Tuesday after the earthquake, it must have been the 15th, there was a lot of commotion. Having slept at the embassy three times since Friday, I had a small bag ready with my computer, toothbrush and clothes for about three days. The day before two of the other interns had decided to go home to Denmark. Moved by that, and also growing concerns in my family I'd started fancying the thought of going to Osaka for two or three days.
Kaori amazed at empty shelves two days after the earthquake
Kuro-chan relaxing on a paper showing the destruction.
All furniture in my room had moved, pushed away from the wall.
Empty train waiting for departure at Shinjuku station.
After talking to family and Osaka friends on the phone, Rune and I decided to go. Once decided, we really couldn't relax before we were on the shinkansen. We couldn't get any dinner, but we had a banana Chris had given us, and bought some nuts and four beers.
It kinda felt like a great escape. That's how I became a flyjin.
I hate the term but I do understand the feelings of the Japanese. Last week someone told Torsten: "Do you really think it's dangerous in Tokyo?? There so many foreigners running away to Hiroshima. They're like gypsies."
Anyway. Rune and I arrived at Shin-Osaka Station, my immediate thought was something like: look at all the food and water in the konbini!!
We then proceeded to a smaller station where my friend Moe picked us up.
Late that night we arrived in the small 5 room apartment that was going to be our shelter/office for almost two weeks. It's a nice place. My beloved friends Moe, Chika and Erika lives there with their friend Sumi, whom I had never met. While there we worked night shifts, monitoring the news, as to disturb as little as possible. But housing up to 5 extra people at one point, we turned their life upside down completely for 2 weeks. I feel like a very bad friend.
Working at night meant I didn't have much time awake with my friends, but what we had I really appreciated. They're probably the reason I'm not crying in foetal position right now. We drank a lot of beer and made a lot of food together. Grocery shopping, cleaning and cooking was a very nice break from the terrible things we saw on TV. Pictures from Osaka:
House rules of what we would call the "Scandinavian refugee camp."
Mimmi, a swedish girl living in the area, and Erika. Mimmi slept at the apartment two times.
Taka and Sumi, both studying swedish. Taka came from Tokyo to calm down as well. He came two times while we were there.
Osaka city.
Kumiko came by from Hyogo!! I'm so happy we could meet!
Rune is cooking like a man!
Torsten joined us late Thursday night.
Erika and me, sporting sunglasses and hats.
Erika, Chika, Moe and Torsten at a restaurant we went to, when it got clear that we were moving.
Chika, Rune and I. We had a lot of great food that night!
We also managed to see Osaka castle. When we left the castle, the light was amazingly beautiful.
Moe, Erika, Torsten and Rune jumping in front of the castle.
Fooling around.
Some of the stones in the castle walls were huge.
When Torsten left Tokyo because of the travel advisory, we had to accept the fact that we couldn't just go back to Tokyo. At least not if we wanted to continue working and not cause too much trouble. Also, it would be hard to justify to family and friends back home. Even though it was nice to be away from the aftershocks, after almost two weeks in Osaka we had clearly overstayed our welcome. Having made this clear to the ambassador, it was decided that we could go to Hiroshima, where we also have the Danish Consulate. On Sunday the 27th we did.
Going from an overcrowded - but very enjoyable! - apartment, to a single hotel room is at the same time wonderful and terrible. It's so nice, and so incredibly difficult to have this much time alone. But I think it's necessary, because I needed time to think things through. In Hiroshima work changed from news monitoring to more productive tasks, and we have also taken more time for sightseeing.
But moving to a hotel room has also removed the last tiny bit of "normal," that I could maintain through daily chores in Osaka. And not knowing when I can go home is a bit frustrating. But this blog is about the good parts! Unfortunately, I haven't got my camera charger with me, so I haven't taken that many pictures here.
This is my third time in Hiroshima. The Genbaku dome still moves me as strongly as the first time i saw it 5 years ago.
Hiroshima has countless monuments dedicated to the many lives lost in the atomic bombing. This one is for students.
A heart of coins left at the foot of a monument.
Paper cranes, which has become a special symbol connected to the suffering and hope of the atomic bomb victims, laid at a monument.
A girl ringing the paper crane shaped bell at the monument dedicated to the children affected by the bomb.
We also took the time to go to Miyajima, I haven't been there so I was very excited.
Looking out of the train windows on the way there (and also on the way to Hiroshima on the Shinakansen) I talked to Rune about how nice it would be to live by the sea. But still I couldn't stop from imagining the destruction in Tohoku. But it was nice to actually cross the sea, and see with my own eyes that it's not necessarily out to kill me.
As in Nara, the deer on Miyajima is really tame. Here a young girl is petting one.
And Rune encountered another as we climbed mount Misen.
Climbing mountains is hard. We teamed up with Rika, a friend of Kaori and Torsten, who was home in Hiroshima for the week.
The Itsukushima Jinja is gorgeous.
Itsukushima jinja.
Itsukushima Jinja.
We got our fortunes, or omikuji. Mine was really good.
And the oysters were delicious!!!!!! Omg. I dream of them at night.
Torsten is working in my hotel room.
So is Rune.
We found a really good pizza place.
And a yakiniku place.
Rune is excited.
And with good reason. This meat might be the best any of us has ever tasted.
Om nom nom.
Rune and I went back to the pizza place again.
Somewhat unnerving writing on a wall.
The cherry blossoms are starting to appear.
And the weather is very nice in Hiroshima.
We've been on a couple of nice long walks.
Another monument.
Strawberries is like happy pills for Danes. We love them so bad.
We visited the temporary Finnish Embassy team in Hiroshima.
So now I'm here. Our stay in Hiroshima has been prolonged two times, and I try not to get my hopes to high about going home. I rather be surprised than disappointed.
I spend a lot of my free time either sleeping or listening to jazz or quiet indie/country music. The last two days I've also been craving Beatles.
I feel somewhat disconnected, but I don't really feel I can complain, as my situation is so much better than a lot of other peoples'. I'm very proud of all of the charity work the Embassy is engaged in. It makes me so happy to see that our ambassador has both been to Tohoku to deliver aid and donation personally, and been handing out toys and dinner - made by the embassy chef - for the refugees in Tokyo. Some people has said it's cheap advertisement. And I guess in many ways it is. But to these people I'm sure it really means a lot.
But it makes me jealous that the ambassador is getting a good reputation for not being a flyjin. Oh well :)
hej laerke! i har virkelig dejligt vejr! du må nyde det mens du kan. kærlig hilsen Ingrid
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