Below the Surface in Tokyo
On the surface Tokyo looks normal but below the surface things just aren't like they were before March 11th. The phones work, the subways are running and people are going to work. Children are back in school and staples are slowly returning to the shelves of grocery stores. But people don't feel the same.
Those who remain alive can't sleep well at night. They lie awake with the knowledge that in their sleep, suddenly and without any warning, they can be thrown across the room and crushed to death by an earthquake. It's like waiting for someone that has a gun pointed to their head to finally pull the trigger. Everyone comes to work bleary-eyed.
Many people in the city are sad, stressed out and some feel guilty - for living. Many had friends and relatives among the 25,000+ that probably died in the earthquake and tsunami in the north. Even those who did not, see the images on the news of grieving families burying their loved ones in mass graves or searching lists of the recovered on bulletin boards in shelters. No one really feels like doing business as usual under these circumstances. It just wouldn't be appropriate.
Businesspeople don't feel like having meetings or considering starting new business. Trade shows, festivals, all kinds of events that were planned for March and April have been canceled. People are in mourning. While intensely genuine, mourning, like so many other things in Japanese life, is prescribed. According to Buddhism, the mourning period expires on the 35th and 49th day after the death. According to Shinto, the mourning period expires on 30th and 50th days after death. The soul of the deceased stays in the real world until the 49th day of death. Attaining the 49th day of death, it can leave for eternity.
Even then, I doubt that things below the surface will return to normal for a long time.
Those who remain alive can't sleep well at night. They lie awake with the knowledge that in their sleep, suddenly and without any warning, they can be thrown across the room and crushed to death by an earthquake. It's like waiting for someone that has a gun pointed to their head to finally pull the trigger. Everyone comes to work bleary-eyed.
Many people in the city are sad, stressed out and some feel guilty - for living. Many had friends and relatives among the 25,000+ that probably died in the earthquake and tsunami in the north. Even those who did not, see the images on the news of grieving families burying their loved ones in mass graves or searching lists of the recovered on bulletin boards in shelters. No one really feels like doing business as usual under these circumstances. It just wouldn't be appropriate.
Businesspeople don't feel like having meetings or considering starting new business. Trade shows, festivals, all kinds of events that were planned for March and April have been canceled. People are in mourning. While intensely genuine, mourning, like so many other things in Japanese life, is prescribed. According to Buddhism, the mourning period expires on the 35th and 49th day after the death. According to Shinto, the mourning period expires on 30th and 50th days after death. The soul of the deceased stays in the real world until the 49th day of death. Attaining the 49th day of death, it can leave for eternity.
Even then, I doubt that things below the surface will return to normal for a long time.
posted by Kevcham at 4:42 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home