Celebrating life on the Tokyo home-front

Exactly three weeks ago today (Friday, April 1, 2011) one of the largest earthquakes in recorded history struck off the northeastern coast of Japan near Miyagi prefecture.

Lou Kaplan, an old friend and San Diego based former client, has travelled and done business extensively in Japan. Lou has been very concerned about the over hyped alarmist media and broadcast reporting in the US. Yesterday he wrote to me and said that, “It would be nice for you to write a blog about what life is really like; how it is returning to normal and what 'work-arounds' people are doing to be safe. Your insights might help to cool people's fears.”

Okay, Lou. You asked for it, you got it!

We are finding, in Tokyo, that after the first week of shock - followed by a week of assessment - that companies and individuals are now taking the initiative to move forward again – both for rebuilding and for building anew. The beginning of this week there seemed to be a feeling almost akin to Spring in the air. Admittedly some of this feeling has to do with the fact that we’re on the cusp of hanami (cherry blossom viewing) http://bit.ly/f7gnSG season; and  some of it because we realize that we must get back to the business of life, and of business itself, sooner rather than later.

Tokyo Cherry Blossoms this morning

For those of us living outside the regions directly hit by the massive quake and tsunami the world looks almost totally normal - at least on the surface. Okay... Tokyo isn’t as glaringly lit up at night now like it usually is. Tokyo Tower remains darkened; major train stations and other public spaces have turned off half the lights; most street lights are turned off; many of the display cases in supermarkets and convenience stores are not lit; and most retail stores are closing early. Initially it felt a bit gloomy, but now it feels natural, and certainly appropriate as power consumption had to be reduced. 

I have a feeling that when we can use as much electricity as we like that having all that neon lit up (like we used to) will feel garish and wasteful.

The initial reports of food and gasoline shortages were, for the most part, overblown. Yes, it’s still hard to find certain dairy products (plain yogurt for example), but supermarkets are generally well-stocked. The long lines at filling stations and the 20 liter limits are very rare. 

I’ve been out for dinner and drinks with clients several times this week and the restaurants had pretty much everything in good supply, except one kind of seafood that came from the Fukushima area.

Which brings us to the nuclear reactor issue. Of course it is a disaster, and probably has some danger for the workers on site, and possibly a small risk for those who live nearby. As far as Tokyo goes there has been absolutely no significant radiation impact whatsoever. It is important to realize that the radiation exposure limits in Japan are set far below that of any other country in the world, so exceeding those limits in virtually every case has meant that we in Tokyo are exposed to an amount equal to or less than the natural background radiation in places like Vienna, Rome, Wales, Denver or possibly even the basement of your own house (Radon gas http://bit.ly/ezmZem . 

The biggest impact for us in Tokyo (other than electricity limitations) probably has been psychological. To put it very kindly, TEPCO and the government have not done a very good job in presenting timely, consistent, and confidence-building communications to the public.

One thing a close friend is pointing out to people is the really BIG story that is not getting told – in one of the largest earthquakes in the recorded history of mankind, most of the buildings in Tohoku, and ALL the buildings in Tokyo, remained standing, and have continued to hold up despite a inordinate number of M5+ aftershocks http://www.japanquakemap.com/today. (The tsunami, not the quake directly, is what wiped towns and villages off the map.)

Tokyo remains a safe, clean big city. Kids walk back and forth to school every day, housewives go shopping, people commute on the trains and subways. What we do need to do more of is to celebrate life, to rejoice in the fact we are alive and well, to go out and have a good time with our friends and families, prime the economic pump by spending on food and drink and shopping.  Of course we need to make sure we contribute in all the ways we can to the tens of thousands whose homes and lives have been devastated. 

If you could be so kind to open your hearts and help out those who have been displaced and need shelter and supplies in this critical time, I would thank you. See here: http://bit.ly/gZXJBw

Cheers!