FROG CHORUS Is Nature`s Richest Orchestral Show- Take Some Time To Give It a Serious Listen
By Avi Landau
A tree frog (AMAGAERU) in hand, in Saiki Tsukuba
In Tsukuba you can never be very far from a rice field. So even in the parts of our fair city most distant from the the flooded paddies of spring and summer you can hear a WHITE NOISE, or distant hum. Naturally, when you get nearer, this sound grows louder, and if you find yourself on a road adjacent to or sandwiched between the TAMBO (rice fields),you might be in for an overwhelming auditory experience. For some, especially those who live nearby, this might be annoying, and for others, such as vistors from Tokyo, it might even be frightening, but one thing is for sure- interesting in rhythm and tone color and filled with an intense sense of yearning, the nightly chorus of male frogs crying out for mates is SIMPLY AMAZING!
An encounter with this exuberant, annual, multi-million-year-old NATURAL nocturnal choral festival ( one of nature`s oldest, and musically, surely its richest ) might be comforting for those people who have been concerned over reports of dramatic decreases in frog populations worldwide. I can assure you, however, that no matter how noisy the frog chorus in Tsukuba sounds to you now, it is a mere shadow of what it was just a few years ago, when I sometimes would find it impossible to carry out a phone conversation in my house because of the high decibal KWA KWA KWA-ING of the frogs. This OBVIOUS drop in numbers has not only been brought about by habitat destruction, agricultural chemicals, pollution, ozone depletion and road kill, but also because of a fungal disease which arrived in Japan a few years ago, and has taken its toll on certain of Japans frog species.
Tsukuba`s most common frog species- the AMAGAERU (tree frog)
Still, the fact that the frog chorus continues to resound throughout our city attests to a relative environmental well-being (as compared with Tokyo and other big cities), as frogs, like canaries in coal mines, can be seen as a measure of an ecosystem`s health. They are also a key link in the food chain, consuming massive amounts of insect pests,while they, in turn, are a major source of nutrition for the egrets, snakes, weasels , etc who prey on them.
In this season, late May, while the mosquitos have not yet emerged in full force, as often as I can, I forget about my cd collection, the radio or tv, and head on out to the paddies for a serious listen to natures greatest night music. You should give it a try yourself (you can even do this by stopping the car by the rice fields, rolling down the window, and stopping the engine for a while).
There are 43 species of frog in the Japanese Archipelago ( and about 4000 in the world), though in Tsukuba`s ponds and rice fields you will probably only encounter 6 or seven of these. By far the most predominant of our local frog residents are the small, green (though they can change color to brown or even blue!) AMAGAERU (tree frogs), which overwhelmingly make up the main vocal body of Tsukuba`s frog chorus. For me, their call`s tone color resembles orchestral strings, with a cricket -like drone.
The amagaeru`s crying is also used by Japanese in many regions to predict the weather (since they sing not only for mates but also in response to changes in humidity and changes in air pressure). The croaking of amagaeru in the day time might very well mean that it will soon rain. These frogs have suction cups on there fingers and are very skillfull climbers. You might find them on trees or even on the walls of your house.
The amagaeru are often so boisterous that in some spots it is difficult to make out the calls of the other frogs. However, since this species stops singing at around midnight, the wee hours of the morning make a good time to get a better listen to the less numerous croakers.
A swarm of tadpoles in a pond by the Muryo-In Temple in Hojo, Tsukuba
The tree frog (AMAGAERU) produces sound by expanding a pouch under its chin
Let me introduce some of the other singers in the frog chorus:
the
Most similar to the AMAGAERU in size (3-4 cm) and color is the Shuregeru Gaeru ( named after the German naturalist Schlegel). The tone of their cry sounds more to me like a croaking or rapid rapping on hollow wood. This frog lays its eggs, which look like a white foam, on bushes,tree, lawns, etc.
The easiest way to distinguish the SHUREGERU from the AMAGAERU is that the latter has a black line which runs horizontally from its eye.
The SHUREGERU GAERU has no black stripe on its face
The AKAGAERU, which actually lays its eggs in the paddy fields, is larger (4-6 cm) than the AMAGAERU, and is a deeper green. It also has two spines (creases ) down its back. Its call remains me of the clucking of chickens- in short bursts.
Shuregel Gaeru
Shuregeru-gaeru in the mud
The Tokyo Daruma-Gaeru is about the same size as the akagaeru, but it has spots on its back. It makes its song, a machine gun-like rapid clucking (reminds me of a penguin colony), by expanding two cheek-like pouches.
