There’s no getting away from it that the continuing problems at the Fukushima nuclear plant are a real concern, especially so for those nearby, but in Tokyo, well over 200 kilometres away, we are fine. No, better than fine actually. And, if it weren’t for occasional blackouts along with the scarcity of a few nonessential foodstuffs, life would be damned near normal.
Not that you’d think that seeing some of the sensationalist, woefully inaccurate ‘journalism’ coming out of the West. Possibly the worst of a sadly growing bad bunch being Britain’s, The Sun, with their GET OUT OF TOKYO NOW nonsense. A piece of so-called reporting that’s about as factual as the fact that I’m a 15-year-old from Finland called Fifi.
The thing is though, in a mere bid to sell more newspapers or attract more views, this kind of misinformation is bad enough, but when it causes terrible stress to those with loved ones in the areas apparently all set to be engulfed by a looming plume of radiation, it’s a very different story indeed. And yet even that’s nowhere near as despicable as the attention it’s detracting from all those north of the capital struggling with inadequate food, warmth and medicine. An enormous number of people who are suffering. Now. And need all the attention, plus more importantly aid, that all these supposedly doomsday scenarios don’t.
So ignore all the nonsense. Here in Tokyo we are doing fine. It’s nothing we can’t handle. Not by a long shot. None of us. It’s simply a case of get up.
Get out.
And get on with it as best as we can.
BiggerInJapan says
haha, I couldn’t help but giggle – no, laugh out loud at those Sun posts. Well, at least now we know what to wipe our arse with when toilet paper gets really scarce.
Oh, and Fifi from Finland, lots of respect for those tough grannies… but we could use some “youngsters kissing in the park, spring is just around the corner” kind of pictures now! Yes, that’s a hint to our favourite photographer.
Lee says
We’ll see. Hopefully things will start to get better soon, and then I may be able to get some suitably spring-like photos.
Steve says
Well said Lee.
Also in Tokyo, I’m getting sick of the sensationalised media reports. I’m constantly reassuring family and friends outside of Japan that Tokyo isn’t a ghost town and that we aren’t sitting in the dark starving; far from it.
The people living in shelters up north have the real problems.
Lee says
Thanks Steve.
Exactly. It’s a sorry state of affairs when we have to reassure people ‘cos of the nonsense that is put out under the guise of news…
Mr. S. says
Great post, great headline.
Lee says
Cheers Mr. S.!
Peta says
Great post!!!
Lee says
Thanks Peta!
Joe Buhler says
Your comments are echoed by a friend of mine living in Tokyo. Having lived there for thirteen years myself it’s not new to me to read about the resilience of the Japanese people, especially in tough times. The country is usually misunderstood by most of the foreign media and in a case like this it becomes even more obvious how little these so called journalists know about Japan. It’s news as entertainment and all geared to the highest possible ratings or circulation with the tabloids the worst of the bottom feeders. Keep up the good spirit and Gambatte kudasai!
Lee says
Cheers Joe. Yeah, the reaction in Tokyo has certainly been admirable. I was out today, and it felt just like a normal day — everyone calmly going about their business.
Dave says
Couldn’t agree more.
All the (mostly foreign-issued) fear-mongering isn’t helping at all. It would be nearly cute, except it diverts way too much attention (and ultimately, resources) from those that really need it up north.
Lee says
It certainly does, ‘cos once something else comes along attention will be diverted there, and their plight will be even less well covered.
Teabie says
The good and bad sides to instant technology. I follow blogs instead of news feed since I do know the first-hand summaries are way more truthful than commercialised news. One of the many things I really like about the tech era which I live in. Thanks for updating, Lee… and be safe.
Lee says
Thanks Teabie, and not at all. It’s the least I can do really.
David Brown says
Excellent piece. I have been trawling online for accurate, sensible news for a week now. I am due to move to Japan as an ALT in the next 6-8 weeks and have been finding all this scaremongering extremely upsetting for family and friends who are verging on staging an intervention to prevent me from going.
If you can recommend any other sources (blogs, twitter etc.) where I can get personal reports like this, please let me know. the constant loop of NHK world combined with the shoddy scaremongering that is going on is making things tough to find good information
Good luck.
David
Lee says
Cheers David.
6-8 weeks is a long time off yet. Thing will hopefully be very different by then, and then you won’t be under so much pressure from your family and friends. It depends where you are going to be living too.
If you take a look at those I follow on Twitter, there are some very good people there, with extremely balanced/realistic views.
Badboy says
“I’m a 15-year-old from Finland called Fifi.”
