３１１

Growing up a half-mile down the road from a nuclear power plant in upstate New York, I’ve sort of been desensitized to its presence and the negative aspects associated with nuclear power – once I heard that my study abroad program gave us the o-kay, I was ready to get on the plane and start my semester after more than four long months of waiting. My relatives in Yokosuka reported that everyone made it just fine, my grandma confirmed her yearly trip from Hawaii to Japan, and my dad (a nuclear engineer for more than twenty years) assured me that the worst had already passed, and so my worries were alleviated considerably. As time progressed, however, I was continually harassed by friends, relatives, and even people who I hardly knew about my decision to leave. Waiting day after day glued to the news channel was stressful enough, but I could hardly leave the house or even check my phone or facebook without being pestered by someone who didn’t share the same view as me. What bothered me the most was how friends and colleagues harassed my mom daily, telling her that she was ignorant to the danger and a terrible mother for allowing me to go. I’m really thankful that my mother ignored the group mentality of her peers and risked her reputation for me – she knows going to Japan has been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, and her desire to give me all the opportunities she never had helped her to make a difficult but correct decision in my mind. Between the day of the earthquake and the day I arrived I was plagued by doubt, confusion, and frustration, but in the end I am glad I made this choice and I believe I will never regret it.

Although my town is quite small and perhaps doesn’t boast the best-educated group of people in the world, their ignorance about the situation was truly baffling. My mom’s friend who works at the bar down the road told me that I wouldn’t be able to go since planes were no longer allowed in Japan, and that if I somehow made it I would need to bring a gas mask with me. Seriously, what are these people thinking? I am really curious to see the image of Japan that they have in their heads – do they really think Japan has been transformed into some kind of fume-covered wasteland?  I wish I could show them what Tokyo looks like now – trains running, busy streets, and groups of people drinking happily under the sakura.  I’ve never been to Tokyo before this past week, but as far as I can tell, at this moment Tokyo looks as normal as the next city, and it doesn’t mirror the horrific images portrayed by the media or word of mouth whatsoever. This incident has made me very curious as to how much that we see or hear through the media is exaggerated, and what kind of negative impact these claims will have on Japanese tourism and the economy. It’s frightening to me that what I learn from the television, internet, etc. may not be entirely true, and that millions of people around the world – myself included – may be ignorant to the reality of global situations. I will try my best to search for the truth, but in the end I guess I will never truly know what to believe.   

I know my experience involving the earthquake is insignificant compared to the Japanese people affected both in the north and elsewhere, and I just wanted to say that I am truly sorry for what happened and I wish the best of luck to everyone.  がんばれ日本！