Anthony Oliver-Smith Reading

Several points from Anthony Oliver-Smith’s Anthropological Research on Hazards and Disasters jumped out at me as applicable to the developing situation in Japan. First was his statement, "If a society cannot withstand without major damage and disruption a predictable feature of its environment, that society has not developed in a sustainable way" (304). I found this statement very interesting because, for Japan, earthquakes and tsunamis are a natural consequence of its landscape, so it would be expected that its society would be built to withstand them. After the 1995 Kobe earthquake which brought major damage to the region, we saw dramatic structural modifications and enhancements to buildings and structures that resulted in much greater safety during and less damage from the latest earthquake in developed cities such as Tokyo. On the other hand, the Fukushima nuclear reactor was supposed to be earthquake-proof, but the ensuing tsunami still managed to cripple the plant and lead to a very dangerous situation. It will be interesting to observe how Japan's nuclear plants evolve from this incident -- and if then, according to Oliver-Smith's definition, we can say they have "developed in a sustainable way."

Next I was intrigued by the statement "chronic technological disasters...provoke conflict particularly over interpretations of the event" (307). We have talked in class about whether or not the nuclear disaster is a "natural disaster" or "man made." I am interested to see how the debate in Japan and the international media progresses, and what compensation (if any) Fukushima will end up providing to affected parties. In the infamous BP oil spill in 2010, which was definitely man-made, BP ended up providing large amounts of compensation to affected businesses and households -- they ran a wide-scale media campaign in the US to try to clear their name and make people aware that they were working around the clock to "make things right" and get the Gulf Coast economy back on its feet again.

Finally, I was really interested in the mention of "the importance of pre-disaster cultural knowledge" (308). Prevalent among the American media stories have been reports (mostly of amazement) of how calm, organized, and "stoic" the Japanese people have seemed in the face of disaster -- patiently waiting for food, rationing fuel, no looting, maintaining orderly evacuation shelters, etc. Also, in my NGO Management class, we talked about an outside group that was trying to work with a local NGO to provide 300,000 meals of rice to affected areas -- but there were a few problems. First, the rice was not Japanese rice -- it was long-grain jasmine rice, and the well-meaning donors could not understand why the substitute would not be acceptable. Second, the rice packets came printed with a picture of an emaciated child holding their hands out to receive a bowl of rice -- an image that the Japanese would surely reject. The donating organization's lack of "cultural knowledge" prevented them from seeing the issues that would come with their donation (which did not end up working out) -- I think this will be a really important concept going forward as tons of aid continues to pour in to the Japanese community.

Other Perspectives

As I have mentioned in my blog description, I am a foreigner with the opportunity to observe Japan from the inside as they work to recover from one of their worst disasters in history. Being new to Tokyo, it is easy to forget what is going on in the north -- I notice very few abnormalities, save for most escalators being turned off for the "rail suspension due to earthquake" signs on the trains. However, I am told that Tokyo is very dark compared to normal, and every time I meet a Japanese adult I am reminded of just how unique of a time it is to be here. I am always asked "why did you come, aren't you worried" and then told "thank you for coming, thank you for supporting us". For example, before my walking tour of the Yotsuya area yesterday, my tour guide wanted to talk to everyone in my group about why we had chosen to follow through with our plan to stay in Japan, and if we had any major concerns. It is clear that the earthquake and developing situation are on the forefront of everyone's minds, even if it is not immediately apparent. 

However, reading other student`s blogs has given me yet another perspective on the situation. I am on a foreign exchange program through CIEE, and we had a Facebook group set up beforehand so once news of the earthquake and ensuing nuclear disaster broke the group message board was filled with inquiries into what our situation would be, who was still going, who was staying home, etc (as fellow-CIEE student Zack discussed in this blog post). Common themes on our message board were "what are we going to do," "is it safe," and eventually "I`m staying home". American university after American university canceled their study abroad programs in Japan and pulled all of their undergraduates out. However, my university and several others, such as Amanda's (another CIEE student), did not cancel their programs and allowed us to make the decision on our own. It eventually came clear that while the situation in Japan was very grave, the American media was sensationalizing several aspects (as usual), but my program, which was originally supposed to have upwards of 70 students, shrunk to just 26 brave souls by the time we arrived in Tokyo on April 8th. 

The news of the earthquake and ensuing decision to come were very difficult to deal with, but I cannot imagine what some of my fellow Japanese classmates went through. Reading their blog postings has given me some initial feeling to what it may have been like. My CIEE group went to a disaster preparedness center a few days ago, and we experienced a simulation of a 7.0 earthquake. It felt like shaking on a roller coaster, and I cannot believe a real building could actually shake that much. Earthquakes never happen where I am from in North Carolina, so it was interesting to read in several classmates’ blogs (such as this one) how initially they thought, "oh this is just another earthquake", but that it soon became clear this would not, in fact, be just another quake.

