The Japan Quake (3): Quiet night in Sendai

As mentioned in the second post here, we reached the Sendai City Office close to 2am on March 14. There we stayed the night.

After updating my bosses back in Singapore about the situation, I went about the corridors of the relief centre to see what the locals there were doing. Too much pent-up energy, from sitting in the van almost the whole day.

Only the 2nd, 6th and 8th floors were open to refugees. Most people were sleeping, but many others were just sitting around and chatting, or entertaining themselves on their mobile phones.

There was the queer teenager in a hoodie, who moved from room to room. He would sit down, use his phone for a while, got bored and move on to the next. There were the two young women, probably university students, who sat in a corner and chatted away merrily. There was the mother and her son, who sat quietly on chairs in one of the corridors. 

It was actually quite cold in the corridors. Thankfully, the centre officials turned on the heaters in some of the rooms for refugees to sleep in.

After I had my fill of walking about the corridors, I had a change of clothes in a toilet – which stunk because it probably had not been cleaned for the past two days to conserve water – and brushed my teeth. Mildly refreshing.

I also noticed that the building was not totally free of damage. Some of the walls had deep cracks stretching from the ceiling to midway down the way. But I believe the building was structurally sound enough. After all, Japan is known for its quake-proof technology. Unfortunately this time, it was the Tsunami that did most of the damage, to the coastal communities.

Had to charge my phone before I turned in for the night. I would need it to communicate and possibly write my story the following day. So while waiting for the phone to finish charging, which took quite a while, I took the chance to read the latest reports from NHK, CNN and BBC. Also discussed a bit about where we can possibly go the next day with the Nanfang Daily reporter and another Chinese reporter from Caijin.

Got a bit hungry by about 4am, and opened a packet of Ritz biscuits (from Narita) to eat. There were too many pieces in the pack, so I offered it to the few people sitting awake along the corridor, including the mother and son. Some took it with thanks, while others politely declined.

Sometime after 4.30am, the Blackberry was fully charged. I packed my bags and  squeezed into a small bit of available floor space in one of the rooms and turned in for the night. Unlike in Singapore when I often had insomnia, I drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

Next part here.

A small whiteboard outside a meeting room at the Sendai City Office. A special budgetary committee apparently was to meet here over two weeks, from Feb 28 to Mar 14. I think the earthquake would have disrupted their plans.

Some cracks on the wall in the City Office building. Sendai City was generally resistant to the impact of the quake.

Some officials and refugees milling about in the main lobby.

You would have read much about how calmly the Japanese have dealt with the disaster so far. For me, this is one of the manifestations of that stoicism – they have continued separating the trash even in times like this.

A young man reading the latest news articles pasted on the walls of the corridors.

A man reading on his mobile phone in one of the rooms opened up for refugees. In the background, others were sitting about, using their computers or chatting with friends.

Some people prefer to sleep in the corridors, despite the cold. Perhaps because somewhat ironically, it is where one can get a little more privacy.

 

Part 1: It begun at Narita

Part 2: The long ride to Sendai

Part 4: A glimpse of the devastation

Part 5: The turning point, Ibaraki and the end

The Japan Quake (2): The long ride to Sendai

This is a continuation of the first post, found here.

We woke up early the following morning. Definitely not my typical Sunday. I didn’t get more than a couple of hours of sleep actually, but given that I didn’t sleep the night before, it was better than nothing. The SCDF team had to get up at 6am to tend to their canine charges, and the three of us journalists got up soon after. We were joined later by another photojournalist from our paper, who arrived the previous night on a later flight at Haneda Airport.

But the bad news came soon after. The Japanese foreign affairs ministry’s liaison officer for the SCDF team confirmed that we will not be allowed on the Self-Defence Force C130, which will take them to Fukushima’s Soma city, because of military sensitivities.

