My Life in Japan - U2, the Morphing of a Nation

I quite often hear the phrase "Japan never changes" however given it is the only country in history to completely eradicate the gun (they're let few back in now before you say it), Samurai no longer practice sword skills on the occasional unlucky passing peasant and voyagers are allowed on their way without being crucified, this is something of a stretch. Japan has changed significantly, and that includes the modern iteration as much as anything in past history. So, in reality, Japan is actually in a constant state of flux, and when you look closely, you can see these morphisms in action.

In 1994 U2 came to town, playing at the Tokyo Dome (a baseball stadium with, it has to be said, the acoustics of a baseball stadium but, at something around 55,000 seats, the largest gig in town). I'd been extorted for many years by friends from Europe and the US that it was going to be the best show of my life. And it sucked. I mean sucked in biblical proportions. The band could feel it too and as the final video of Lou Reed singing "Satellite of Love" arose across the screen, they walked off. No encore, no "thank you Tokoyo" no "goodnight", nothing. And for the next nearly twenty five years this one night remained the singularly worst show on earth to me.

Until 2019 that is, same band, same venue and pretty much the same set list. And it was one of the greatest shows I'd ever seen. And the difference, this time, was the crowd rather than the band, which could engage with the heaving masses, who loved the night and rocked with every tune they delivered. And there was an encore(!). Which the crowd loved. The main difference appeared to be, given all else remained essentially equal, Japan had changed. In this instance, a significant element of the crowd had never known the world without the inter-web and the global communication and exposure it carried with it. At the 1994 show the internet was barely spreading its wings. But Japan embraced it with a fervor in the years to come and, as a result, the people changed. And all it took was U2 to make me realize just how much. I wonder, it has to be said, just what's to come...

My Life in Japan - Tell them we said "Sayonara"

In 1954 James A Michener published a book by the name of "Sayonara". It tells the story of a US Air Force Captain in the Korean War, stationed at Itami, the main military base near Osaka in western Japan. Itami per chance, is also close to the city of Takarazuka, home to the famous (still) Takarazuka Review, a theatre company renown for all the roles being played by (very beautiful) young women. And, within the story, it is only a matter time before the Captain is introduced, through a mutual friend, to the lead dancer of the review. This could have been the end of a beautiful story, except she spoke no English and he, no Japanese. And of course, in those days, inter-racial relationships were deeply frowned upon by the military...

I've simplified this telling, all beyond recognition, however one aspect of the story is something still prevalent today, the belief that you need to speak a common language to make a relationship work. Reality though, has a differing view point, when you find "that" person and you know you should be by their side for the rest of your life, "you figure it out". And somehow they figured it out. [An aside, if you do read "Sayonara" you'll find a world that I haven't included from both a Western and a Japanese perspective. And although elements remain, you realise Japan and the rest of the world are changing but that is for another day.]

I met my wife ~8.00pm, December 17th, 1993 (husbands get very nervous when I answer that at a dinner party). I was with friends in a bar that no longer exists (the building itself has long since departed this mortal coil) in Nishiazabu, central Tokyo. It wasn't an exciting night, that is, until the most beautiful girl in the world walked in. My two friend were having an argument and stormed outside to continue (sticking me with their check I might add) and I was left with the girl. And she spoke no English, and I, close to no Japanese (some things don't change...). You have to remember these were in the days before internet, texting, Line, mobile phones, basically anyway to communicate except payphone. But somehow we figured it out. And more than thirty years later, she's sitting next to me reading a book as I complete this post. Sayonara.

The Big One. What'll it be Like and What to do!

Having been through March 11, 2011 M9.1 earthquake and missing the Kobe event of 1995 by weeks but having friends who were directly impacted and gave me feedback, the Nankai quake recently was a  reminder that a little preparation goes a long way. I hope you find this useful, especially for those new to Japan, and feel absolutely free to ask any questions!

 

The Emergency Medical Number is 119

 

First things first: Take a deep breath! Your Earthquake alarm will have made you jump!

 

So what will happen in the event of a major earthquake?

