Honest Japanese, even in disaster

Read here about another way to handle disaster - at least this is the ethical way that leaves a person's conscience clear.  With every excuse in the world to loot or steal, they remain honest, humble and dignified. 

Japan

Recovery is slow and overwhelming.  Read more here (Christian Science Monitor via Yahoo). 

Not yet forgotten

A school teacher from Park City tells of her visit to the devastation in Japan.  Read here.  It may not be on the media radar screen but we haven't forgotten about the unfortunate Japanese people affected by the tsunami and quakes.

After the destruction

Sobering - photo from MSNBC.com

I am struck by the order and respect evidenced here.  Japan, recovering...

Photo from MSNBC.com

Prayers for missing family - photo from MSNBC.com

MSNBC.com

Survivor - MSNBC.com

MSNBC.com

Another big quake

Chris says they were without power for 8 hours but they're OK after the biggest aftershock quake since the huge offshore/tsunami.  Please let the chaos end, the storm calm and the country heal. 

Justin is having surgery tomorrow.  Should be OK after a week off work.  He'll probably go stir-crazy if I know him.

Japanese - Amazing people

From the Christian Science Monitor:

"Although there is tension across the country due to the multiple crises, even in the Tohoku region, any cracks in the structure of the manners and civility that define Japanese culture are hard to spot. Stories of looting and opportunist theft, which often accompany disasters around the world, are not simply unheard of, they are all but unthinkable.

The notion of gaman, to endure or tolerate, is also a core value for the Japanese, and the trait of continuing to show high levels of consideration for others, even when the pressure is on, is often a surprise to outsiders.

At the long lines for gas stations and supermarkets that have spread across the country as far as Tokyo, raised voices or heated tempers are a rarity. People leave gaps for other cars to get through and nobody attempts to cut lines.

Even among the evacuees newly arrived at the Yamagata City Sport Center, there is no sign of disorder, rules are followed to the letter and spirits are generally high."

"A lot of Japanese citizens teach their children to respect the property of others and not to steal. A lot of Americans, for whatever reason, either don't learn these lessons or don't internalize them."  Consider the examples we have seen in America during times of disaster, or merely times of opportunity presented to the dishonest.  Jay Evenson presents the question...


Again, it might be as simple as this:  "A lot of Japanese citizens teach their children to respect the property of others and not to steal. A lot of Americans, for whatever reason, either don't learn these lessons or don't internalize them." (Jay Evenson - Deseret News, Why don't the Japanese loot?)

Yamagata Grocery Store after the quake

Why we need food/commodity storage. These pics were taken only a few days after the disaster.
Mobile Uploads

Update

Chris is home; family fine!  The Lord is good.

They experienced only minor damage and we feel very blessed.  Many prayers have been offered in their behalf.  There is power here.  Continued prayers to those who have been harmed in any way in this disaster.  We are praying for a family Chris was close to on his mission - Hoshi is the name.  They live right on the ocean front and could have been swept away.  These are wonderful people, as most Japanese are.  Chris has no way to contact them at this time.  Prayer is all we have.

I just can't express our gratitude for the safety of Chris and his family, including Kiyomi's dad.

If you want an eerie feeling, read Natalie's blog post of March 1st.  We know warnings often come.  The lesson for us here is to update and make accessible our food and commodities storage.  Keep the gas tank full, cash on hand (some smaller bills; not 100s) and don't forget the toilet paper.

Great news to learn all the LDS missionaries in Japan have now been in contact and are OK. This is a blessing.

Rice Field of Dreams

Check out this combination of form and function (with variety in unity). Rice Field Art

Tokyo - by Trey Radcliff

The Moments Between, Episode 1: Japan from Trey Ratcliff on Vimeo.

Staying Limber

You've probably seen how the Japanese squat almost anywhere and it doesn't even seem to bother them. No chair; no problem. I observed Kiyomi's dad doing a short exercise routine every morning before breakfast. He starts with a prayer and bow, and ends similarly. Here's a little glimpse of it.

Zao Mountain (Volcano/Ski Resort)

Beautiful View - The other side of the mountain

Shinkansen (Bullet Train) & Tokyo

Sushi

On our last day we had to go for sushi one last time. The conveyor belt goes by and you can take what you want. If you want to special order, you do that from the sign and it arrives on a special plate with a little jingle to let you know it's coming so you'll wake up to grab it. This is Japanese fast food.

Home again

Of course it had to happen...