A Tokyo Daruma-Gaeru
Tokyo Daruma Gaeru
Probably the easiest voice to distinguish, the bass part of the chorus, is that of the USHI-GAERU, the bull-frog, which arrived in Japan from the US in the early 20th century and has been able to spread itself out ( and making a pest of itself) around the country.
Hear the calls of all these frogs at:
http://hitohaku.jp/wave/wav_kaeru.html
Since frogs have inhabited the all-important paddy fields since rice was first cultivated in Japan (somewhere between 300 BC- and 3oo AD ), and because they help control harmful pests, it is not surprising at all to find out that Japanese farmers in some areas have traditionally believed that the frogs were manifestations of or messengers of the God of The Rice Fields ( Ta no kami 田の神). The fact that farmers found that the amagaeru could predict the rain essential for agriculture only strengthened this belief.
Stones statues can be seen at various shrines (or at people homes) around Japan. These might have been traditionally used for rain supplications ( amagoi) or to pray for recovery from various eye ailments (frogs have relatively large eyes). Frogs were also an important feature of folk medicine, and depending on the region were consumed (sometimes alive!) for various symtoms ranging from cancer to warts. In some areas consuming frog was believed to be a cure for bed-wetting!
Since in this season (May) rural Japan has always been stirred annually by a tremendous frog chorus the likes of which we could never imagine today, a very interesting HAIKU KIGO ( a word used in a haiku poem to indicate the season) came into use- KAERU NO MEKARI DOKI ( 蛙の目借り時), which can be literally translated as THE TIME THE FROG BORROWS YOUR EYES ! It seems that the Japanese have traditionally felt sleepy on May mornings, and this was attibuted to the frogs late night mate- searching activities. It was said that the frogs borrowed human eyes to help in their search, and this was why you felt sleepy in the morning. The more obvious explanation of course is that people found it hard to get a good night`s sleep with all that racket! Anyway, the key-word kaeru no mekaridoki is used (though rarely now) to indicate this time of year in haiku, the the sound of the frog chorus itself became firmly connected to the season and to rice cultivation
Even as Japan entered the Edo Period (1600-1868),and many Japanese left the countryside and came to live in what was the biggest city in the world (and other cities), the former peasants could wax nostalgic listening to the croaking of pet frogs (these were the fine voice KAJIKA-GAERU), which were all the rage at one point for their singing.
An akagaeru
Though in the present article I am focusing on the frogs that sing in the ponds, streams and paddy fields, this being Tsukuba, I should mention this areas most famous creature- The Mt Tsukuba toad, or Tsukuba-San gama-gaeru (also called the shiroku gaeru), probably the most renowned frog in all Japan. This fame is not due, however, to these toads` singing voices, beauty, or jumping ability, but rather to their SWEAT, which is gathered using a special contraption and then made into GAMA NO ABURA (toad oil), a traditional ointment famous throughout Japan ( I have often heard it mentioned in samurai dramas ), which some very respected doctors have told me is actually very effective, especially for minor burns.I cant resist finishing this little piece with what must be the most famous haiku poem of all time- Matsuo Basho`s FURUIKE YA KAWAZU TOBIKOMU MIZU NO OTO (古池や蛙飛こむ水のおと）. The literal translation of this is- An old pond, a frog jumps in, the sound of water. But this very simple sounding poem can be translated and interpreted in countless ways ( the sign of a great work !). I have found a site online which presents 30 different English versions of this same haiku, all by great or near-great writers and poets. Amazingly, none of them gets it quite right! Here is the site:
www.bopsecrets.org/gateway/passages/basho-frog.htm
How about a version of my own- A big ol` pond in spring. FROG SPLASH ! … RIPPLE…RIPple…ripple…ripp…rip…ri… (C) Avi Landau
Rick Weisburd and I have recorded the frog chorus around his house, and we will be uploading it as soon as we figure out how to do so. In the meantime, get out ( or just open your window) and have a good listen for yourself !
And last year when I originally wrote and posted this article, Tsukublog reader Mamoru Shimizu sent in a fantastic link to some old footage of The Duke Aces performing their hit: FROG CHORUS AT THE FOOT OF MT TSUKUBA- in which each member of the acapella group takes on the croak of a different frog!
