Saturday, April 30, 2011
Used cars
The news just reported that 500,000 automobiles were lost or ruined in the tsunami. Evidently this is a busy time of the year for used cars, so because there are fewer cars on the market, prices are up.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Radiation levels
Here is a site that visually shows the level of radiation around the Tokyo area. http://microsievert.net/
Monday, April 18, 2011
Lights on
Tokyo Electric Power Company has announced that there will be no scheduled rolling blackouts until further notice, at least in the spring months when energy use (i.e. heating and cooling) is comparatively low. That is a relief to people living and working in the suburbs of Tokyo. (Most of central Tokyo is exempt from the blackouts due to the necessity to keep businesses going). Color-coded Groups 1 to 5 are plotted on this map. We are one of the red dots. :) http://teidenjapan.appspot.com/
We are now in one of the few periods of the year when neither the heater nor air conditioner is necessary. April and May are fairly mild, with temperatures ranging from 65 to 75 (low and high). But when we get to June, the rainy season comes around, and the rising heat is accompanied by high humidity. July is worse; August is the worst; September is like July. Energy output now is lower than normal, and the question is whether they will get things back on line by the time air conditioning is needed. Summer 2010 was the hottest on record, and there were tens of deaths, especially among the elderly. Even if the summer this year is not as hot, even if the temperatures are only in the high 80s or low 90s, the humidity is bound to be in the 80s and up. If we don't have air conditioning available, things could be very dire.
We are now in one of the few periods of the year when neither the heater nor air conditioner is necessary. April and May are fairly mild, with temperatures ranging from 65 to 75 (low and high). But when we get to June, the rainy season comes around, and the rising heat is accompanied by high humidity. July is worse; August is the worst; September is like July. Energy output now is lower than normal, and the question is whether they will get things back on line by the time air conditioning is needed. Summer 2010 was the hottest on record, and there were tens of deaths, especially among the elderly. Even if the summer this year is not as hot, even if the temperatures are only in the high 80s or low 90s, the humidity is bound to be in the 80s and up. If we don't have air conditioning available, things could be very dire.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Earthquake Measures
Yesterday (4.12) I had the occasion to spend the day at home; between 8:00am and 6:00pm, there were three earthquakes that could be sensed. Later, looking on the Japan Yahoo page, I saw the following data:
8:08am M6.3, Highest shindo 5- (Chiba offshore)
2:07pm M6.3, Highest shindo 6- (Fukushima coast)
4:14pm M4.4, Highest shindo 4 (Nagano inland)
(Just FYI, between 8:08 and 4:14, there was a total of about 25 aftershocks. Most of them, of course, could not be felt.)
For the record, these followed the big one yesterday, April 11:
5:16pm M7.1, Highest shindo 6- (Fukushima coastline).
Two measuring systems, magnitude and shindo, are used to indicate earthquake strength in Japan. Magnitude "measures the seismic energy released by an earthquake" (Wikipedia). Magnitude is represented by a single value (number) taken at the epicenter of the earthquake. The East Japan earthquake on March 11 was Magnitude 9.0, but of course that force of energy was not felt everywhere the earthquake could be sensed.
Japan's original earthquake measurement system is called "shindo" 震度. Shindo measures "seismic intensity, lit. 'degree of shaking'" (Wikipedia). The shindo scale "describes the degree of shaking at a point on the Earth's surface. As a result, the measure of the earthquake varies from place to place, and a given quake may be described as 'shindo 4 in Tokyo, shindo 3 in Yokohama, shindo 2 in Shizuoka'" (Wikipedia). There are over 600 meters in Japan, resulting in reports of intensity according to particular area. The shindo scale runs from 1 to the highest value of 7. March 11 was Shindo 7.
The shindo scale is as familiar to Japanese people as magnitude is to Americans. (It can be confusing: two people talking about an earthquake could be referring to different measures of "5," for example. It is almost like a foreign language.)
8:08am M6.3, Highest shindo 5- (Chiba offshore)
2:07pm M6.3, Highest shindo 6- (Fukushima coast)
4:14pm M4.4, Highest shindo 4 (Nagano inland)
(Just FYI, between 8:08 and 4:14, there was a total of about 25 aftershocks. Most of them, of course, could not be felt.)
For the record, these followed the big one yesterday, April 11:
5:16pm M7.1, Highest shindo 6- (Fukushima coastline).
Two measuring systems, magnitude and shindo, are used to indicate earthquake strength in Japan. Magnitude "measures the seismic energy released by an earthquake" (Wikipedia). Magnitude is represented by a single value (number) taken at the epicenter of the earthquake. The East Japan earthquake on March 11 was Magnitude 9.0, but of course that force of energy was not felt everywhere the earthquake could be sensed.
