The Return to Tokyo: First Impressions

After the quake in Japan, and the corresponding issues with the Fukushima Nuclear Power plant, I was a bit hesitant to return to Japan as I had originally planned. Particularly since the US government actually advised Americans not to go there, and a lot of the long-term foreigners such as myself actually left as well.

At the same time though, there were a myriad of factors involved that still prompted me to go. For one, I had already purchased my plane ticket, and I wouldn’t be able to get my money back. It also meant that I would be screwing over the company that hired me (who needs people now more than ever) and in doing so, lose pretty much the only way I have to get a visa to continue to stay.

Lastly, and most importantly however was the fact that my girlfriend (who was with me here in the states when the Quake struck) was determined to go back herself for her family, and I just wouldn’t have felt right about letting her do it alone.

At this point however, as scary as a decision as it was, I’m very much glad I made it. I’m going to be working at a sports university here for the next few months, and they building a new program that would integrate language study with physical movement, and they are interested in having me be one of their chief developers. Beyond that, the day after I got off the plane, my best friend Tommy (who got me into Celebrity Bodyguarding several years ago) told me that he is being featured on a prime time TV show and wanted me to appear on the show with him. We shot it the same day (For Tokyo-ites, it’s Nihon TV, May 3rd, 10pm!) so I've already got an appearance on a major TV show lined up. Lastly, the Yen to Dollar exchange rate is simply the best it’s ever been right now, and for every $500 I make here, I am getting an extra $100 off of it.

Signs of the earthquake damage are apparent. The flight over here was almost empty. (All though there were a few other foreigners to their credit). My girlfriend’s father’s business building has small cracks in all the walls. Some of their furniture (that which was destroyed) is gone. All of the trains are running without interior lights, and even on sunny days they are too dark too read inside. (When you go through a tunnel it just goes pitch black). There are signs at stores saying you can’t buy more than one bottle of water per visit, and I still think about the safety of the water when I shower. (Although at present, its still deemed to be perfectly within safety levels). Yesterday at my university orientation they showed a video of a ‘typical student’ who was talking about his mother, and when he said he and his family were from Fukushima, they had to stop it and apologize because neither he nor his mother were probably with us anymore.

In terms of how the Japanese people are handling it however, their drive to move on, recover and keep the order of their society simply amazes me, and seeing the dignity that they still carry themselves with despite the hardships just further deepens my respect for them. Additionally, everyone I speak to thanks me for coming back, and appreciates the fact that I was one of the foreigners who stood by them instead of just leaving. That gratitude alone has made the trip worth it for me.