Hi Fifi, I’m 14 year old boy from Switzerland. Please exchange the of to the pictures for the getting to each know about another 🙂
Lee says
Haha! I honestly don’t know where that one came from…
Rick says
Hope all continues so grandly in Tokyo and all jump in and help the fellow residents of Japan since it is obviously not so grand not so far away. Please take the nuclear plant problem very seriously and understand that you’re a strong wind away from potential disaster because there is an extremely serious problem not so far away. Make preparations before you regret being too cocky. Of course, the media trumps everything up, but if you are smart enough to get that then stop watching it. Amazing how many people complaining about over-kill media yet they continue to watch. Finally, the real misinformation about this one can be placed in the lap of the Japanese government, Tokyo Power and IAEA triumvirate. I see no reason why an international incident at a nuclear plant is not under more control as far as reporting accurate and timely information. Best of luck to all in Japan.
Enoshima says
Rick – the fact of the matter is that most people commenting on the nuclear plant don’t have a clue what the actual danger is – their reptile brain tells them to run away as soon as they hear the word radiation when they should be calmly assessing the situation. This is a very serious situation in the evacuated area, and it has the potential for causing lots of problems for agriculture in a wider area, but mass panic is much more dangerous. Old people are already dying in the cold shelters, it’s the tsunami victims that need help. If the wind turns this (Tokyo) way, there will be detectable amounts of radiation, but I would still get a higher dose during frequent business trip flights.
Oh, by the way folks, do stop smoking chowing down KFC wings on a regular basis, those things are enormously more likely to kill you than this.
Lee says
Rest assured I’ll be keeping a close eye on matters, and I’ve also been reading lots of educated opinions on possible outcomes — both good and bad.
I certainly don’t trust everything that’s coming from the Japanese government. I’d be a fool to do that. But at the moment at least, most of their info seems to be standing up to scrutiny. Hopefully it will stay that way.
dans says
Well said. I’m getting tired of those sensationalist.
Lee says
Thanks dans!
Linette says
Well said, Fifi. And if you have any news from up North, that would be great.
Lee says
I wish I did Linette. What news is coming out though is all harrowing. Those that did survive are now struggling with a lack of basic provisions and sanitation, leading to worries about disease. Plus there’s countless people who are without necessary medicine or medical care. A truly horrible situation…
Mr. S. says
David Brown, come on JET, so long as your posting is not in the worst of it. By summer, when they send you, the worst of this will be over for all but the survivors, as it was in ’95 in Kobe, when I was here. When your family loses it on you, send them to blogs of those of us still here.
Where have they posted you?
As for responsible English news, guardian.co.uk and english.aljazeera.net have best kept their wits from the point of view of this Canadian.
Lee says
Yes, the Guardian , true to form, has been good. I’ll second that for sure.
cre-cre says
It’s better to read the blogs of the people that are actually living there than the newspapers. Even here they are making things look worse than they actually are.
It would be so much better if all the efforts would be put towards helping those in the tsunami area than writing nonsense.
Keep up the good work and keep us up to date.
Lee says
It would cre-cre. They certainly need all the help they can get.
And thanks. I’ll certainly do my best.
Ken C says
Today the media are carpet-bombing us with news from Libya with barely a mention of Japan. Like dogs with new bones!
Lee says
Apart from something I didn’t catch about Kate and bloody William, Libya is the first bit of ‘other’ news I saw on Japanese TV. Hopefully back home and elsewhere, the plight of those who survived the tsunami will still be covered.
Sophie says
Oh The Sun. I sometimes can’t believe it’s not a joke. If someone says they read The Sun, it says a lot about them (ie they’re not very bright, don’t care much about facts and just want a newspaper that makes them outraged and shows pictures of boobs). All these stupid articles are going to do is inflate some people who probably don’t even know where Japan is with self-righteous anger about how our government and/or foreign people are ruining things for British people.
I just hope people don’t judge everyone from Britain based on these morons 🙂
I’ve mostly been watching the BBC news channel (not BBC World) and they seem to have been talking sense, with experts that have explained the nuclear problems pretty clearly and rationally
Lee says
No, it’s not a great advert it is? Glad to hear the BBC have been doing a good job. Exactly what I’d expect to be honest.
A Bell says
I tend not to read or watch any of the major news media, opting instead for a few sources I find relatively reliable and free of the economic imperative that so often drives ‘story’ at the expense of well researched as well as wisely processed information. Yet, being ‘free’ of sensationalist reporting I am still acutely aware of the uncertainty at the plants in Fukushima and the potential severity of the situation there if the plants go into gross meltdown, as I am certain you are. Although I appreciate your delivery and understand your frustration at both the state of news coverage and the detraction from those most in need during this time, there is something missing from your stance which I think somehow also appeals to the same thing that the hackneyed tabloids do, though I can’t entirely put my finger on what that is. Can I leave my reservations open-ended, or do I need a strong, emphatic and inclusive position about the state of all people in Tokyo and how they are and should be getting on? Can I spare a thought for those in need as well as be concerned for my future in Tokyo? Should I be stoic and walk into the atomic wind?