 

1    The ground around you will shake (a lot) and you will have difficulty standing and                             furniture will fall;
2       Mobile phone services will be unavailable within a few minutes of the quake (internet based communication may still work: Skype, FB Call, Line Call, What’sApp Call etc);
3       Traffic will be log-jammed with in a few minutes. If you’re on the highway they may not allow you to exit, train stations will not allow you to exit either until the external facades are declared safe;
4       Hotels will fill quickly and you may have to share a room with a stranger or sleep in the lobby etc;
5       Trains will stop until tracks have been confirmed safe (possibly next day);
6       There may be tsunami; coast lines and river valleys will see the main effect; 
7       There will be aftershocks and these may continue for several weeks, but they will eventually fade. You'll find after a time you become used to these and may start to video the impact.

 

 

Home Preparation

 

1       Prepare your house / apartment and relocate anything over the bed such as heavy pictures, re-arrange furniture so it will fall away from you, avoid placing any glass on the route between bedrooms and the front door;

2       Identify safety zones in the house especially for the kids to move to quickly;

3       Prepare an earthquake bag including water, rain-poncho, some clothing, a stack of 10 yen coins as pay phones will probably still work funnily enough, yen notes, pet supplies, wind-up radio;

4       Check the school evacuation policy, (do you pick the kids up, are they released to come home on their own, is it ok for a friend to pick them up?); 

5       Know where your gas meter is. In a severe earthquake there’s a safety trip which will cut the gas automatically. The reset button is the small red one next to the meter, press it and you'll have hot water again;

6       InterFM will probably be broadcasting updates in English; (Tokyo 89.7; Yokohama 86.5)

7       Ensure you have an Earthquake alarm on your phone, there’s a lot you can do with a few seconds warning, you’d be surprised;

8       If you live, or are vacationing near the coast, know your route to high ground and run (remember high ground includes tall buildings not just hill sides);

 

Office Preparation

 

1       Act quickly;

2       Try to stay in the office unless there’s a concern the building is no longer safe. FYI        the highest concern is falling glass and building fascades;

3       Keep a pair of comfortable shoes under your desk. Walking home in heels or leather soled shoes will become painful very quickly;

4       IT: Create an email account that includes all staff including temps, you may need to send “All Staff" communications over the next few days

5    If senior level, your teams will be watching for guidance. They’ll need your reassurance;

6       Know the route how to walk home, if you always travel by Metro, you may not know;

7       The first items to go in Combini will be battery powered phone chargers, good idea to keep one in your desk draw; Next will be bottled water, buy what you think you need, the next person may also need some;

8       And finally, to paraphrase FDR (and The West Wing): When your neighbour's house is on fire, you lend them your bucket. Help where you safely can.

 

If you have any additional thoughts, please leave in the comments below:

Thunder Storms and Tiny Tummies

Last night saw one of the most spectacular thunderstorms to hit western Tokyo in many a year. "Gaspworthy" as a friend of mine put it. Unusually, it came in from the North and even more unusually, it persevered for several hours, and I don't just mean "peak then a splutter. No, this baby was throwing thunderbolts pretty much the whole time [side note: you can tell how far away the lightening struck by counting the seconds from bolt and blast. Sound, traveling at 343m/s, three seconds is roughly 1km, and yes I know that's an approximation but so is anyone's ability to count seconds. So, under three seconds, you might want to take cover].

One of the interesting things about last night was that, just a few kilometers to the West, it was a Pleasant Valley Sunday, grandma on the porch pouring lemonade, Dorothy playing with Toto in the yard, you get the idea... So why the difference over such a short distance. The reason is called the "Heat Island Effect". Central Tokyo is essentially a large, solid block of concrete that warms throughout the day until it's a convection heater in the afternoon sitting over the city. The interaction of the regular weather and the Heat Island mix, match and throw off spectacular displays to make Poseidon proud. The suburbs are proportionately cooler, less infrastructure, more diffuse air patterns and hence, while we were hunkering down, those to the West, had a (relatively) pleasant, evening.   

A real danger, fairly obviously, is the danger to children (and anyone who doesn't know any better). Children tend to run for cover at the first blast and hide under trees. The downside of this is that trees tend explode when struck, sending shrapnel ground-wards, to exactly where the the children are huddling for comfort and "protection". So Japan came up with a wonderful and, as far as I'm aware, unique solution. They tell children that, if you're caught out in a thunderstorm, the lightening gods will steal your tummy button. Nothing like scaring the heebie jeebies out of children to make them head home as fast as their little feet can carry them...