I left my laptop in Chris's van. I had loaded it in the back, then we jumped out at the train station. Everyone grabbed bags and somehow the laptop went unnoticed. So, Chris has to mail it to me :( Fortunately, it's my spare! It was sure nice having it with me in Japan. Chris, Kiyomi, "Papa" and the kids were fantastic hosts and tour guides. They spoiled us and made sure we got the real Japanese experience; not the tourist version. Perfect! Oh, and for the return trip, Kiyomi packed a great lunch and treats for the train and plane, including salmon rice balls (yum!), Japanese pastries (much better than ours here), drinks (I found a cool lemon water over there), and plenty of chocolate to get us through the long flight and train rides. They also gave me a cool doll with traditional Japanese kimono and hats like they use in the parade I'm missing. And, her dad gave me gifts and treats too. See what I mean about spoiled?

The trip home was fine, though much more hassle since there was a stop in LAX. That airport is a zoo! It's always under construction and just has a weird feel. I guess I'm spoiled by the SLC airport, and of course Tokyo was very nice too.

After experiencing the universal "niceness" and manners of the Japanese, it was a bit of a culture shock to land back in the USA. Customs & immigration agent was totally deadpan, said very little; no greeting or "welcome back to the states". So different that what we experienced the past week. One guy on the exit door from immigration here actually smiled and said "have a good day." In Japan, they were almost universally that way. You wouldn't think it would be that tough to add a little courtesy and it certainly makes it nicer for everyone. We've become so accustomed to the rude, self-centered attitudes of so many people we hardly notice. After being somewhere else, you can really see the contrast. The Koreans were not like the Japanese that way and Korean Air was fine for the return but since it was a flight from Seoul, stopping in Tokyo (to pick us up) and then on to LAX, there were lots of Korean passengers. The difference was remarkable.

I did like Korean Air's uniforms and colors. It's a perfect uniform for the petite Korean attendants. They also offered a nice comfort kit with soft socks, passport holder, toothbrush and eye mask. I did eat the traditional Korean dinner (pretty good) but I passed on rice porridge for breakfast.
The good part about the stop in LAX was the outside moderate temperature without the humidity we've been enduring in Japan. Of course Delta feels like "home"...

I hope they keep the Delta direct SLC to Narita because that sure made travel to Japan smooth. I would definitely recommend it! I'll post more photos soon but for now I've been up for 32 hours or so (except for a few short sitting naps) and need to hit the hay. One example. A Korean woman sitting behind me woke me when I was trying to sleep to tell me to put my seat in the upright position (as if there were any other). It turned out she needed more room to apply her makeup in flight! Priority # 1 I guess.

Anyway, back in the old U.S. of A - for better or worse. Hate to see vacation end but looking forward to sleeping in my bed tonight.

Vacation

What I forgot...
There's always something. What I should have brought on this vacation but didn't was the charger for my camera battery (special lithium rechargeable). I have two batteries and with them both fully charged I was sure it was all I'd need, but alas! I had not considered that I might be taking nonstop pictures. It's about $36 here for a new charger that I don't really NEED and $42 for a new battery. So, we've used Chris's big, fancy camera the past two days and I still have my Flip video so I guess I'll survive. Note to self: always take the charger even if you don't think you'll need it. Other than that, I could have used an extra suitcase to carry home the souvenirs! And I found so many cute clothes here, I could have left all mine home and started from scratch.

This shows the traditional Yamagata Yukata and hats that will be used in the parade. The kids are dancing and I'm very sad to have to miss it. They do it the same day we leave. Delta wanted an extra $668 per ticket to extend by one day, so....

Volcano and Hot Springs

Julia loved my Flip Camcorder and she wanted to make this one. We were soaking our feet in the hot springs bath. This is at the foot of the ski resort and I'm sure in winter it feels fantastic after a day on the slopes. For us the weather was warm and it seemed crazy, but I wanted the experience and it wasn't too bad, but it was definitely hot water.


We saw the Zao volcano today.

More Japan

We had a minor earthquake during the night a couple of days ago. Chris, sleeping upstairs noticed it but I did not.

We went to see an ancient, though small, castle and Yamagata's main park which is in the process of being rebuilt with the castle that was originally there. The moat is still in place with the coolest walking trail at the top of it that surrounds the whole park. In April the park is lined with cherry trees in blossom.

A little Sunday music

When we arrived at the end of the 1000 step hike and enjoyed the view from the lookout point, a lady was playing her harmonica - a lovely, familiar tune which is very popular in Japan too (they sing different lyrics though). The tune is "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" and in the church we sing it as "Lord Dismiss us With Thy Blessing".



I also appreciated a blog post I read here. She addresses the imperfection (us) and perfection (the Gospel of Jesus Christ) in the church.