Paul says
If the reactors do go into meltdown (some melting has probably already occurred), the power company will be left with an expensive and long term clean-up bill. Long term there may be some deaths from cancer, but they will be difficult to appropriate to radiation as they will probably not alter the statistical mean for cancer deaths. And those figures will look tiny next to the number of deaths directly attributable to the earthquake and tsunami. Not to mention the ones who are yet to die from exposure, lack of medicines and basic sanitation. Living in the tsunami zone right now is killing people right now.
Three Mile Island had a meltdown. It took years to clean up, but there is still a power station at Three Mile Island. People need power and despite the fear of radiation, nuclear power is probably one of Japan’s best options. They have some of the most stringent safety protocols and of course, their reactors are built to withstand earthquakes and tsunamis. They will learn from this. The next reactors will be built to higher tolerances.
A Bell says
Absolutely, the long term and statistically unverifiable causal relationships between likely radioactive exposure and death from cancer should not overshadow the immediate need for relief in the earthquake and tsunami affected areas. That you suggest the cost/bill for the meltdown will be paid for by the power company alone is disingenuous and cynical. I think you mistook my post for an anti-nuclear one, and so provided your pro-economic/nuclear one.
Mr. S. says
I am with you on everything but this: “They have some of the most stringent safety protocols and of course, their reactors are built to withstand earthquakes and tsunamis.” Some simple objections to that: amakudari appointments, the entire history of Tepco and nuclear power, a flawed GE plant design, using MOX fuel, putting them on a seismic archipelago, creating a millennial waste zone where tsunami will hit it about once a century but building sea-walls for a thirty-year event.
Lee says
Yeah, I know exactly where you are coming from, especially as there’s certainly a long way to go yet, and sadly how it all pans out remains to be seen, but this was mainly a counter to the doomsday scenario that the likes of The Sun is almost reveling in. It certainly wasn’t an effort to offer an alternative. Unfortunately I don’t have the knowledge to even attempt that, but at the same time, neither do many of the journalists writing such sensationalist nonsense.
That said, there are certainly no guarantees I know, but when scientific comparisons to Chernobyl are made, Fukushima would appear to be a very different story, in a very different era, so should the worst come to the worst, Tokyo at least should be fine.
Not, of course, that such a scenario is an acceptable outcome. Anything other than a successful cooling of the reactors with a minimal amount of leaks is a disaster. But sadly a lot of the over-the-top reporting hasn’t even mentioned those people who survived the earthquake and tsunami and yet are now stuck in the 20-30km zone, it has merely jumped straight to Tokyo and the massive devastation that would be caused there/here.
An approach that not only ignores those in immediate danger from radiation, but also those stuck in shelters with a minimal amount of food and resources.
thegraminoid says
I wonder, in the wake of the catastrophe the idea of collective consciousness can be useful? We surely each turn to our own faith hoping for the safety of Japan privately, but I wonder if there is an event or a mass demonstration ( are there many already?) that can unite the thoughts in one, for the crisis to end and the rebuild to begin. This I imagine will also bring great encouragement for the hard working people, provide comfort for those suffering, and great power back to the people of Japan. This may also be a great demonstration to the foreign countries that fear can be turned into courage instead of making people flee.
I see these types of gatherings a lot during times of chaos, where people come together with sometimes candle lights, and provide warmth for each other to calm the panic.
I wish I can be there, for I’ve always loved Japan.
Much condolences
-The Graminoid
Lee says
There are currently lots of people collecting and distributing money/aid, and although lots more is needed, some help is getting to those that need it the most.
tamh says
Awesome post. Even here in Colombia we are guilty of believing what we see, even knowing our news are definitely the worst in the whole world. Showbiz sells more than real news here, and any situation is greatly exaggerated.
So exaggerated that our President sent a plane to recover Colombian people from prefectures as far as Osaka, believing they’re to be exposed to radioactive situations.
It’s time for *all* people in Japan to stand up and tell the world that they’re fine.
Lee says
Thanks. It is, but for now at least, there are far more important issues at stake. It’s such a shame that such measures are needed though isn’t it? I had no idea the extreme measures the Columbian government went to. Where on earth do some people get their information and ‘facts’ from…?
Dave Watkeys says
Hi there,
I know exactly what you mean. I’m in Christchurch, so I’ve seen just what the media choose to show from ‘disasters’. Yup, we’ve had earthquakes. Yup, the city is pretty banged up, And yup, most people are just getting on with things. Not quite as normal, perhaps, but still alive and functioning.