So we had to find alternative ways to get up north. There were some problems, however:

1. The Tohoku Shinkansen, which normally would be the most efficient way to get to Sendai, was suspended after the quake.
2. Rental cars were unavailable.
3. Taxi companies, which usually take passengers from Narita to as far as Sendai, have temporarily suspended such trips because of the radiation scare at Fukushima. One reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 plant exploded the day before.
4. Sendai Airport, which was inundated during the tsunami, was still closed. The closest airport with flights from Tokyo that day was Yamagata, but all flights were fully booked. There was only one option – to fly to Misawa in Aomori (the northern-most prefecture on Honshu), and then make our way south. But even if we did take that flight, we still had to deal with the question of renting a car or hiring a driver.

Things were looking quite bleak by then, and then we got lucky. A couple of friendly photojournalists from the Guangzhou-based Nanfang Daily, curious about the SCDF team and the dog cages, came by to chat with us. And they told us that their local correspondent had arranged for drivers and a vehicle to take them north to Sendai. Without us asking, they offered to let us on, as long as there were seats.

As it turns out, the van was big enough to accommodate their team of three (they had one writer with them) and the four of us. We thanked our lucky stars and braced ourselves for a long day on the road. The drivers, Wang and Guo, said the ride would likely take double the usual 6 hours it takes to get there. We set off at around 11.30am.

The journey was quite uneventful, actually. There were some queues at petrol kiosks, but most of the kiosks were already closed because they had run out of petrol.

It was during the long ride that I received many encouraging messages from my friends on Facebook, which I accessed through my Blackberry. Once again, thank you all again for that. I really appreciate it!

We stocked up on food and water before entering Fukushima prefecture, at a supermarket in Tochigi prefecture. Rice, noodles, chicken and bottled water were all sold out. But the store was well stocked otherwise. Perhaps it just goes to show how much of the merchandise in a typical supermarket is superfluous.

By the time we got to Sendai, it was already past 1am. Probably closer to 2am, but I was too tired to remember clearly. With most hotels apparently closed, our only option was to stay at the Sendai City Office, which was converted into a relief centre after the quake. Many military trucks were parked in front of the building.

Inside we met a group of Hong Kong journalists, who had arrived a day before. They said access to the disaster zones was severely limited, and they were heading home the next day. We got some directions and tips from them about where to go, and headed upstairs to find our spot for the night.

Next part here.

The Tokyo Sky Tree in the distant, seen as we headed out of Chiba prefecture, where Narita Airport is located. It is a symbol of Japan’s future, but that is now made even more uncertain by the disaster. The tip of the old symbol – Tokyo Tower – was bent by the quake.

About an hour or so into the journey, we stopped at a beef bowl chain Sukiya for lunch. I expected it to be the only decent meal we were going to have for days. Once we were in the disaster zone, it was going to be just biscuits, bread and water.

It was a long ride, and we could not help slipping in a quick interview with Guo, one of the two drivers, in the front seat. On the right is photojournalist Chen Hui, from Nanfang Daily.

I tried to keep track of our journey by turning on the GPS on my Blackberry. My Bold 9700 truly proved its worth during this trip. The Blackberry Internet Service connection, via local provider Softbank, was very good for most areas we visited. It was extremely fast as well, unlike in Singapore!

Our photojournalist WL gets some shuteye in between taking pictures.

Our photojournalist XB taking a picture of the empty shelves in the bread section of a supermarket in Tochigi prefecture, south of Fukushima prefecture.

The rice section was wiped out as well. What you see in the top right corner is glutinous rice.

Part 1: It begun at Narita

Part 3: Quiet night in Sendai

Part 4: A glimpse of the devastation

Part 5: The turning point, Ibaraki and the end

The Japan Quake (1): It begun at Narita

Japan’s most powerful earthquake on record, measuring 9.0 in magnitude on the Richter scale, struck on March 11 at 2.46pm local time (1.46pm Singapore time, 0646hrs GMT). That led to my third visit to Japan in less than 6 months, but the latest was a truly surreal experience.

I was on the 2pm shift that Friday, and I went into office thinking that the main Japan story of the day would be about allegations that Prime Minister Naoto Kan received donations from a foreigner. That was a juicy story, given that Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara had resigned over similar allegations just a week ago.

