E-mail From a Tokyo Policeman to My Sister

Wow. Just... wow.

Thanks for sharing this. Very moving.

Thanks for sharing Lyn.

Glad to hear this fellow and his family are coping.

I wish all the folks there the best.

I hope our presence is a help. We must be helping in some realistic fashion as he did acknowledge the US.

My thoughts, hopes, and prayers are with him, his family and his countrymen.

Thanks, Lyn.

Such sad times.

Good to learn from those in-country and glad your friend is doing well, thanks

In my life there are tests, trials,and tribulations that are a concern to me. I believe most people have these daily attempts by some unseen force to make life tough.

All of my concerns pale in comparison. Best of luck to your friend and his family, as well as best wishes for all those affected. Thank you, lyn, for sharing this personal insight with us.

Doorman

Thanks for bringing that home to us.

GA Lyn - (as 5 stars)

Lyn,

Thank you for sharing this - it is hard to imagine what they are going through - the floods and cyclone here in Australia as bad as they were, do not compare, likewise NZ's earthquake is minuscule by comparison

Thanks Lyn for sharing, we now know how people are coping.

Rajesh

Thank you, Lyn. I lived in Japan for three years, through a Typhoon (small) and half a dozen earthquakes, but never of this magnitude. And your friend's caring attitude for others, while he and his family are in such a tough situation, just speaks of the typical Japanese person.

From my experience, if anyone could be seen as "deserving our help" (whatever that might mean), they are it, because, were the roles reversed, they'd be doing all in their power to help. Truly a loving and giving people. I'm glad we could help. And I'm glad you let us know "from the front" how it's going over there.

It is good to read first hand what is happening. Our prayers and financial help go out to the people of Japan. I value the fact that we as a nation have the willingness and resources to step up and help, not out of obligation, but out of a generous spirit.

Someone made a comment the other day that I found interesting. They compared the response of the Japanese people to the disasters, earthquake and tsunami, to the people in New Orleans with the flood. There is a much different atmosphere/response to each disaster. One has a staid, orderly response and many in New Orleans, not all for sure, responded with chaos and helplessness. Some people do whatever it takes to get by while others wait for someone else to to whatever it takes to help them, expecting that it is someone else's duty to help.

I think they are interesting pictures of human nature and thought processes responding to disaster in completely different ways.

"It is our relation to circumstances that determine their influence over us. The same wind that blows one ship into port may blow another off shore." Bovee, Christian Nevell

Yesterday I sent a link of this thread to my wife. For those of you who don't know, she is Japanese and has lived in the USA since 2000. She wanted to reply, so below is what she emailed me to post.

Hi Honey,

It was a nice letter. You can share my note in CR4 if you like. Proofread it before you post it.

This is a tough time for people in Japan, for the ones who are directly affected by the disaster and the ones who are not. But every one of them is eager to do what they can to survive and to help. While the media seems to focus on the nuclear accident and skyrocketing death toll with the streaming video footage, there are thousands of people still being rescued and the cities are on their way to the recovery. Immediately after the earthquake hit Tohoku/ Kanto area, two major ports were cleared and 15 roads between the shore and inland were created by removing debris to transport supplies. The rest of the country is rapidly preparing provisional housing and temporary accommodations to accept families from Tohoku/ Kanto area, and there is record-high fund raising throughout the country. They could not have accomplished any of this without a helping hand domestically and internationally, and they will need long term significant and substantial support. Two workers at the nuclear power plant were injured yesterday and many have been risking their lives to save others including US military under "Operation Tomodachi (friends)". The US has done and are doing so much in terms of humanitarian aid. They respect the Japanese way, wait patiently, and act spontaneously. It is a beautiful team work. There is a reason the Japanese PM personally called the US president for help.

According to the weather forecast it's going to snow in Tohoku again this week, but life goes on. I am 7,000 miles away from home, and not much of help. I pray for my sister and her family in Tokyo, organize and understand information, and stay in touch with my family and friends. My main concern is the radiation leak. The random numbers the officials speak on TV Japan could confuse many people like moms and dads.

I'm in the process of translating "Radiation Dose Chart" which was posted on CR4 (here by Sue) to Japanese hoping to post it soon on one of the Japanese websites.

Lastly, people in Japan are very much aware of the thoughts and prayers from all over the world, and they greatly appreciate it.