Here it is. Youve GOT TO watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_mORkizoME
I happen to be in New York City at the moment, and while at the American Museum of Natural History I walked through the frogs exhibition which is running this month- had memories of Tsukuba rushing through my head:
www.amnh.org/exhibitions/frogs/
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Plains, Place-names, Tornadoes and Dragons- why the Japanese call twisters TATSUMAKI ( Dragons Swirls) and other post-storm thoughts
By Avi Landau
The Chinese dragon dances (seen at festivals), in fact the ancient belief in the existence of dragons themselves, are based partly on twisters which looked like this one in Taiwan
Shortly after recovering from the shock of coming home from Tokyo and finding my neighborhood wiped out by a tornado, I remembered that I had in fact mentioned tornados in a TsukuBlog post that I had written earlier this year. Strange, isn`t it? I mean, one doesn`t usually associate Japan with tornadoes- so why would I have discussed them in a blog which deals with Japan and Japnese culture? Was I being prophetic? No. But still, when I remembered what I had written, I realized what a strange coincidence it was that a killer tornado had struck Japan in the year 2012. Why? Because this year is the Year of the Dragon (TATSU DOSHI) according to the Japanese and Chinese traditional calendars- and that was what I had written about: Dragons in Japanese History and Culture.
One of the things that I had wanted to try and understand while researching for that article was why an IMAGINARY creature like the dragon, would have been included among the 11 other REAL animals of the JU-NISHI (十二支) , the Oriental zodiac which has played such a prominent role in East Asian Culture (used not only as motifs for art, but also to represent the 12 months of the year, the days of the month, and the hours of the day, etc.).
The most convincing answer that I could find was that in the minds of the pre-scientific Japanese and Chinese DRAGONS DID REALLY EXIST- and could occassionally be seen- connecting the heavens and earth and twisting gracefully over the land while often exhibiting immense power and awesome beauty. What was being observed was in fact what can now be explained as a mere meterological phenomenon which in English we call tornadoes. The ancient Japanese ( as influenced by the Chinese) saw DRAGONS in these storms and called them TATSU MAKI (literally: DRAGON SWIRLS or DRAGON ROLLS)- the word which is still used by the Japanese today to refer to twisters.
During this year- The Year of the Dragon- many dragon motif decorations will be hanging in Japanese homes- note how the dragons resemble tornadoes
I was even able to find a relatively recent text by the Edo Period physician and man of letters Tachibana Nankei (1753-1835) in which he details several dragon sightings made during his travels around Japan. The phenomena he is describing, however, are obviously ( to the contemporary reader) tornadoes. ( the occassional discovery of mysterious and sometimes gigantic bones- which we now no to be fossils of extinct dinosaurs- also helped lend credence to people in past ages to the fact that dragons existed).
So now you can understand why I found it such a strange coincidence - that a major destructive DRAGON SWIRL (TATSUMAKI, 竜巻) of historic proportions (in Japan) should have occured in the Year of the Dragon.
And though very destructive TATSUMAKI are very rare in Japan, they do occur in milder forms every year- with some years having more twisters than other ( there were 37 in 1976 and only 4 in 1984), mostly in coastal regions or on the larger plains.
Tornadoes form more easilly and powerfully over flat land. That is why many of the greatest cyclones form over America`s vast Great Plains. It is also why the country which has the most tornadoes per square mile in theworld is the country most famous for being flat- The Netherlands (Holland)!
So naturally, in Japan, a country which is mostly mountainous, the area in which the most torandoes are generated would be its largest expanse of flat land- The Kanto Plain. Tsukuba happens to lay right in the middle of that plain. That is why when there are tornadoes in Japan, they happen around here ( and we should probably prepare for more in the future).
The tornado approaching Hojo on May 6th 2012
Evidence that this part of Japan has long been a brewing ground for TATSUMAKI can be seen in the name of a city not too far from Tsukuba. I`m talking about Ryugasaki (竜ヶ崎, literally Dragon Point) suffered from tornado damage a few years ago. Its name , however, reveals that there have probably been repeated sightings of DRAGONS in the Ryugasaki area over the centuries- as according to books on local history it derives from sightings of the mythical creature. ( It is also interesting that the residents of Ryugasaki REFUSED to have a station of the Joban Train Line pass through their town when that railroad was being constructed- to them the steaming machines were like overheated suffering dragons!).