Course, to hear what the news was saying, we’re all dead, and every building is either destroyed or flooded with silt. So yeah, know exactly where you’re coming from…
Dave
Lee says
Hope everything is ok with you Dave after what you have been through. Yes, it’s certainly strange enough suddenly ‘being’ the news in the first place, but then far stranger to see said ‘news’ bear almost no resemblance to what is actually going on…
Shannon says
Thank you for this. I’m so done with media hand-wringing. Things are bad enough, horrifying enough, aren’t they, without sensationalizing? That’s why I’ve been watching NHK on Ustream. At least I know that’s closer (geographically and attitudinally) to the truth.
Take care. You, and your stricken country, are in my thoughts.
Lee says
Thanks Shannon. In the end I was practically forced to write something after seeing some of the reports.
Exactly. Things really are horrific beyond belief, and then to rub salt into the wound by attempting to make things seem even worse, is simply unacceptable.
Friedel says
(It´s a strange thing, reading news and posts from tomorrow 18th … it´s still 17th over here.
So much for modern technologie – still have to get used to some of it.)
About your post Iwas thinking that the japanese gouvernment, IAEA and Tepco have no other choice than to keep things as calm as possible. If there was a real threat to Tokio citizens´ lives, what would they do … evacuate all those millions? Most likely that would cost more lives than having everyone stay put and hoping for the wind to blow the right direction. So even if their information policy is more than questionable, what they do is actually right. And for Tokio citizens it certainly is the best to go on with their lives and not to panic.
It is right of course, that all those homeless people in the shelters need all the attention they can get – all those other problems will take much more time to solve anyway.
Hopefully, all the events in Fukushima will start a process of rethinking about nuclear power and it´s risks.
The Envoy says
Mmm, given Japan’s proximity to a tectonic boundary, I think geothermal plants may be a good alternative
Lee says
Yeah, they certainly have to be very careful with their words, as panic in a city the size of Tokyo is the last thing they want. At the same time, they can’t really lie (at least about the radiation levels) as their data can be checked independently.
And time will tell no doubt how honest they have been with events surrounding the plant itself.
As for nuclear or geothermal plants, I really don’t have the knowledge to make any judgements, although despite the ferocity of the earthquake and tsunami, new designs will obviously have to be made to ensure future safety.
Schubert says
Great post, makes us think, thanks
Lee says
Thank you!
El-Branden says
Of course, ignore the tabloids, Lee. BUT, have you been reading the advice by the Foreign Office. Did you go and pick-up your Iodine tablets. http://ukinjapan.fco.gov.uk/en/help-for-british-nationals/travel-advice The Swedish Embassy are doing the same, according to my Swedish friend.
It is rather strange, because there are two camps of people regarding the nuclear disaster. There are those who trust Geiger counter readings taken on a day when the wind is blowing out to sea, and who say it is all hysteria, who listen to pro-nuclear industry scientists. Then you have the other camp, who distrust the information coming out of a government with a history for hiding the truth when there have been nuclear crises, take serious the warnings of their own governments to leave, and who understand that winds change direction. Who is right, I honestly don’t know. But, I am glad I am I fall on the side of caution. As a great wiseman once said (me), “Burying your head in the sand has been proven ineffective in protecting you against radiation.”
Watch the readings spike, as the smoke rises from Reactor 3 and Reactor 2 and the winds blow from the North tomorrow. Metaphorically speaking, when a fire alarm rings, you don’t sit to watch the fire. Shit happens!
Lee says
It’s hardly a case of believing the government and accepting our fate, and to be honest I resent the implication that it is. Rather, it is one of taking on board what they are telling us, then checking it against other sources. Similarly, there is an awful lot of other information out there, from other governments, nuclear experts, scientists etc.
Armed with all that, I have taken what I deem to be the very sensible and rational decision of staying in Tokyo. You clearly disagree, but that’s your prerogative. Just like staying is mine.
El-Branden says
Well, since I am now back in Tokyo, because nothing can stand between a Japanese lady and her company, and I will under no circumstances abandon her, I suppose I will wait and hope for the best, with everyone else. I sincerely want to be wrong and that the crisis is brought under control soon, because I just want to resume my life like everyone else. However, whether you like it or not, there are many variables for concern, right now.
Lee says
That’s something we can totally agree on. There are lots of variables. Too many to feel comfortable with that’s for sure. We, and more pressingly those further north, are certainly not out of the woods yet. Sadly I don’t think we will be for a good while either.
But the post wasn’t written to offer answers, or even an attempt at them. Instead, it was simply a counter to the out and out lies that were coming from some media outlets. Or at the very least an inexcusable exaggeration of what facts are/were available.
El-Branden says
Fair enough. Oh, and all due to this disaster, Miwa and I got engaged.
Lee says
Blimey. Congratulations! A nice bit of good news amidst all the horrors.
El-Branden says
Miwa and I had some very serious chats about life, the universe and everything in Osaka, shadowed by the disaster, and we decided that it was better to not put of the inevitable.