't help thinking that, had this same situation occurred in North America, the victim there would be overwrought.

Of course, the most threatening damage was that to the Fukushima nuclear reactors. There was a meltdown and those local residents remaining after the tsunami devastation were forced to leave everything.

Here in Kyoto, I had no knowledge of the quake until a student mentioned it to me. He told me that there were only 10 fatalities, so I assumed it was a minor quake (which are relatively common here). Later, some students (oddly, only women - no men) told me that they had felt the quake when it occurred but their friends assured them it must have been their imagination. So, it seems only a few people were able to detect it.

Fear and stress were thick in the next few weeks. Convenience and grocery stores were instantly sold out of batteries and water, purchased to be sent to loved ones in the Kanto (north east) region. Lights in stores were off or on low for weeks following. Requests for donations were (and still are) virtually everywhere. Already energy-conscious (home of the Kyoto Protocol) Japan cut down on usage of gas, water, and electricity (even though I am told the affected area is powered by a different grid). Despite being relatively far from the affected areas, I was stressed. Radiation began entering the atmosphere, water, and earth at unhealthy levels. Fish might be affected yet be caught in a different area. I started checking the labels of spinach and other produce a bit more carefully.

Local and foreign media focussed on this spirit of group support. While it was the main theme, I was surprised to learn that many Japanese had few fond feelings for the former residents of the area around the Fukushima plants. Apparently, since the construction of the plant, they had received financial subsidies due to their living within the threat of radiation and many envied them such subsidies. One (Japanese) student of mine told me some referred to them as the "boat people" because they were able to purchase large boats with the money. Another (Japanese) friend of mine told of suspiciously elaborate spa/hotels near there, despite the rest of the town being fairly low-rent. Anyway, many of those allegedly formerly-wealthy residents were (and some remain) displaced.

This triple threat of earthquakes (aftershocks), tsunamis, and nuclear meltdowns not surprisingly scared the crap out of tourists and foreign workers in Japan, most of whom most likely had never experienced even a mild earthquake before. Flights were packed for days with panicked foreigners escaping. Some foreign wags on Twitter dubbed these folk "flyjin" (a play on the words "fly" (as in flee or flight) and "gaijin", which means "foreigner" in Japanese). Though I chose to stay in Japan because of my work responsibilities (I have several jobs) and distance from the danger, I do not scorn anyone who chose to leave. Earthquakes are as certain as death and taxes in Japan and just as welcome. Many tsunami barriers were too low and thus ineffective. Radiation - that stuff'll kill ya.


So, it is with a small measure of chagrin to read the words of Mutsuko Izawa, who states, "It's not good that they all left so suddenly,Of course this means that in the future, when a company has a choice between hiring a Japanese and a foreigner they will not hire the foreigner because they will be worried if they are going to stay.
"I think this has reinforced the impression amongst Japanese that a lot of foreigners only look at Japan as a place to work for a few years, earn a lot of money and then they go again," she said. "They're not really interested in the society or the country. This isn't their real home. These disasters have really just shown how true that is."

Given the fact that in 2009 the Japanese government actually paid foreign workers to leave the country (“I do not think that Japan should ever become a multiethnic society.” says Jiro Kawasaki, a former health minister and senior lawmaker of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.) and this state continues ("the government is … actively encouraging both foreign workers and foreign graduates of its universities and professional schools to return home while protecting tiny interest groups") to this day, Mrs. Izawa's criticisms seem a trifle unfair.

Hiragana Times is a magazine geared towards foreigners interested in learning Japanese and bills itself as "Japan to the World". As it is some foreigners only view of Japan, it occasionally serves as a propaganda vehicle for essentially racist but basically annoying Nihonjinron views. They also couldn't help remarking in their June 2011 issue, "Because of the Great Eastern Japanese Earthquake, many non-Japanese left Tokyo, which hadn't suffered any radiation poising itself. Ironically, those who fled Japan were exposed to more radiation on the flights out that they took. " (From the Editorial Desk).

One month prior, in their paradoxically exclamatory May issue article "How the Japanese media Calmly reported on the Great Disaster! ", they wrote , "most of the foreign media sensationally reported on the Tohoku region's complete devastation and the risks at the Fukushima nuclear power plant as if all of Japan was at peril".

- In progress -

In Search of Wabi-Sabi: review

I blame George Harrison.

In the mid-1960's, the Beatles guitarist was disillusioned. He seemingly had everything one could want - fame, money, and success - but something was lacking. Rather than think through the problem himself, he went looking for readymade solutions. Spiritualism / religion provides a great off-the-shelf "answer" to life's problems for many. Yet, John Lennon had made his "the Beatles are more popular than Jesus" statement, which had alienated many Christians, especially Americans. Yes, a "mystical" foreign belief system, far from uptight America and dull Britain would fit the bill nicely. Harrison became interested in Hindusim, bought a sitar, and later ('68) headed to India to study meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.



Though the Yogi turned out to be a fraud (he is the subject of the Beatles song Sexy Sadie: "Sexy Sadie, what have you done? You made a fool of everyone"), , this was before the internet, so the Beatles followers had no idea of the letdown - the damage was done. The flowing robes, the vague sense of the exotic and spiritual, the promotion of Transcendental Meditation (not thinking) - all this blended naturally into hippie culture and became a part of it (many of these followers tried to use psychic/spiritual energy to levitate the Pentagon. Yes, I am serious.No, they did not succeed.)

