2 days has passed after the earthquake attack in Japan. The rescue is carried out all day and in Tohoku region; Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi,Fukushima and Ibaraki, 5 prefectures there are in 2456 shelters in 135 towns and in total 361,548 people evacuated. Miyagi, where had the most damage has the most, 1008 shelters and 201,910 people evacuated. In many shelters have no electricity nor water and also are short of food and fuel to heat up the place.

A survivor stood devastated on where her house used to be in Sendai.

This is the Google Map photo of Ishinomaki City in Miyagi. The photo on the left was taken in 2007 and on the right is obviously after the quake.

According to the official announcement from Niigata prefecture, two people who were woking at Fukushima nuclear plants when the quake happened were exposed to the radiation and 19 people are possible to be exposed. In Fukushima 40 people were treated. Health centres are examining all the people in the shelters and now about 160 people are possibily exposed to the radiation.  

So many people are still missing and meanwhile, a man was rescued 15km away from the coast of Fukushima prefecture in the morning of the 13th. When Tsunami attacked his house, he managed to climb up to the roof but Tsunami drew him out to the ocean. Maritime Self Difence Force of Japan found him floating in the middle of ocean asking for a help. He was safely rescued and taken to the hospital but in a good condtion.

Already many support is reaching from all over the world. There are also many foreigners lived in Tohoku area and are missing. Many countries are trying to find out their safety. I like to send all my support and condolences.

On the 11th of March 2011, a huge earthquake attacked the northeast coast of Japan. It was magnitude 8.8, one of the biggest earthquake in the world in the last century. As I reported yesterday, it happened at 14:46, most of the people were at work, some managed to go home on foot and some remained at work. This earthquake is now named Higashi Nihon Daishinsai. (Eastern Japan Big Earthquake)

Japan is a country of earthquake, centuries and centuries people were liveing with it and it is said that there is no other nation which is as prepared as Japanese. Since we are child, we learn and practice how to act when an earthquake ocurrs. I remember at school and at work, once a year we had an emergency evacuation practice. While we were studying or working, suddenly a siren rang then a director's voice told us that it's quaking. We all sit under the desk with a hood for the protection, then evacuated to the open space.

Even that, in front of the natural disaster, we are helpless. This is the aftermath of the day after.

JR Shinchi Machi station in Fukushima prefecture was wiped out by Tsunami and only remained deformed train and a part of the station.
Kisen Numa in Miyagi prefecture collapsed by Tsunami.
Rikuzen Takata in Iwate prefecture is considered as totally destroyed. Entire city was covered with mud and some people who escaped to the rooftop of a supermarked are waiting for a rescue.
Fire-fighting men are checking inside a car abandoned on the side of the raiway.
People are escaping to the shelter, the small truck is passing by destroyed city.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has admitted that after the quake on the 11th of March around at 15:30, there was an explosion at the Fukushima nuclear plant and approximately 90 people might have been exposed to radiation. Fukushima nuclear plant 1 and 2 have started to emit the steam contains radioactivity in order to low the pressure of the plants. Emergency directions was announced to the local residents in four towns about 50,000 perople around the plants escaped from their hometown.

11th of March at 14:46 Japan time, M8.8 scale earthquake attacked Japan's north-east coast. Majority of Tohoku region has been damaged. In Tokyo resistered an intensiry of 5 and all the tubes in Tokyo have been suspended after the earthquake. There are many power stations in the north region in Japan and all have been stopped the generations. 

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The numbers are magnitude and the cross mark in the ocean is the hypocentre. This is the northern region in Japan.

It's still quaking, 3,000 people are stuck in Shibuya station due to the suspention of all public transport, they have been adviced to remain in the office and not try to go home.	Kasumigaseki, Tokyo Saitama Office in Tokyo
Urayasu area in Chiba is a pure made ground and now liquefaction is happening. This is a taxi in front of the station stuck in the water.
Smoke is coming out from some buildings in Tokyo
Destroyed shops in Tokyo
Tsunami attacked Fukushima region and a fire broke out
The oil refineries in Chiba have exploded

There is limited power source in Japan, no power in Tohoku area (northern region) and Yokosuka area and some places in Tokyo. At this moment, many people are missing in especially in Miyagi area and at least 26 peole died.

On BBC news there is a live news. BBC LIVE NEWS.

There is a risk of Tsunami to other Pacific area including Taiwan, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand.

Now according to the latest news from Vienna, all five nuclear plants have been shut down safely and no danger of leaking.

More about 3.11

M8.8 quake attacked Japan

A year after in Japan

A year after the story of Japanese people

Tokyo report

There are products that boost Konbini stores' sales recently in Japan.

It's “Men's sweets”.

Until a little while ago, sweets were considered for kids and women, and it was a shameful thing that a man has a sweet tooth. Japanese samurai don't like sweets.

But this is changing.