Japan's original earthquake measurement system is called "shindo" 震度. Shindo measures "seismic intensity, lit. 'degree of shaking'" (Wikipedia). The shindo scale "describes the degree of shaking at a point on the Earth's surface. As a result, the measure of the earthquake varies from place to place, and a given quake may be described as 'shindo 4 in Tokyo, shindo 3 in Yokohama, shindo 2 in Shizuoka'" (Wikipedia). There are over 600 meters in Japan, resulting in reports of intensity according to particular area. The shindo scale runs from 1 to the highest value of 7. March 11 was Shindo 7.
The shindo scale is as familiar to Japanese people as magnitude is to Americans. (It can be confusing: two people talking about an earthquake could be referring to different measures of "5," for example. It is almost like a foreign language.)
Monday, April 11, 2011
4.11
If the tremor today, April 11, had been "the" earthquake, it would have been strong enough to write home about. However, the evening shake was just another aftershock. The one-month anniversary brought us two aftershocks that could be felt even our area - the one at 6:30 am was 5.2 magnitude and the one at 5:30 pm was 7.1 magnitude. This one felt similar to the March 11 quake, but it not as strong. We are getting earthquake-weary.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
What I Want to Say (Part 1)
The back page of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper features short comments by people in the affected areas. The choice of speakers seems random; their comments and photos are grouped by prefecture (county). Today's newspaper shows 11 people and stories.
"My younger brother had already left school and gone home with my mother. Since I was still at school, they came back later to get me; because of that, we are all ok. Now the biggest problem is electricity. It is dark at night, and we can't watch TV. I'd really like to watch Pokemon. It is scary to ride my bike in the dark. I really would like to watch TV." An 11-year-old girl and her 7-year-old brother are pictured. He is missing a front tooth.
*****
"I live about 32km (20 miles) from Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant. My friend suggested that I get away from here, but I have 40 head of cattle. I have raised them by hand and there's no way I can leave them. But I wonder if I will be able to make a living raising cattle in the future. I really don't know what to do." -39-year-old man
***
"With my husband and daughter, we have left the area. Here we can eat hot meals and volunteers are taking good care of us. But, of course, we cannot rely on others for much longer so are searching for a place to stay in Fukushima. Our current home is 20km (12.5 miles) away from the reactor. The people working to solve the problem are suffering much more than we are. Every morning I awaken with the wish that today, finally, we will hear some good news." -67-year-old woman
"My younger brother had already left school and gone home with my mother. Since I was still at school, they came back later to get me; because of that, we are all ok. Now the biggest problem is electricity. It is dark at night, and we can't watch TV. I'd really like to watch Pokemon. It is scary to ride my bike in the dark. I really would like to watch TV." An 11-year-old girl and her 7-year-old brother are pictured. He is missing a front tooth.
*****
"I live about 32km (20 miles) from Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant. My friend suggested that I get away from here, but I have 40 head of cattle. I have raised them by hand and there's no way I can leave them. But I wonder if I will be able to make a living raising cattle in the future. I really don't know what to do." -39-year-old man
***
"With my husband and daughter, we have left the area. Here we can eat hot meals and volunteers are taking good care of us. But, of course, we cannot rely on others for much longer so are searching for a place to stay in Fukushima. Our current home is 20km (12.5 miles) away from the reactor. The people working to solve the problem are suffering much more than we are. Every morning I awaken with the wish that today, finally, we will hear some good news." -67-year-old woman
Sunday, April 3, 2011
What I Want to Say (background)
The back page of the daily Asahi Shimbun newspaper has been devoted to messages from individual victims. The people are identified by name, prefecture (county) in which they live, and where they are staying now. Some are in shelters in the prefecture in which they live, others are in different prefectures. Others have chosen to relocate outside the area.
People within a certain distance of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant who have small children have been recommended to leave the area. The cities in the Kansai area, Osaka, Kyoto, etc. have seen great influxes of people. Even Fukuoka, on Kyushu island, is a relocation destination. Hotels are full; people are now renting apartments.
The Tohoku area is a rice producing region. That, and spinach and carrots, and the potatoes that were to be planted, are lost this year. The survivors lost their loved ones, their homes, and their work.
Next time we'll read messages from some of them in the "What I Want to Say" column.
People within a certain distance of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant who have small children have been recommended to leave the area. The cities in the Kansai area, Osaka, Kyoto, etc. have seen great influxes of people. Even Fukuoka, on Kyushu island, is a relocation destination. Hotels are full; people are now renting apartments.
The Tohoku area is a rice producing region. That, and spinach and carrots, and the potatoes that were to be planted, are lost this year. The survivors lost their loved ones, their homes, and their work.
Next time we'll read messages from some of them in the "What I Want to Say" column.
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