Read more about dragons and Japanese culture in my past post:
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Azalea (TSUTSUJI, 躑躅) Japan`s Late Spring and Early Summer Regalia
By Avi Landau
AZALEA BLOOMING IN FRONT OF TSUKUBA`S OKURA HOTEL
Of all the various and numerous flowers which bloom in Japan in late spring and early summer, it is probably the azalea (TSUTSUJI, 躑躅) which most commonly meets the eye- especially in towns and cities. This is because this hardy, flowering evergreen shrub is not only found commonly in private gardens and around homes ( in the form of hedges), it has also been planted extensively in most parks, in front of office buildings, hotels, government facilities, and most outstandingly- along roads and highways ( meaning that it must be quite pollution resistant as well).
Thus, coming to any Japanese city in May or June, you will most likely find your path lined with bushes bursting with red, white, and especially reddish-pink blossoms. If you are walking or cycling and waiting at an intersection for the light to change, take a look at the azalea bush which is most probably blooming beside you. Like me, you might find it to be like a dazzling, fluorescent coral-reef, which should give you a good boost of energy for when the light finally does turn green.
Azalea blossoming in front of a research institute in Tsukuba
For the ancient Japanese poets, azaleas, especially those which grew wild dotting mountainsides with patches of brilliant pink and red, represented the flame of burning passion. Here is a poem from a classical anthology ( The Kokinshu) in which the rock azalea is used as an image to represent unspoken romantic yearning: 思いづるときわの山の岩つつじいわねばこそあれ恋しきものを (OMOITSURU TOKIWA NO YAMA NO IWA TSUTSUJI IWANEBA KOSO ARE KOISHIKI MONO WO) -
which I translate as: Memories of love, like wild azaleaS bursting into bloom on evergreen mountains- my stony silence pulsates with yearning for you
AZALEA BLOOMING IN THE OUTER GARDEN OF THE IMPERIAL PALACE IN TOKYO
More than a thousand years ago, when poems like this were composed, azaleas, which are a species native to Japan, could almost exclusively be found growing wild in the mountains. In those days of yore, it was two times a year that the Japanese mountainsides turned red- in autumn with the changing leaves of the maple trees- and in early summer with the blooming of the azaleas.
In the Edo Period (1600-1868), the popularity of azaleas among flower-lovers skyrocketed and breeders developed many varieties ( there are now in fact many thousands) and numerous temples and gardens around Japan became famous as azalea viewing spots.
AZALEA AROUND TSUKUBA CENTER
When I ask Japanese friends if they have any special memories or feelings in connection with tsutsuji ( azalea), many tell me that when they were kids they used to pull off the blossoms and suck out the nectar. These same people then go on to say that they wouldnt do this any more as they would be worried about pesticides, acid rain contamination OR RADIATION.
Scouring several texts on Japanese folk customs and beliefs, I have found that in past ages the azalea blossoms had many special uses. First, as they bloomed in late spring, they were strongly connected with the begining of the AGRICULTURAL CYCLE. On the 8th day of the 4th lunar month ( uzuki yo-ka, 卯月八日), azalea blossoms would be attached to rods which were set upright as antenna ( yorishiro) to attract the gods who help things grow in the fields.
Azalea could also be burned on that same day in order to help locate any missing persons. The direction in which the smoke drifted would indicate the direction in which to begin the search.
AZALEA BUSHES OUTSIDE THE OKURA HOTEL AT TSUKUBA CENTER
Also, since there is great variation from year to year in the extent to which the azalea bushes are covered with blossoms （with there sometimes being only a few flowers while in other years the entire shrub is engulfed in color）, people used the azalea`s blossoming patterns to predict that years upcoming weather. In northern Ibaraki Prefecture, azalea with abundant blossoms meant that there would be a lot of lightning in that year. In other parts of Japan, a similar system was used for predicting the amount of snowfall in that upcoming winter
(Dont expect your Japanese friends to have heard of these folk beliefs, however. I have been asking around, and it seems that they are a thing of the past.)
Still, there are more azaleas around now than there have ever been. They add lots of brilliant color to Japan`s cityscapes. Don`t just drive by- give them a closer look!
Mt. Tsukuba is a famous place to enjoy azalea (you can see advertisements promoting azalea viewing there on TX trains in this season. But as I have pointed out in this post- you can enjoy azalea just about everywhere in Tsukuba at this time of year.
