An year has just past after the Japan earthquake and Tsunami. Natural disasters have been just another news on TV or a headline news of a morning newspaper. But not since 11th March 2011 for me. Having faced the after math of natures show down of power, I knew what it is to be like being insecure.
Going to Japan was a much look forwarded trip after weeks of wait for my passport and then the final moment rush and visa and ticketing. It was an official trip for duration of 6-months. Staying away from family was tough, as I couldn't take them along with me so the count down timer started clicking in my mind the day I boarded the flight for Tokyo, Narita airport. Japan and the living there has real contrast to the day today life in India, which I have been living. The first thing to notice is the sense of time that everyone has which is hard wired in to them. For four months and 18days, I used to board the train at sharp 8.08 in the morning to catch a bus to my office that starts at 8.18 from the second station, until the disaster struck.
We (my colleagues and me) enjoyed every bit of stay in Japan. During weekends and holidays we went to the popular tourist places and took photos , went on rides at 'Disney sea' did skiing during winter went to the local bars and even used to have occasional Indian food from the Malayalee run restaurant at Hon-atsugi !. We used to tell that time runs faster in Japan, may be because of the busy schedule out there. Then came the "March”!, when time stood still. One day I met a colleague at the train station who was about to leave for India. I wished him a pleasant flight back home, who was standing with two hands full of shopping bags. He had his return flight on 16.30hrs on March 11th.
March 11th was just another normal day in Japan. I got in to the packed train and got down at the second station, then caught my usual bus to office and sat on my usual seat on the bus. I heard my favourite tracks on my mp3 player on the way and reached office at sharp 9.00hrs at office. However, that day was a real different one and we got a chance to visit the test labs. After lunch, my colleague and me got into the shuttle bus towards the lab like school kids being taken for a movie.
It was a different office and was very different from what we used to see for the last few months. One by one, our mentor showed us the different test facilities and we walked behind him like obedient students. Then we reached one big testing rig where we stayed for a while discussing. Then my colleague asked me whether I have noticed that the hanging light bulb over us was swinging by itself. Before I could react to that, the whole place started shaking violently. We all gathered to a corner while I could feed the tremors right under my foot. I looked up to check which among the Iron bars and pillars are going to fall on us the first. But to my surprise no body ran in chaos but formed small group and stayed where they are. We waited there like in a submarine during a war waiting for that released torpedo to hit us anytime. I could hear my heart pumping blood. I thought about my wife and kid and checked my watch to note my last time, it was 14.45hrs. But thank god nothing happened to our building and we were evacuated to a safer place later.
Earthquake hit the northern part of Japan hard and we were at least 300kms from the epi-centre. Tremors were still felt even when we got back to our seats. When I came back to my seat, I saw a mail from my brother asking me weather I am OK. I was wondering how on earth, this quick he came to know about this in India. But the disaster was way too big than I anticipated when news started coming from the northern Japan. The spectacular scenes of Tsunami waves sweeping a large part of land in Japan was airing in all channels back to back. My parents tried to contact me but couldn't and were panic so were my colleague's. All train services were stopped and long queues of vehicle were seen on the road which is not a daily scene in Japan were traffic flows effortlessly through the narrow roads. My Japanese manager made sure that everyone got their conveyance to go home. I went home along with a Japanese colleague in his car. While waiting in the long queue the TV in the car was buzzing with the latest pictures and videos of the disaster struck northern Japan. Later I had to take a walk home as my colleagues took another route to their home. I could saw the fear one every ones face back at our dormitory except on the Japanese counterparts!
Morning when I woke up the next day I did not notice any visible changes but I got a mail from my manager saying that office will remain closed for the day. Later I came to know no train and majority bus services are in operation. I browsed through the online channels and saw the videos of Tsunami waves taking out a large portion of land area and destroying everything on its way like in a climax of a Hollywood thriller movie. By the end of the day news started coming about the unstable condition of nuclear power plant at Fukushima. Meanwhile my colleague who went to airport and was supposed to reach India the next day was stuck up in the airport. He posted photos from the closed Narita airport on his face book page, said he was OK, and said that he somehow managed to inform his family that he is OK.
Even though I was in the shock of experiencing a major earthquake, I somehow made up my mind to stay back for my last month of my scheduled stay in Japan to avoid a return trip for completing the rest of the period. Going to office, the next day was a big trial of patience. As trains were not running because of power shortages and many of the bus services were cut down due to shortage of fuel supply. Office working hours were cut short to just two to three hours per day and reaching office and getting back home took more time than that. Still the Japanese colleagues went from one office to another depending on power blackout period to keep up the work. Most of the days Japanese colleagues used to drop me at my dormitory on their way.
Pressure was on a high for us Indians out there, and we started contacting our India office to call us back because of the unstable situation in Japan. Many among us started leaving of their own to India on the first flights available. Later we saw the videos of the Fukushima reactor buildings exploding out of steam pressure and fears of exposure to radiation were high. Food and water supply was falling shorter day by day in the nearby super markets. Japanese prime minister who has taken charge for controlling the situation at Tokyo Power Company was giving the updates on live TV. By the Tuesday of the following week my office has given us the choice of fly back or stay back for whom ever wishes. But as the third reactor building also exploded the radiation fear was out of control and even I have decided to leave Japan as soon as possible. My friends were checking whether I am ok on my facebook page.
Japan was no more the same after the disaster. We couldn’t go anywhere after that and power shutdowns were called upon to over come the shortage due to the closing down of Fukushima power plant. I noticed there were no back up power options anywhere in the homes near by or in our dormitory. May be because power cuts were never known to them. Colleagues who were leaving started dropping their balance stock of food materials at the rooms of few others and mine who were still "thinking" of staying back. Later my office has called all the employees from India office, back and started sending flight tickets not to mention the booking frenzy the travel desk people have undergone at that time.
My self and few others were among the last to leave Japan after the earthquake, who were from India office and by that time bus services to airport was already back in service. Every day there used to be a long line of taxis before our dormitory, which were booked by my colleagues for airport and had to pay them absurd amount of money for that. Of course, it’s the metered charge only! I left Japan on 20th March exactly five months after I arrived in Japan. Never I did think of a situation like this when I boarded the flight to Japan. The resilience of that nation was visible right after the earthquake even though this time it will take much more time for recovery. I cannot forget the time I have spent during and after the earthquake and I don’t think anybody among us at that time will.
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