The photo is another one of the most popular man sweets “Ore no Ekurea (my éclair)“ “Men's Sweets“ as it shows are sweets particularly developed for men since there have been many men who are “secret sweets lovers“ in Japan. Normally the sweets are made for women and the problem is its size. Those tiny pretty sweets are just not enough to satisfy sweet tooth men. But don't worry, “Men's Sweets” have launched. First, its size. Compare to a stapler on the desk… Huge… getting your teeth into this must feel like a dream… It's big enough to fill even a man's stomach. Of course what you can expect from this sized éclair is… calorie. It has 566 calories. Considering that an adult man need 2,000 calories a day, just one sweet can give you a huge intake.

Japanese food is highly recommended in the Western world because of its healthiness but on the contrary, Japan is now following the Western style nutrition.

Then I wonder what gives Japanese men a craving for sweets. Because of the stress Japanese businessmen have from their workload and the pressure from their wives? Or simply this is a backlash against eating super healthy food?

In any cases, Japanese men are craving for “sweets time”. “Sweet approach” this may be a key for Western girls who want to have Japanese boyfriend.

Meyami Jizo (めやみ地蔵) is a Budhisattvas for eyes and people who have problems with their eyes come here to pray. Me-yami means sicken eyes in Japanese and Jizo is one of the Budhisattvas commonly known as a guardian god in Japan.

Momo no Sekku is the Girls’ Day in Japan on the 3rd of March and is one of the Japanese traditional events which wishes the healthy growth of girls.

A courius thing about japan is kobini stores, with one kobini store by 2500 japanese becames one of the country with more convinience stores per person.

Recently I've found something I haven't been using for a decade. It's a seal, hanko in Japanese. Instead of signing, Japanese people put the seal on any document. For the different purposes, they normally have various types of selas. For the usual use, only shows their family name but for something more important use, it shows the full name.

There are stil many seal makers (hanko shokunin) running the business all over Japan and they engrave the name by hand on any materials and font you like.

For seals, you can chose from various materials from different types of wood to ivory which can cost 64,900 yen (about $774). You need to buy a stamp pad which always comes in red. I've never seen other colour.

Once you have your seal, get a hanko case like this.

But for the daily use, to put the seal for receiving a parcel, you couldn't be bothered taking the hanko out, stamp is and wipe the ink etc.. Don't worry, there is a mechanical type which the ink is already set in, called shachihata. 

I remember this was always at the entrance of the house in the little basket where the keys were, and when the postman came, I'd stamp the hanko to receive a parcel or a letter.

Putting seal correctly is a quite important thing for Japanese people. If you put it on the wrong place or if it's not straight, your clients may not accept the document and can return it to you. Actually there are quite many forums and websites where teach them how to put the hanko perfectly.

This is an basic example.

Recent increase of foreign workers or residents, hanko is available in Katakana.

With this hanko, now you can sign in properly in Japan.

This weekend, millions of Japanese girls are working on really hard. On what? On chocolate!!
The 14th of February is the day which sells chocolate the most in a year in entire Japan.

In Western country, St.Valentine’s Day is the day for couples. Yes, it’s the same in Japan. But only difference is, Japanese girls give chocolate to the boys they like. Well, actually, not only to the boys but also to their bosses and colleagues, because if you are man and you don’t get any chocolate on the St.Valentine’s Day, it can be quite hurtful as a man. Also it’s a shameful thing for Samurai spirits. To avoid the boys to commit Harakiri, Japanese girls prepare two separate boxes.

Here is the trick. The chocolate for the boy she likes or her boyfriend is called “honmei choco”. Honmei means favorit or certain thing whereas the one for the bosses and colleagues is called “giri choco”. Giri means duty or social obligation. Main difference between honmei and giri chocolate is the price.

If you are given something like these,

You are “honmei”. By the way, the chocolete at the bottom cost 3,400yen (about $40).

But if you are given like this,

which costs only 275 yen (about $3), means the girl is just being polite.

Here, these people explain very well about Japanese Valentine’s Day.

According to an economic news, this year’s chocolate sales is growing as the 14th coincide with a weekday. It’s a good day to be a boy or a man. If you are not the most popular guy in Japan, obviousy you have a reason to hate this day. In that case, never mind and just sing along with this song. “Sine! Barentain Dei!” (A-hole, St. Valentine’s Day!)

Apart from this chocolate scandal, there are some sweet things going on, too.

In Kyoto, a taxi company changed its symbol green clover into pink. Also to sweeten up even more, all women driver in the compay will be in full operation.

Many traditional senbei (rice crackers) shops are making heart sheped senbei.

And at last, in the up north, in Aomori prefecture, a special Valentine train named “Nasa Mero Meros” (I’m in love with you in Aomori dialect) is running during the Valentine’s Day period. You can get some photos with your partner in the “love booth”.