AZALEA BEHIND THE MT. TSUKUBA SHRINE
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While Tsukuba`s Tornado Stricken Hojo is the Focus of Media and Volunteer Attention, Other Badly Affected Areas Suffer and Clean Up Out of the Spotlight
By Avi Landau
The hamlet of O-Suna (大砂) in Tsukuba was ravaged by the tornado of March 6th- but there has been no serious media coverage of what happened there, nor has there been much support given by volunteers
Because I live in Hojo, which has been featured in the news everyday, everyone has been asking me if my family and I and our house are alright. My friend Mr. Shiina, however, whose village of O-suna was badly hit by the tornado is NEVER asked or given any sympathy or show of concern- simply because no one knows that the storm passed his way
For five days now the Japanese press has been saturating every media in the country with images and stories of a tornado-torn Tsukuba City. Nearly all of the photos, video footage and interview material have been coming from the old town of Hojo, near the foot of Mt. Tsukuba ( where the I live). For the first few days after the twister struck on May 6th, leaving a path of destruction in its wake, the media presence in Hojo was ridiculously strong- seemingly outnumbering on the street those seriously affected by the disaster. The number of volunteers rushing to the town with food, offers of assistance (including massage services for the affected) has continued to grow. When I came back to town this evening I went to pick up our relief dinners ( which tonight came from the kitchen of Tsukuba`s classiest hotel- The Okura) and was heartilly greeted by dozens of blue-jacketed volunteers ( whose ranks have been growing by the day).
All of us here in Tsukuba are very gratefull for the support shown by these volunteers, and many of those who witnessed the deadly cyclone either from up close or afar, were probably also very happy to have their stories printed in the papers or to have been given the chance to tell them directly to the TV audience. Though badly battered and mourning the loss of a Junior High School aged boy, Hojo has been basking in the limelight for almost a week- something which has definitely lifted spirits.
The only problem with all this is that Hojo was NOT the only area affected by this tornado. Forming apparently in Tsukuba`s Yoshinuma (吉沼), a neighborhood of grand old houses which was once part of the Date Domain (of Sendai), the storm started doing its damage there- weaving its way for 15 kilometers at a speed of about 70 kilometers per hour. Before passing through Hojo and then petering out, the twister had passed through the village of O-suna (大砂), the Hokubu Kogyo Danchi Industrial Park, and the village of Mimori (水守). In each of these places the damage caused was considerable.
The rice fields of Ozuna are still badly littered with debris
Today I tried to trace the entire course of the tornado on the ground. This was not a difficult task at all since the trail was clearly marked by fallen trees, twisted fences, gutted houses, debris littered rice fields- and the blue sheets which were quickly put over damaged roof-tops by home-owners trying to prevent rain damage.
Throughout the 15 km course there is serious damage to be found to homes, fields, and large company buildings. It was my impression that the worst situation was in the little hamlet of O-suna (大砂) where as in Hojo, clusters of homes ( and pear orchards in the case of O-suna) were violently savaged. The difference between Hojo and O-suna ( and the other affected areas), however, is that outside of Hojo there were no volunteers and no press presence- just small groups of relatives stoically clearing away debris with shell-shocked home-owners gazing on in stupors.
In other words, the mood in the other affected areas is completely different from that in Hojo, which seemed to be energized or rejuvinated- spurred into action by the tragic events. In O-suna and Yoshinuma there is more of a sense of despondancy, shock, and (it seems to me) lonliness. This has probably come to be as a result of being virtually ignored by the rest of Japan in their time of need.
I call for Tsukuba City and the various groups running the volunteer effort to send people into these IGNORED, out-of-the-spotlight disaster zones and at least show some support ( though actual help might be refused- for the same reason such a thing happens in Hojo). It seems to me that the people in these areas really need to know that someone cares.
Why did this situation come about? Well, first of all, the one tragic though dramatic death that took place ( under very photogenic circumstances) occurred in Hojo, as did a great concentration of similarly photogenic damage. This drew the press. The reporters also found the necessary facilities and parking areas from which to operate in Hojo which is an actual town as oppossed the other affected areas which are country hamlets with very narrow streets.
I think that the relief effort has been very impressive so far in Hojo town ( including, most surprisingly, the work of the Tokyo Electric Power Company). I am just saying that those who have been affected by the storm and do not live in the center-stage and spotlight that Hojo has become should be getting the same level of care and support.
