Earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown

Day six of disaster watch in Japan.

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This earthquake produced 464 aftershocks in the first 4 days.

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The Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant is the big issue. Allan is not overly concerned right now, but I'm not making any promises. We have CNN, so alot of our information is exactly what you can see in the U.S. The difference being that you also have Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC, so you might know more than me.

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We have received a message from the U.S. Ambassador. The nuclear situation is being monitored, etc.

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Locally, the trains schedules are limited, which is a great hardship. Allan's friend Takagi-san waited until 10 am or so for the train to leave Yokohama. He was a bit late for work. Gas is an issue. I'm not sure if there is a shortage, or if people are just being cautious, but yesterday Allan and I passed a line of 37 cars waiting at a station. But the Japanese take it in stride.

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Businesses are using reduced lighting, and it's kinda nice, the glare is missing. Grocery stores have empty shelves, so we're happy to have a fully-stocked kitchen.

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Allan's work is not affected, but I've had a few cancellations in English classes. My only male student, Ichiro told me today that his son was in Sendai City during the earthquake. He was able to send a text and received a return text from his son saying that he was fine. He was not on the coast, so was away from the tsunami area. Whew...

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We might limit our movement for a few weekends - gas shortage, reduced train schedules, radiation exposure, all that stuff. But it's not too bad. I finally got my birthday dinner last night at the Officers' Club. It was Mongolian Buffet with a game. Fill a bowl with raw meats and vegetables, then guess the priced at 75 cents per 28 grams (28 GRAMS!!! could they make it more complicated)? If you come within 5 cents of the total, your dinner is free. Guess who had a free birthday dinner! Then, since Tuesday is $1 movie night and we saw 'Green Hornet'. What were those guys thinking?

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BTW: tomorrow is our half-way mark. We've been in Japan for 18 months. Can you believe it? If you're planning to visit, times a runnin' out. We're looking for a new post now, so who knows where we'll land? Keep watching.

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So, how's everything with you?