New Website for Tsukuba Residents in Quake Aftermath
I decided that there was too much information to share in a single post, so I made the following website to share more information with Tsukuba residents.
https://tsukubanews.wordpress.com/
I am doing my best to provide ONLY RELIABLE INFORMATION on this website. I am checking and double checking any information that I receive before I post it so I don't end up adding to the chaos.
There is also a Facebook group for Tsukuba residents. Please consider joining if you have a Facebook account. Many people are sharing good information here as they find it. I am checking it and posting it to the above website.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_104707536277287
Information about the schedule for the rolling power blackouts that will start today can be found here.
http://tsukubanews.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/electricity-updates/
Please forward this information to your English-speaking friends in Tsukuba.
Print This Post
Earthquake Aftermath – Information for Tsukuba Residents
I haven't posted to TsukuBlog in a long time, but I thought this was a good time to break my (unintended -- just too busy) spell of silence. Since it can be very hard to find information in English about what is happening in the aftermath of a crisis in Japan, I thought it would be a good idea to try to use TsukuBlog as a way of disseminating information to our English-speaking residents. I will try to provide links to official sources so you can check to make sure the information is reliable.
I have made a new website specifically for disseminating information to Tsukuba residents. Please use this website from now on: Tsukuba News. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 20:17)
Airports
- Haneda: According to the Haneda Airport website, the terminal buildings are safe. Please contact airlines for flight details. The trains to the airport are running, but check the websites of the train companies to confirm. The free shuttle bus between the terminals is running. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:35)
- Narita: According to the Narita Airport website, the terminal buildings are safe. Please contact airlines for flight details. The Cityliner express train from Ueno to Narita is not running. Other trains are running, but check the websites of the train companies to confirm.(Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:30)
Buses
- The highway buses from Tokyo to Tsukuba are not running yet because the highway is still closed. (This information is from a phone call to Kantetsu, one of the companies that runs the buses.) (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:43)
- TsukuBus is running as normal, but it is making some detours around roads that have cracks in them. This information is from a phone call to Tsukuba City Hall. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:21)
City Hall
- Midori left a comment below to say that Azuma Public Hall will be closed tomorrow because of a collapsed wall. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:20)
Communication
- TAIRA (our local mailing list) seems to be down. I have sent an email to Tadashi, the list manager, about it. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:47)
Country-based Information (for citizens of countries other than Japan)
- Australia: Earthquake and Tsunami in Japan
- Canada: Canada's response to the earthquake in Japan, Travel Report on Japan
- United Kingdom: Help for British Nationals
Earthquake
- According to the Japan Meteorological Agency website, the magnitude of the Sendai Earthquake was 9.0. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:47)
- According to the NHK News website, the chances of an aftershock of magnitude 7 or more happening within the next three days is more than 70%. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 16:22)
Electricity
- As far as I know, electricity has been restored to households in Tsukuba. If that is not true for you, please let me know in the comments and I will try to find out what the situation is by checking the Tokyo Electric Company website.
- I have heard that there will be rolling blackouts throughout eastern Japan, but I have not been able to find any official sources to back up this information. If you can confirm this with an official source, please let us know in the comments. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:57)
- According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry website, we should try our best to conserve electricity. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:15)
- According to the Tokyo Electric Power Company English website, power shortages should be expected. Everyone is encouraged to avoid using unnecessary lighting and electrical equipment. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:18)
- The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry just announced (on NHK) that the possibility of rolling blackouts is very high. They will likely last for three hours each and will continue for two to three weeks. Tokyo Electric Power Company will issue a press release with more information at 6:30pm today. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:48)
- The Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry just announced (on NHK) that rolling blackouts will likely start tomorrow morning. They will likely continue for two to three weeks. Tokyo Electric Power Company will issue a press release with more information at 8:00pm today. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:48)
Gasoline
- Gas stations are extremely crowded, so it is hard to get gas. People are saying we may run out. This is unconfirmed as I am not sure how to check this, so please treat the information about gas supplies as a rumour for now. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:34)
- According to the Eneos website, because of the fire at the plant in Sendai and because of problems with delivering gas, there may be gas shortages in some areas. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:31)
Groceries and Shopping
- People are buying up things in the stores. There are shortages. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:45)
- According to Joanne who drove past it this morning, LaLa Garden is closed. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 16:27)
Highway
- According to the Japan Highway website, the Joban highway between Misato Junction (south of Tsukuba, in Saitama) and Iwaki Nakoso (north of Tsukuba, in Fukushima) is closed. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:17)
- According to the Japan Highway website, the Ken-oh highway between Tsukuba Chuo (in Tsukuba) and Inashiki (in south Ibaraki -- on the way to Narita airport) is closed. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:17)
Nuclear Plant
- Video address by International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:48)
Pets
- Japan Earthquake Animal Rescue and Support, a coalition of three highly reputable animal rescue groups (HEART-Tokushima, Animal Garden Niigata and Japan Cat Network) are working to rescue, care for and support animals in crisis due to the earthquake and tsunami (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:45)
Restaurants
- Now checking. If you have information about restaurants that are open, please let me know in the comments.
