The March 11th Earthquake in Japan

The March 11th Earthquake in Japan

In memory of the many lives lost on the March 11th 2011 tsunami in Japan.We were living in Tokyo at the time, 200kms south of the quake’s epicenter.Here is my family’s story from that memorable day: (this post has been revised and edited from a previous post, dated...
Friendship and Trust – Part 4

Friendship and Trust – Part 4

The pastor waited by the tub.  The old lady handed me a clipboard with a white sheet of paper clipped on the front. I realized that this sweet lady, who, earlier on had slid into the room with the teacups so quietly, played just as an important role as the pastor and...
Friendship and Trust – Part 3

Friendship and Trust – Part 3

During our exchange with the pastor, the same older stooped lady who’d helped us in the hallway snuck in and stood in between us.  I remember thinking that was rather odd but no-one mentioned her so I tried not to think too much about her until I heard her shuffle...
Friendship and Trust – Part 2

Friendship and Trust – Part 2

I did have 2 hours to kill.  The heady feeling of having no-one else to confer with took me by surprise. Before I knew it, Miyako and I had linked arms and we were marching towards the Tokyo Metro. The first train ride was packed to the seams. It was rush hour....
Friendship and Trust – Part 1

Friendship and Trust – Part 1

After five years of happy reminiscing, it was time for me to go back. My family had lived in Tokyo for four years and for the past five years one of our favorite things to do together was to remember our fun and special experiences there. I often thought about going...

The Earthquake

Gaien-Nishi-Dori is it’s usual hustle and bustle. One of the main arteries weaving it’s way around down-town Tokyo. Green, yellow, and black taxis stopping and starting, picking up and dropping off at every corner. Two airport limousine buses are parked outside the...