I found our trip to the disaster preparedness center really helpful, but it was also very informative to read what other classmates have posted about measures they had taken in their homes to prepare for earthquakes, and what they did the day of the quake. This particular classmate was especially prepared for the power outage, and it seems like all those living in a disaster-prone area should follow her lead and purchase a similar device. Overall, however, all of my Japanese classmates seem to have been very well prepared for the disaster, and it makes me feel safer and more secure about being here at this time.

A Note on Donations

I had an interesting discussion in my NGO Management seminar last night that I wanted to share regarding donations to the relief efforts. We were discussing the concept of capacity and the fact that it is possible for a specific organization to take in more money (in the form of donations, etc) than they are capable of redistributing, so the excess money actually gets wasted in the form of innefficiency, corruption, etc. It was very interesting to me that someone brought up that the Red Cross in the US has actually reached this point -- they are not being very transparent about it, but they have as much money as they can handle for the relief efforts in Tohoku, and so they have not been asking for money specifically for Tohoku -- but people are donating anyways. These donations become "unrestricted funds" that the Red Cross can use for any purpose. Long story short, people who think they are giving money to aid Tohoku, actually may not be doing so.

I asked my professor where we should donate instead, and his recommendation was actually to hold off at this time until the situation stabilizes and needs can be evaluated. He compared the situation to someone fertilizing grass -- too much coming in too soon can actually be detrimental, while a measured but continuous amount over a longer period of time will have better results!

In summary, I found this discussion a very interesting juxtaposition to the messages coming out of the media saying Donate now! Aid now! While it is true that there are needs that should be met immediately, it seems that holding off some donations until the long-term needs become apparent may actually be a better long-term recovery strategy.

Tsunami Video

As my friend who shared this link with me on Facebook put it, "You don't need to understand Japanese to feel the horror from this video..."

March 11th

March 11th, the day I left my winter internship in Wellesley, Massachusetts, I was supposed to make the drive from Boston to Raleigh, North Carolina, spend a week at the beach, and then spend a week at home making my final preparations before departure. However, that all changed when I woke up to the devastating news of the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami that hit off the coast of Sendai, Japan. The world watched as entire towns were wiped out and the tsunami then knocked out power to the nuclear plant in Fukushima, leading to a massive scramble as Japanese workers have heroically worked around the clock to attempt to prevent a major nuclear crisis. Despite their best efforts, however, some radiation has leaked into the atmosphere, adding to the growing concerns surrounding the safety and efficacy of a study abroad program in Tokyo at the current time.

I spent the first week after the quake learning as much as I could through my phone's painfully slow internet and TV's basic cable, as I was at the beach without internet or a cable box. I watched as the toll of dead or missing climbed above 20,000, with estimates that as many as 15,000 bodies may eventually be found in the Miyagi prefecture alone. I read updates on my phone about how several U.S. universities (Duke included) have canceled their study abroad programs in Japan and pulled their undergraduates from the country. However, my study abroad partner, CIEE, sent me my first program update on the day the news of the earthquake broke in the U.S., and they have continued to communicate with us as we all work to make the best decision about our participation in the program.

I fielded many concerns from family and friends about whether it was safe to come to Japan at this moment. Tokyo suffered almost no structural damage, and it appears that the situation at the nuclear plant is stabilizing (even so, Tokyo is about 150 miles away from the nuclear facility). As my dad pointed out, if it were "any foreign country other than Japan" he would be really worried, but amid the continued reports of death and destruction have come stories and videos of the Japanese waiting calmly in long lines for food and fuel, and working together to assist any survivors they can find. Despite the tragedy the country has endured, it is by no means in a state of "chaos."

CIEE and Sophia University decided that my program would proceed as planned, with a two-week delay so I arrived in Tokyo on April 8th instead of March 28th. I had been looking forward to this trip since I decided in the fall of my sophomore year to go to Japan, instead of a Spanish-speaking country, but the earthquake and tsunami have really put things into perspective. I'm hoping to be involved in some relief work this semester. Please check out the Red Cross website for continued updates or to donate to the relief efforts. The estimates of direct damages range from 16-25 trillion yen, while donations as of March 30th, 2011 had reached only 0.05 trillion yen, so Japan still needs a lot of help. Please give what you can! 


Over the next semester, this blog will serve as a publication for what we are working on in my anthropology class (Nature Culture Technology, with a special topic on the 2011 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Disaster). Check back soon for more information!