Trains
- According to the Tsukuba Express website, only 50 to 60% of the trains are running and every train is a local (stopping at every station). (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:31)
- According to the news on Fuji TV, the Joban railway line is closed between Toride (Ibaraki Prefecture, to the south of Tsukuba) and Sendai (Miyagi Prefecture, to the north of Tsukuba). (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:40)
- According to the Tsukuba Express website, Tsukuba Express trains will be running as usual tomorrow. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 18:39)
Water
- According to Jon Heese's blog, many households in Tsukuba are currently without water. Please see his blog for ideas about what to do if you are without water. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 14:20)
- There is a problem with the water supply from Kasumigaura. You can get drinking water from Ninomiya Park, Matsushiro Park, Amakubo, and Takezono Higashi Koen, and the old city hall buildings in Yatabe and Toyosato. Also, you can get water for other purposes (not drinking) from Tsukuba City Hall. People with well water are not affected. This information is from a call to the Tsukuba City Hall Water Department. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:18)
- Stephane added a comment below to say that there is no more water being distributed at Ninomiya Park. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 15:54)
- Coreen added a comment below to say that there is drinking and non-drinking water at a local fire station. There is no limit but the flow is slowing down. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 17:29)
- See Avi's comment below. (Updated March 13, 2011 at 18:06)
If there is anything else you want to know about, please leave a comment and we will check into it.
Print This Post
Accessing Your Money During Golden Week
Joyo Bank branches are basically closed from May 1 to May 5. Most ATMs will be in operation, but many of them will be operating under "holiday" hours, so they may close early. Holiday service fees will also apply. Also, sometimes it will be impossible to get money out of bank machines from banks other than Joyo (this will probably only be an issue if you travel out of Ibaraki). When in doubt, try the ATMs at 7-11s as they tend to be open the longest (usually 8:00am to 9:00pm). You can also use your Joyo card in postal ATMs (but only from about 9am to 5pm), which can help if you are travelling.
Here is a link to the information (in Japanese) about accessing your money at Joyo Bank branches/ATMs during Golden Week.
http://www.joyobank.co.jp/top/atm_gw.html
If you think you are going to need extra money during the holidays, plan ahead carefully!
Print This Post
New and Improved Tsukuba City Hall
The City is building a new City Hall near Kenkyu Gakuen Station. It is scheduled to open in May of 2010. The new building will amalgamate all of the city hall departments, so it will no longer be necessary to go to completely different parts of the city to deal with separate issues. However, the City is planning to continue to offer minimal service centers at several locations throughout the city.
Tsukuba Service Center -- Tsukuba Health Center (1st Floor)
Oho Service Center -- Oho Branch Office (1st Floor)
Toyosato Service Center -- Toyosato Health Center (1st Floor)
Sakura Service Center -- Sakura Folk Museum
Yatabe Service Center -- Shimin Hall Yatabe (1st Floor Lobby)
Kukizaki Service Center -- Kukizaki Health Center (1st Floor Office)
The current plan is that some of the present Branch Office buildings will be demolished (Tsukuba, Sakura, Yatabe, Kukizaki) and others will be turned into storage facilities or used for other purposes.
Print This Post
Tsukuba Express Update
In April 2009. the average number of riders on the Tsukuba Express was 27,500 per day. The goal when the Tx was planned was to have at least 20,500 passengers per day by 2009 and 27,000 passengers per day by 2010, so we are one year ahead of the plan. As we reach the five year anniversary of the train line, I think we can say that it has been a resounding success.
The City Hall has officially applied to have the Tsukuba Express line extended to Tokyo Station. While the train is already quite convenient now (especially compared to pre-Tx days), having it connect directly to a major hub like Tokyo Station would make it even more so. Let's hope this extension gets approved!
Print This Post