Greetings from Downtown Tokyo: An ATS Member Reports

Originally posted by getreadyalready
reply to post by silent thunder

 

Awesome! How long are you staying? What will you do if they decide to evacuate? Can you get any information from authorities? Is there an influx of refugees to Tokyo?

Thanks...to answer in order:

As long as I want or until/unless the radiation gets too out-of-control. I anticipate at least a week or two.
If they evacuate, I have a colleague who will let me stay indefinitely at his place in Kyoto until I can leave the country. I already sent him a pallet of rice and several hundred PET bottles of water, plus 15 bottles of vitimins. I figure that largesse should secure me a ticket on the doom train until I can get back to the Silent Thunder bunker in [name of real home omitted].
The authorities seem to be changing their tune every five minutes, which is par for the course.
I do not know if there is an influx. I have not heard that yet. I do know that every hotel room in the city seems to be booked solid and a lot of people were stranded here and are unable to get back to wherever they are from.

Originally posted by GAOTU789
reply to post by silent thunder

 

Can you describe the EQ, how it felt in Tokyo?

Do you understand Japanese? If so, what are the local papers and media saying that may differ from what is being reported in the English media?

edit on 15-3-2011 by GAOTU789 because: (no reason given)

The earthquake felt like long, slow waves from side to side punctuated by some "gatta-gatta-gatta" up-and-down movement. It was a pretty unusual earthquake, and its most distinguishing characteristics, subjectively speaking, were (logically enough) intensity and duration. I think the most unsettling aspect was the fact I could see so many other huge buildings juddering back and forth on the skyline.

I do read Japanese to some extent but its not my first language, or my second, for that matter. Differences...well, I'm sure I could come up with more than one, but this struck me this morning: The governer of Tokyo, Ishihara, made some comment about the quake being a "punishment from heaven." There was a minor kerfluffle in the press and he apologized, but but I don't get the feeling people were as outraged over it as, say, Americans have gotten over similar pronouncements by Westboro Baptist, etc. In fact, I doubt it will effect his popularity all that much. Maybe part of it is the fact that people have other things to worry about, but they don't seem to get as worked up over such verbal jousting. It reminded me that so much of the hot-button poltical stuff people thrash out on ATS is at heart rather pointless and ultimately a kind of luxury.

As for nuts-and-bolts information, I don't personally trust the Japanese MSM any more than the western MSM when you come right down to it. I am getting information from another, private source at the moment, actually.

Just wanted to say that I am glad that you are ok. I hope you don't stay too long though. I'm sure you'd rather be safe than sorry. Please be careful!!

Originally posted by chr0naut
Hi silent thunder!

ATS seems to be going crazy with radiation madness at present. Are you measuring any noticeable increase in background rads there?

I have a theory that the reactors are a problem because they are doing some illegal secret weapons work there and that's why they aren't cooling down (they should have started cooling as soon as the control rods were lowered during the quake).

Anyway, have a really good holiday.

Thanks...So far radiation appears to be well within normal ranges in Tokyo. There was a spike yesterday, as noted in the press, but the levels still seem to be within the safe range.

Originally posted by TheRealJayZ

Did you feel the 6.0 (aftershock?) quake that was SW of Tokyo?

I've been feeling minor quakes ever since the big one, at least 4 or 5 a day. Its eerie how quickly one can get used to even a big one like that 6.0 aftershock.

Originally posted by thorazineshuffle
What is up with the volcano?

I don't know, it seems to have been shunted aside in the news, no? Curious too...

Stay safe thunder
You mentioned having a giger (sp?) counter.
Do you know how to use it?
Can you explain it to us?
Will you use it and report your findings to us?
ie: stick it out the window?
thanks.

reply to post by silent thunder


BRAVO ZULU!

reply to post by silent thunder


Great to hear from you silent thunder, so happy to hear that you are alright, know what it's like going through an earthquake, the 89 Loma Prieta in the San Francisco Bay Area, takes some time to get over it.

Stay safe my friend.

HOLY CRAP ATS Friend, I vote for you taking the first flight out, seriously.

You are aware Tokyo Electric Power Company has pulled ALL workers out? Nobody at the helm?!?!?

Have you seen THIS picture?

You are officially too close to Doom, move away, it's like bugs to flame, evacuate!

OK, first of all, thanks to those who have wished me well who I have not responded to in person. I truly appreciate your kind thoughts.

Next, the following pics were all taken within the last half hour, from different angles.

Three things to note about these pics:

1) Note the lack of external structural damage in Tokyo.: The city has come through amazingly well. I have yet to see any conspicuiously damaged buildings in the city (though I am aware they are there). Most people's buildings in this city seem to have been damaged intenally, if at all.

2) Note, in the third picture in particular, the absence of crowds: This intersection is in Central Tokyo (close to the busy Roppongi district). This picture was taken shortly after high noon on a work day. Normally you would see about 5 times as many people and vehicles on this street, easily.

3) Note the darkening clouds (if you can make them out in my poor picture): It looks like it might rain soon. Will the rain bring fallout? We'll see.


The first picture looks towards the iconic "Tokyo tower." (This is the last photo I will do that silly little paper trick with -- see lower-right-hand corner...I trust that those who are reading this will by this point take it for granted that I am where I say I am).

The second picture is of the city in a different drection.

The third is straight down at a typical central Tokyo intersection.

ALL PICS TAKEN WITHIN THE LAST 30 MINUTES OF THIS POST

CURRENT GEIGER READING: 016.42 CPM

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/1388dfc97b9b.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/291ed7c245b1.jpg[/atsimg]
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/f76a5d3f7576.jpg[/atsimg]

Wait a minute...BIG aftershock as I type this. Note the time, will investigate.

MAP 5.1 2011/03/16 00:10:09 -21.217 -176.700 268.3 FIJI REGION

reply to post by silent thunder

Hey dude! Are you ok

Magnitude 6.0 - NEAR THE EAST COAST OF HONSHU, JAPAN
2011 March 16 03:52:05 UTC

Originally posted by Mianeye
reply to post by silent thunder

 

Hey dude! Are you ok

Oh yeah. This beats 1994 in Tashkent hands down. They didn't have 650-thread-count sheets and Kobe beef room service in Tashkent.

What happened to Silent Thunder - I wanted to wish him well.

I take it there has been another quake since his first post?

reply to post by crazydaisy


I'm right here, thanks for your well wishes. There was a big aftershock a few minutes ago...but as I posted earlier there have been so many of them in the last 4 days that this seems somehow like more of the same.

The experience in a big, modern skyscraper built during the last, say, 20 years versus being close to the ground in a more conventional, flimsier building is very different. In the former, the sensation is a slow, vaguely "sea-sickening" sway, which means the building is working the way it should, antiseismically "rolling with" the quake. When you are in a smaller building, the feeling is much more choppy, jagged and (to my mind) far more frigtening.

reply to post by silent thunder

Hehe. I guess you got some adrenalin to burn of now

reply to post by silent thunder


Stay safe. Thanks for your reports and photos.... It's kind of like having our own ATS reporter
"live from Tokyo"