The Japanese pear (nashi) orchards in Ozuna Tsukuba have been severely ( and possibly fatally) damage by the recent tornado
The tornado of May 6th left an easy to follow 15 km trail from Yoshinuma to Hojo- marked by fallen trees,twisted fences, gutted houses and blue-sheet covered roof-tops
Each morning the number of volunteers who have come to help the people of Hojo has been increasing ( here they are gathering in the morning)- I saw no such people in Yoshinuma, Ozuna or Mimori
More volunteers arrive in Hojo
Assembling in the morning before clean-up work begins (Hojo)
The line of private citizen volunteers who have officially registered to help out in Hojo await their assignments- were any sent to the other affected areas?
ON MOTHER`S DAY VOLUNTEERS SUPPLIED FLOWERS FOR KIDS TO GIVE THEIR MOMS IN HOJO
LONG LINES FOR THE (FIRST RATE) RELIEF MEALS PROVIDED BY VOLUNTEERS IN HOJO
A trail of blue sheets sprawling off into the distance mark the path which the tornado took
A house gutted by the March 6th tornado
Blue sheets mark the twister`s path
Clearing the rubble..... before rebuilding
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My Neighborhood in Hojo Tsukuba (つくば市北条), Devastated by Killer Tornado
By Avi Landau
The block that I live on was totally devastated by a tornado which passed through our town yesterday
A city operated housing complex ( about 250 meters south of my house)- in which refugees from last year`s earthquake and nuclear power plant accident were living !- now looks bombed out after being hit by the tornado. These poor people must surely be thinking that some divine forces are out to get them.
Cars were thrown about like tumble-weed as the tornado made its way through town- note the green Buddhist funerary object on the right- the town was eerily strewn with such objects (used at Japanese funerals) after a shop dealing in them was gutted in the storm
Yesterday morning, May 6, 2012, we left home in a good spirits. My niece from New York is here with us and we were going to Tokyo for the day to see sumo. When we left the door, my little son, who at 2-years of age can barely string together three words, for the first time is his young life constructed a real sentence. I will probably never forget it. He said: Its a nice day today, Avi!
That`s how glorious the weather was- at about 11pm. When we parked the car 30 minutes later at Tsukuba Center, we noticed that the monthly natural food fair ( the Tsuku-Ichi) was being held in the park across from the station. We decided to take a little stroll and check it out ( mostly so my neice could see one of Tsukuba`s iconic features). It was good seeing old friends and sampling some of the tasty and healthful goodies they had there. But the wind suddenly started picking up. I even noticed that City Councilman Iigarashi, the founder of the market event, was urging all the vendors to take down the canopies from their stalls. At that time I remember feeling that those gusts were a bit ominous, but I could not have imagined what was brewing in the air.
A few minutes later I observed yet again what I now realize was a foreshadowing of what would unfold ( or what was in fact unfolding right at that very moment) as after having boarded the train and departed, we had emerged from the tunnel leading out of the underground station. I wanted to show my niece Mt. Tsukuba from afar. The problem was, I couldnt find it. I looked in its general direction and saw nothing but dark shadow.
I said: Hey, its raining where we live. Its a good thing we are off to Tokyo!
Tsukuba did not cross our minds again at all for the next few hours, as we were caught up in the excitement of the first day of Sumo`s Summer Basho (tournament)............
Then the calls started come in:
Are you ok? Are you all safe? Where are you?
I answered: Of course, we`re ok! We`re in Tokyo! Whats going on?
There`s been a big tornado in Hojo. Haven`t you seen the news!
Well. naturally, I was surprised to hear this, but I remained unfazed. I mean, what kind of tornadoes were there in Japan? I had only known of two incidences ( though both in the Tsukuba area)- one, at the Sports Festival ( Undo-Kai) of Teshirogi Junior High School in which a tent was lifted off the ground, and the other- a bit more serious, a little twister which did a bit of damage in the Kamitakatsu Area of Tsuchiura. Reflecting on this I continued to be nonchallant about this so-called tornado, even as the calls of concern from friends and acquaintances kept coming in ( until it was impossible to focus on the sumo anymore).
It was not until we had gotten back to Hojo later that night that we realized the full scale of the disaster ( and how we probably should have left Ryogoku immediately and headed back home as soon as we had heard the news.)
Having been let through the police barricades outside the town center, we drove down a street which should have been as familiar to us as our own faces ( since we walk down it every day). But where our neighbors houses should have been- there was nothing....... only a full moon shining bright.
We just could not believe it. The little old town that we had become so strongly attached to- had been destroyed.