Thanks to George, rock groups started using sitars (a good thing) and the East was exoticized yet again (not a good thing). Hippies made pilgrimages to "spiritual" places such as India and Morocco. Even today, even in Canada, this mindless mindset persists. I recall meeting people in Toronto with plans to travel to Vancouver (Eastern Canada) to "find themselves". Any questions about why they needed to be in Vancouver to do so would be dismissed as "bad vibes" ("bad karma" for any old-timers out there).

This willful ignorance also applies to Japan (the Far East, like Harrison's India). To most non-Japanese, there are two Japans: modern, technological Japan with cosplay, perverts, robots, and "crazy" game shows: basically Tokyo. Japan #1 is more advanced than other countries.



There is also traditional, spiritual Japan with temples, shrines, kanji, and cherry blossoms: basically Kyoto. In Japan #2, everything has a spiritual meaning, origin, or purpose.


To be fair, these Japans are promoted not only by American websites (most promote the "isn't Japan weird?" angle), but also the Japanese themselves. These two Japans - especially/usually "traditional" Japan - are heavily promoted by the tourism industry, books about Japan, TV shows about Japan - basically all media coverage of the place. There is essentially no critical coverage, no Japanese Noam Chomsky. Instead, there's Nihonjinron, the idea that Japan is especially "unique" ("Japanese have different brains than westerners", "Japanese people hear differently than Westerners", "Japanese people have longer intestines" etc. ) I was talking with an older Japanese woman about the concept of wabi-sabi (we'll get to what it is in a bit - basically it's a Japanese concept about imperfection being a natural part of life). She told me, "every Japanese knows what it is". I asked her, what about a person who was Japanese by blood, but was born in the States, didn't speak Japanese, and had never even been to Japan - would they know about this concept? "Of course" was her answer. "It's in the blood.". That the idea of a belief system transferred genetically is racist in concept didn't seem to occur to her (and, polite people here don't talk about those things, so I certainly didn't bring it up).

The BBC have done some great documentaries, including many on Japan. Unfortunately, most seem to promote the "crazy Japan" angle (see Jonathan Ross's Japanorama series). This is understandable, as focusing on modern Japan allows them to talk about sex in Japan - guaranteed viewers! Hmm, sex in Japan or cherry blossoms in Japan…which will I watch? The Japanese themselves have a relevant expression: 花より団子 ("dumplings rather than flowers" - The practical/physical over the sublime/abstract.

Then there's Marcel Theroux's "In Search of Wabi-sabi". This was part of BBC Four's 2009 Hidden Japan series. "Hidden Japan", eh? Hmm, likely focuses on Japan #2: tradition. Well, it does, but….there were four episodes in the series, and the other three were actually pretty good. (actually, "Japan: A Story of Love and Hate" was in fact the most honest portrayal of daily life here that I've seen on film yet. ) Theroux's is the sole stinker.



Who is Marcel Theroux? Maybe he's related to Louis Theroux, who has done some great documentaries on similarly offbeat subjects for BBC. Yep, turns out he is. They're both sons of American travel writer and novelist, Paul Theroux (It's weird - after I watched this, knowing he was the brother of Louis, I wondered if he had a competition thing goin' on. Louis would definitely win, I thought. For some reason, the movie "Sherlock Holmes Smarter Brother" flittered thorough my mind. Later, I saw on Wikipedia that he had written a novel titled The Confessions of Mycroft Holmes: a paper chase . Hmm, maybe I'm psychic and the Yogi is trying to tell me something. Well, I'm off to Vancouver folks…).

Wabi-sabi is by nature difficult to define. In fact, it resists definition by definition. In short, it is a recognition of the natural, an acceptance of imperfection and impermanence, and the beauty of simplicity. Though they are not related, I was reminded of Mexico's Day of the Dead, also a recognition and acceptance (indeed a celebration) of the impermanence of our existence.

So, we have a very abstract concept and a man in search of it. What is Sherlock's system? Knowing apparently not even a word of Japanese and armed with only a coffee-table book on wabi-sabi, he sets off for Japan. Speaking (heavily accented) English, his approach is to simply ask everybody he sees what wabi-sabi is. It is when we first see him ask the hotel clerk when he's checking in after arrival that we realize we might not have the best man on the case (she is understandably bemused and confused). He then ventures out into the street and asks random passersby - again in English - what wabi-sabi is. This results in further comical responses, such as some kids, having no idea what this guy is talking about, looking up the kanji on their cel phones. Dude, your brother plays at being naive in his documentaries, not stupid.

Marcel is disappointed by his results and consults his coffee-table book in his hotel room. Marcel leaves the city and heads off to Japan #2, where the elusive wabi-sabi is more likely to be found. In the end, though he has taken part in a tea ceremony, visited museums, and even stayed the night with monks, wabi-sabi still eludes him. "Waitaminit" I can almost hear you saying, "If wabi-sabi is about imperfection, wouldn't the idea that he couldn't find wabi-sabi be a great, natural ending to this doc?". Yes. Yes, it would. However, as Marcel seems doomed to be forever unclear on the concept, he again misses out. Wandering through the forest outside the monastery and, feeling that he needs an ending, Marcel suddenly declares of the forest: "this is my wabi-sabi.".

Hello people that attribute "exotic" characteristics to other (or their own) countries: please don't make a web page, write a book, or make a documentary on a subject unless you have taken some courses or done some research on the subject. It's insulting to the people/country/culture you are exoticising, promotes misinformation, and is simply a waste of everyone's time. Accepting wabi-sabi (impermanence, imperfection, etc.) is natural, but to strive for perfection is human.

Thank you for sitar, though, George.