tsunami: far away, yet close to home

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I was expecting the usual 11 o’clock news last Thursday, but instead -- breaking news: earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I watched in horror, mesmerized by the blurry image of the amoeba-like blob moving across the screen, gathering up everything in its path. It was like a supersized, real-life, pancaked version of the Japanese video game, “We Love Katamari,” where a giant ball rolls around swallowing up cows, cars, people, etc. The real-life version paralyzes me. I try to focus on the little map they show on the screen, trying to pinpoint where the devastation is in relation to where my cousins, aunts and uncles live. I am relieved to see that the tsunami has not impacted the areas where I think my family would be, but it is still unnerving to watch. I fall asleep with images of the scary blob replaying in my head.

The next day is not any better. Tsunami coverage has gone local, as the tsunami has actually crossed the Pacific and has landed on the West Coast. I watch footage of some boats being tossed around and a dock being pushed out of the water, thinking it is new film from Japan; then, I realize it is showing Santa Cruz, just down the coast from here. Further north, I would later learn that a young man was swept away to his death while he was trying to take photos of the tsunami. So preventable. So sad. I hope they don't report this in Japan, since it would just confirm the stereotypes of Americans doing stupid, inappropriate things; on the other hand, I guess this is one reason for that stereotype existing in the world outside the U.S. I am guessing this little tidbit of news will not make it into the rotation on NHK, since they have much more pressing matters to report on right now.

One thing that I had not thought about but that my husband heard one commentator report on was that the Japanese people -- typically polite and civilized as a general rule -- have become even more so during this crisis. She observed pedestrians in Tokyo still waiting patiently for the green “walk” light, even though the cars on the street were clearly not moving in the post-quake gridlock. People lined up at stores, in the usual, orderly fashion. Food and water were reportedly scarce in Tokyo, as people who worked in the city were unable to leave, and yet, they lined up. As one reporter put it: “The people of Japan have handled this in a dignified, lawful, civilized fashion.”

In Japan, I am guessing this is not news. Being civilized and lawful in a time of crisis is simply not news: it is expected, understood, a given. This is something that would only be reported outside of Japan. It made me wonder what would happen here in a big city -- San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York -- under similar circumstances. Would we be civilized? Or would people resort to opportunistic behavior? I hope we never have to experience such a disaster to find out.