(To be continued....... this is not the time for me to being writing blog posts! The whole town is out cleaning and fixing up. More details soon!
Arriving back at our town (Hojo) late at night we found scenes like this
This house (which I pass by every day on my way to the bus) was lifted up and flipped over. Tragically, a boy who lived here was killed.
The concrete base of this house clearly visible (now on top of it)- I am sure the structure is now being investigated as to whether or not it met legal construction standards
Pulling into our drive it was a relief to find our house standing in one piece. But before checking for damage I jumped out of the car and ran up to our neighbors` house to see how they were. Though the house was dark ( most of the town was blacked-out) I rapped on the door and called out. Mrs. Shirai emerged almost right away and told us what she had experienced earlier in the day.
She said that she had been working at the FUREAI KAN, the rest-stop for visitors which is located in the center of the old commercial strip. First she heard a deafening noise- what another neighbor of mine later described as being like a group of fighter-jets at an air-show. Hearing the defeaning ruckus, she looked out through the front glass and saw what seemed like the whole town exploding. As she and the others with her retreated towards the back room, the window she had just been looking through shattered- and it seemed to her as if there was a tornado inside the room- with dedris and object of all sorts whipping around madly. In a few seconds ( which seemed like minutes) the FUREIAI KAN and all the shops alongside it had been stripped of windows, walls and roofs. Most of what was inside also ended up for far from where it had been.
But fortunately, Shirai-San`s house was like ours- almost unscathed. You see, our houses were just off the monster twister`s path- and despite the fact that we had no electric power, we did have flash-lights. So we did not, like most other residents of the town, have to go sleep at the shelters which have been set up ( in fact at about 11 pm a crew from Asahi Television which had apparently seen light coming from inside our house came to interview us as to why we had not sought refuge).
After making sure my family could settle in at our house, I set out in the dark, to survey as best as I could under those conditions, the damage. Any relief that I had felt in finding our place intact, gave way to a sense of loss and horror. Just a little walk to the east brought me to a section which looked not very different from the scenes we saw of last year`s tsunami damage. What did remain of the houses there were only their frames. Concrete utility poles and large trees were knocked over, car windows were smashed- debris was everywhere.
Some powerfull lights running on portable generators were shining bright at an intersection along the main commercial street ( the SHO-TEN GAI). I headed that way and when I got there I found a group of volunteers who were distributing food ( delicious chicken curry prepared by the Indian Restaurant Young Guns), and saw that work was already underway to get the power back ( the people at the Tokyo Electric Power Company seem to be making extra efforts in order to make up for their responsibility in last year`s nuclear power plant accident).
A concrete utility pole snapped in two
On the morning of the 7th, I walked over to the library to recharge my phone- I found the building occupied by troops of the SDF
The heavy tops of these stone lanterns at the Ho-an Ji Temple were lifted off by the storm!
Wandering about among the ruins, in a daze, zombie-like, I staggered back home, turned off my flashlight, and went to sleep.
I awakened with the first light of dawn, shook the sleep out of my head, and set out once again to the streets. I was not the only one up. But more than the few locals who had slept at their homes, there were the tv crews, city officials, and curiosity seekers roaming the streets. I ran to the homes of friends and acquaintances to see if they were ok or not. I spoke with some people, mostly elderly about their experiences. Though they must have been shaken up, even the people who had lost their homes did not show any despondancy- the clean up was beginning, And as the day wore on, the pace, intensity and number of those involved in debris clearing and other usefull activities seemed to continue to grow unto it got dark ( and well into the night).
By late afternoon there were people on every damaged rooftop, groups of people in every debris scattered yard and a truck with professional crew beside every fallen utility pole.
There were also the kind people who came out of concern for friends and acquaintances- they brought with them emergency supplies, gifts, and most importantly an encouraging smile and a show of concern. ( the word used for visitng victims of disasters is the same as that used for visiting the sick- OMIMAI.
Besides those doing USEFUL work, there were the reporters. I have never seen so many, - interviewing nearly everyone and filming just about everything (some friends called to tell me they saw me on tv, caught on some footage walking around)- but not lifting a hand to help out. Even when a ninety year old woman passed by with a cartfull of heavy and sharp debris they found this as an opportunity to get some good footage rather than help out.
Helicopters, most probably belonging to tv stations, were hovering over the town all day, with there sometimes being several over the area at one time.
