All About Japanese

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earthquake night -
the stars are as silent
as ever


I just stepped out to say good night to the world ..


March 11, 2011, 14:46





. So many Aftershocks .



nai no kami ないのかみ / なゐの神【地震神】
deity of earthquakes
nai jinja 名居神社（ないじんじゃ）shrine

He holds the shaking catfish down,
but maybe also the "earthquake bug"


jishin mushi　地震虫　earthquake bug


. Nai no kami 地震神 deity of earthquakes 　　



This is the beginning of a long diary.
I have not found my voice yet in how to present this ... things were too confusing during the first three days ...

Gabi

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Next Morning



March 11, 2011 Earthquake in Japan

超巨大地震 choo kyodai jishin super strong earthquake

Look at the destruction
source : photos.mlive.com


quote
The devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan today is bound to affect financial markets around the globe, economists and analysts said.
source : abcnews.go.com/Business




Top of Tokyo Tower is bent

. . . . .


(Reuters) :
A devastating tsunami triggered by the biggest earthquake on record in Japan looked set to kill at least 1,000 people along the northeastern coast on Friday after a wall of water swept away everything in its path.

The government warned there could be a small radiation leak from a nuclear reactor whose cooling system was knocked out by the quake. About 3,000 residents in the area some 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo had been moved out of harm's way.

Underscoring grave concerns about the Fukushima plant, the U.S. air force delivered coolant to avert a rise in the temperature of its nuclear rods, but officials said a leak was still possible because pressure would have to be released.

The unfolding disaster in the wake of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and 10-meter (33-feet) high tsunami prompted offers of search and rescue help from 45 countries.

China said rescuers were ready to help with quake relief while President Barack Obama told Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan the United States would assist in any way.

"This is likely to be a humanitarian relief operation of epic proportions," Japan expert Sheila Smith of the U.S.-based Council on Foreign Relations wrote in a commentary.

Stunning TV footage showed a muddy torrent of water carrying cars and wrecked homes at high speed across farmland near the coastal city of Sendai, home to one million people and which lies 300 km (180 miles) northeast of Tokyo. Ships had been flung onto a harbor wharf, where they lay helplessly on their side.

Boats, cars and trucks were tossed around like toys in the water after a small tsunami hit the town of Kamaishi in northern Japan. The town of Kesennuma burned down. Kyodo news agency reported that contact had been lost with four trains in the coastal area.

Daylight, just an hour away, looked set to reveal further death and devastation, especially after two strong aftershocks that struck during the night in the northwest of Japan's main island. Japanese politicians pushed for an emergency budget to fund relief efforts after Kan asked them to "save the country," Kyodo news agency reported. Japan is already the most heavily indebted major economy in the world, meaning any funding efforts would be closely scrutinized by financial markets.

Domestic media said the death toll was expected to exceed 1,000, most of whom appeared to have drowned by churning waters after the mid-afternoon earthquake.

The extent of the destruction along a lengthy stretch of coastline suggested the death toll could rise significantly.

Even in a nation accustomed to earthquakes, the devastation was shocking.

MORE
source : www.reuters.com

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quote
The 2011 Sendai earthquake and tsunami
東北地方太平洋沖地震, Tōhoku Chihō Taiheiyō-oki Jishin[literally "Tōhoku region Pacific Ocean offshore earthquake")
was an 8.9 to 9.1-magnitude megathrust earthquake that created tsunami waves of up to 10 meters (33 ft). It was measured at 7[6] on the Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale in the northern Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, with an initially reported magnitude of 7.9, while the JMA's tsunami warning listed the magnitude as 8.4,[7] later updated to 8.9.

Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) has confirmed at least 1000 dead and another 1000+ missing in six different prefectures.

Kesennuma, Miyagi
Major fires broke out in the city Kesennuma, Miyagi whose population is 73,403.

©　More updates in the WIKIPEDIA !



. . . CLICK here for Photos : Kesennuma !


. . . CLICK here for Photos : Sendai !





. . . CLICK here for Photos : Chiba !

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lunchtime -
the increasing tales
of chaos

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Matsushima ya ...

It seems from a camp of the self defence force a flotilla of 28 airplains (helicopters? 18 or 25 ?) were washed away from the tsunami.
More than 300 people who worked there can not be reached ...
The tsunami reached up to the second floor of the buildings. The warplanes stationed there can not be used any more.

The Military airfield of Matsushima is located at 136km from the epicenter.
Other airports affected are: Sendai (167km), Kasuminome (163km), Matsushima (136km), Ojojibara (168km), Hanamaki (177km).



宮城県にある航空自衛隊松島基地に所属する航空機２８機すべてが水没する、
という被害が出ています

ANN NEWS
防衛省によると、宮城県の松島基地が津波の被害を受け、F2戦闘機18機など合わせて25機が海水につかったということです。松島基地は建物の2階まで水没し、海水につかった戦闘機は今後使えない可能性が高いということです。


Sunday March 13
We saw a helicopter fly over the facilities, many airplanes were washed out of the hangar, some standing on the runway with debris on them, some rammed into the barracks at odd angles.
Soldiers were using brooms to clean the runway.

Still no coverage of the temples of Matsushima.

One note about Hiraizumi ... no major damage.


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Tsunami reaching the world


source : Wikipedia updates in Japanese

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But Japan’s “massive public education program” could in the end have saved the most lives, said Rich Eisner, a retired tsunami preparedness expert who was attending a conference on the topic at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Md., on Friday.

In one town, Ofunato, which was struck by a major tsunami in 1960, dozens of signs in Japanese and English mark escape routes, and emergency sirens are tested three times a day, Mr. Eisner said.

Initial reports from Ofunato on Friday suggested that hundreds of homes had been swept away; the death toll was not yet known. But Matthew Francis of URS Corporation and a member of the civil engineering society’s tsunami subcommittee, said that education may have been the critical factor.

MORE
source : www.nytimes.com

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(CNN) --
One person was reported dead and numerous boats and harbors suffered damage in the United States after the tsunami triggered by the massive earthquake off Japan swept across the Pacific Ocean at jet speed Friday.

source : edition.cnn.com


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quote
No major tourist spot seemed to have suffered major damage with the possible exception of Matsushima which was hit by both the earthquake and tsunami, but details are not known to us at this moment. Parts of central Hakodate, including the morning market area, were flooded with some damage caused. Central Sendai, did not suffer widespread major damage.

Aftershocks can be expected to continue for several days in the Tohoku Region with the possibility of more major tremors.
source : www.japan-guide.com/news


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. Please, light a candle for the victims ! 　


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. Nai no kami 地震神 . God of Earthquakes 　 　


. WKD : Earthquake (jishin 地震) 　 　


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