Today just before 10pm in Japan, M7 earthquake hit Kumamoto region in Kyushu. Many houses are collapsed and people evacuated to near school ground or gyms. It´s still chilly in the night and people are asking for more blanket in the social media.

On the 11th of March there were many memorial events around the world for one year after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. In Spain, too. We were able to see one in Madrid and one in Sevilla.

The 11th of March was a year after the Tsunami. This year was the year Japan learnt the importance of “tsunagari” (connection between people). These are the stories of how Japanese people spent this whole year.

11th of March is a year memorial day since the north of Japan was attacked by a huge quake and tsunami. Lazo y Arigatou is one of the memorial events will be held in Madrid.

People in Fukushima are angry. They need to know the clear solution instead of feeling being abandoned. This video really shows how Japanese system works.

11th of March at 14:46, a huge earthquake shock Northeast and Kanto area in Japan. It was magnitude 8.9, big enough for even Japanese people who are used to quakes.

 

Today, a month after the quake, at 14:46, Japan have fallen a minute of silence. Some TV stations stopped the program and observed a one-minute silence but some stations continued the program. I wanted to put a video too, but doesn't seem like anyone put it up yet. NHK put it.

 

 

 

Nihon Terebi (Nihon TV) put it.

 

 

 

 

Even the specialist of entertainment, Fuji TV put it.

 

 

 

 

TBS was one of those which continued normal program. They put this TV drama for housewives.

I wonder how many housewives in Japan preferred to watch TV drama rather than a minute of silence at the moment.

 

This is from BBC which shows a little bit of the day and how people have spent the day in Japan ►

 

This is a video shot by a local man in Ootsu port in Ibaraki prefecture. Ootsu port was a leading port of sardine in Japan. Now the fishermen sail ships that survived from tsunami and fish in Chiba. However since they detected the high level of radioactivity in the sardines from the offring of Ibaraki, no one tends to deal with fishermen from Ibaraki. Fishermen without their ships and ocern to fish, how can they live?

 

 

A month after the earthquake, the number of after shocks has been getting less. At least that what people thought then around 17hrs today, there was a magnitude 7 of after shock happened near Fukushima.

This video was taken by a guy who lives in Iwanuma city in Miyagi prefecture. It was recorded level 6 of quake.

 

 

On the 11th of April, the death toll has grown to 13,130 and the number of missing people are 13,718. 

A few days ago, the government annouced that for each death or missing they will pay about 350,000 yen (about 2,863€) to the family as a compensation. The money will help them in a way but the family they have lost will never come back.

More manga writers are participating the charity for the Touhoku region and the victims from this disaster.

I can see Ram chan from Urusei Yatsura, Ranma1/2 and Kin-niku Man. Old anime characters have revived to save Japan.

This project started by Tetsuya Chiba, the creator of Jo Yabuki in Ashita no Jo. He has called for anime writers in Japan and until now, about 50 authors have participated and more than 100 works have been sent to Chiba. All illustrations are drawn especially for this projects.

 

 

 

This is Ashita no Jo. I used to watch it after school and I swear, it´s much better than Rocky!

 

 

 

Kin-niku Man is a wrestler who loves gyu-don. I remember sometimes he sang gyu-don song on the ring. Although it was about fighting, some how it was comical. This was on way before Dragon Ball started in Japan.

 

 

And Lupin III, my favorite Lupin!! I was quite jealous when I saw a girl in the swimming pool had a kick board with Daisuke Jigen on it. I wanted one with Goemon. 

 

All these works will be sold in a manga fair, Digital Manga Koushien which is held in late May in Utsunomiya city, Tochigi prefecture. Also they are available on the net auction.

The sales will be sent to the devastated area as donation.

 

 

According to Takashi Hirose, a novelist who has written several books about nuclear power and the accidents related to nuclear, the benefit from the nuclear power plant is only for the politician who approved it, the muninciple of the town and the constractor.

In the most of Japanese houses, you may see this bag. Even they aren't visible, they are somewhere in the house. In my parents house, there were at least three of these in the shed at the back of the house.

This is an "emergency bag" (hijou bukuro/ 非常袋), made of some fire-proof material.

 

 

Inside this bag, there are essential goods such as bottles of water, first-aid kit, torch and some food that you can eat without cooking. 

These are basic stuff. I remember every year, my father brought these bags out, checked the expire date, then changed to the new bottles or packets.

I quite liked that day as he usually gave me a tin of biscuits that nearly expired or already did a few weeks ago. I was a strange feeling to eat those emergency food in a tube or in sealed packets.

 

 

  This shows what to stuff in your emergency bag.

It's possible your evacuation takes longer than you expect and have to live in the shelter without any supplies, which it happened to the shelters in Touhoku region.

There are wet tissues and a bottle of shampoo which you can wash your hair without any water. People were complain about unhygienic life style in the shelter, as it took so long to arrive esseintial supplies including water.

 

There are people who are trying to invent new thing every day. And of course, there are people who are inventing useful emergency goods.

This is one of those called "Super Multi Life Hammer". With the word, "super", this sounds like a must item.

This hammer has 8 functions; 1) torch, 2) hammer for breaking car glass, 3) seat belt cutter, 4) AM/FM radio, 5) signal light that blinks, 6) mobile charger (japanese mobile), 7) manual generator and the last, it also functions with AAA battery.

I guess this is mede as a car goods but it might be useful.

 

Another product that caught my eye was this. This is a smoke hood invented by SBK.

This company seems like they are specialised in emergency goods and have some curious things, basic but logic. Just like an experiment we used to do at school.

This is a great hood which you can escape from the smoke with your eyes open and can keep breathing.

It can keep the air enough to breathe for 3 minutes if you run and for 5 minutes if you walk. Heat-resistance up to 150 ºC.

It may look a little too comical but must be very useful item to have. Only thing yoou need to be careful about it, you'll get a big head and might have a problem walking through a small space when you escape. You better have a little practice. 

So now, have you diceided what to stuff in your emergency bag?

Fukushima. This is a huge and impressive festival, participate 500 armored samurai on the horses from five different regions in Fukushima. Can they managed to hold even after the catastrophe?