But the most impressive presence in our devastated town today, at least in terms of numbers, must certainly have been the type we could call the curiousity seeker. There were countless of them, and an amazing variety of cameras could be seen in their possession. As one foreigner who had brought his family out to Hojo for the day told me: My kids have only ever seen disaster scenes like this on tv, I wanted to give them the chance to see the real thing!
A powerfull and extremely rare tornado passed down the main commercial street of the old town of Hojo, Tsukuba
My neighbors houses ( about 100 meters to the east) were stripped bare
There is no doubt that the worst news of the day was that of the death of a Junior High School age boy whose house was literally lifted up, and flipped over. After this murderous act, the twister crossed route 125 and ran into an apartment complex run by the city. In the parking lot there cars and trucks were tossed about like toys and all the windows in one of the buildings were blasted out. Looking at all the large and heavy debris which was hurled about, sometimes to great distances, it was hard to believe that there was only one fatality related to this tornado.
The good folks from the Young Guns Indian Restaurant cooked up a big batch of chicken curry to distribute to tornado victims ( as part of an offical relief team)
Tornado damage in Hojo, Tsukuba
Holes were torn through metal sheets
Still, plenty of damage was caused by flying objects- in my house the water heater out back was smashed and put out of service by a big chunk of wood. The roads, yards, canals, and rice fields were all carpeted with this debris. So I repeat what I have just said- it is a miracle that many more people were not seriously injured or killed.
The shell of a house (which stands about 100 meters from my own)
Windows were blasted out and roofs and wall stripped clean off
Just after the disaster struck the Junior Chamber International (JCI) was on the scene distributing food. By the 5th day their presence has grown to the dozens of blue jacketed volunteers
I first joined my neighbors in clearing our local ( and not very serious) debris. When we were satisfied with how our undamaged part of the city looked, I walked a hundred meters east and asked if I could help one family clean out their debris. I worked with about 6 other guys ( all of them young and strong) and with very little talking we started loading a truck with the shattered remains of the houses that sit in one badly devastated compound.
All around me was work. People in each yard, high up on the roofs and electric wires and in all kinds of working vehicles. The throngs of people elicited images in my mind of Hojo`s old glory days when the streets teemed with crowds of shoppers and everywhere was hustle and bustle.
A NOTE FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO HELP OUT
One thing which must be noted, however, for anyone who wants to come out here and lend a hand. The residents of Hojo are proud, independant and stubborn folk. The people who I have described above who were involved in clean-up efforts were all RELATIVES ( who had arrived from near and far), or people with some sort of bond or connection to the victims. There were of course also professionals (i.e.- the folks from the Tokyo Electric Power Company). Any strangers who try to help are adamantly told that their assitance is not needed ( even if it really is). This is probably because the reciever of the aid would then feel a troublesome obligation to the person who helped. Another reason might be that some probably feel too embarrassed to let strangers sift through their household goods, now strewn about in their yards and on the street.
Anyone who wants to help should first register with the city office and join a team of volunteers. You will then get an official volunteer uniform ( a vest) and be assigned to various usefull tasks.
THE FUTURE
I can only hope that something good- an influx of funds, a wide-scale renewed interest in the town, a surge in local energy and creativity- will come about in the wake of this terrible tragedy.
Though I know I shouldnt get my hopes up.
Still even if it is just for now, it is remarkable how the people of Hojo have emerged from what seemed like a long slumber and have gone into fervent action- it is too bad that it has taken a disaster of this proportion to bring this out. It is certainly remarkable to witness..... and amazing how fast the town seems to be recovering ( and I say this only one day after the event!)
One of my acquaintances, a man in his mid-sixties who grew up in Hojo while it was still a thriving commercial center which served the entire surrounding area said ironically as he looked at all the people and activity around him the day after the tornado: This is what it used to be like. This is how the streets always were when I was a kid- packed with people and everyone busy!
One story picked up (and played up) by the national media was the story of my neighbors dog- WANTARO - a 3 year old shiba inu dog who along with his dog house was carried away by the cyclone- he was found unharmed on the other side of town
Close-up of a damaged shop
A trail of devastation was left by a powerfull tornando which passed though my neighborhood
My friend`s home was shredded
Metal debris entangled in electric wires
An old shop in Hojo damaged by the tornado
Hojo`s main commercial street
Concrete utility poles were knocked over or snapped as if they were match-sticks
A city run housing complex was totally devastated (and quite probably deflected the twister from continuing straight on to my house)
The rice fields strewn with debris
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