But as soon as I started up my office computer, news alerts about the earthquake started flashing on our internal messaging system. That was soon followed by warnings of tsunami across Japan’s northeastern coastline, and then for other Pacific Rim countries. And the television images from NHK started to appear on all the main international news channels. The most striking one showed how the flood water from the tsunami engulf a vast tract of farmland in Fukushima prefecture, sweeping away cars and tractors with its sheer force.

Needless to say, the Straits Times Foreign Desk kicked into top gear. In the end, we flooded our readers with more than 20 pages of coverage (inclusive of full page ads) on the unfolding disaster in our Saturday edition. We even delayed our usual early deadline on Fridays, to allow for more up-to-date and extensive reports.

I was told around midnight that day that the paper was sending me and two others to cover the event in Japan. I was naturally thrilled, yet anxious about whether I would be able to do a good job. But the worrying had to wait – we barely had time to pack and then head down to the airport to try getting on the earliest flight out.

We got lucky in the end and managed to take the first flight out, at 9.40am. The Singapore Civil Defence Force team of five were also on the same flight, coincidentally. They would be helping Japanese police with search and rescue operations, with their five well-trained canine assistants.

Hoping to hitch a ride to the disaster area with the SCDF, we stayed with them at Narita Airport for the night.

That night, I saw a side of Narita I’d never seen before. Shops were all shuttered up, although it was not that late yet. Stranded passengers sleeping all over the place, from behind airport counters to massage chairs to the sides of the many hallways. And airport staff were up and about through the night, distributing blankets, food and bottled water to anyone in need.

Meanwhile, all the big television screens were broadcasting NHK’s round-the-clock coverage of the earthquake and tsunami.

Next part here.

Members of the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s five-man team loading their dogs onto the airport trolleys at Narita, drawing many curious looks from other travellers.

Many Japanese journalists were waiting at the airport, hoping to interview foreign rescue teams arriving there.

The Limousine bus services, which are popular with travellers heading out of the airport, were not operating that day, probably due to road closures induced by the earthquake.

The SCDF team chats with some foreign journalists, just in front of our sleeping spot for the night.

A stranded traveller picks up sleeping bags provided by the airport.

The places where there are chairs are popular with the stranded. “Welcome to Japan,” says the airport trolley in the foreground.

Many, like this man here, were seen whiling away their time by using their laptops and mobile phones.

A bunch of people calling home at the public phones, an uncommon sight in less exceptional times.

A lonely arrival

Part 2: The long ride to Sendai

Part 3: Quiet night in Sendai

Part 4: A glimpse of the devastation

Part 5: The turning point, Ibaraki and the end

Hong Kong’s Trams

I am quite a fan of retro-themed things.

Last year, I overpaid for a second-hand Nikon F3HP on eBay because I simply dug the beautiful retro-styling – the engraved shutter speed dial, the film advance lever, the memo holder, etc... Unfortunately, I have since sold it because I realised I enjoy using the F6 much more. (But now the new Fujifilm X100 digital camera is piquing my interest)

I enjoy using classic Nikkor manual focus lenses now, maybe a bit too much because I hardly use my digital-age autofocus lenses any more.

I asked for a second-hand, West Germany-made leather camera bag I’d spotted at a shop for my birthday last year. Yes you read that right: West Germany. It’s hardly the most practical bag because it isn’t too big but it definitely turns some heads.

Anyway this post is about none of these things. It is about Hong Kong’s trams, which have been running since 1904.

During my recent trip to Hong Kong, I stayed in Hong Kong Island, where Hong Kong Tramways runs six east-west lines traversing the main districts. Known as “Ding ding” to Hong Kongers, it is probably the most cost-efficient way to traverse the various interesting spots across Hong Kong Island, from the street markets of Wanchai to the skyscrapers of Central.

On the second day of our trip, we decided to go to the Causeway Bay area for food and shopping, and since the tram goes there, I couldn’t pass up the chance to sit on one of them.

A tram stops in front of the historic Bank of China building, just opposite the Legco.

The first thing you would probably notice about the trams is their width – to me they really look like flattened double decker buses! For the passenger though, this just translates to less seats. The aisle is narrow too but similar to Singapore buses, I think.

A view of the tram behind mine. No overtaking here!

Taken at the back of the tram. I believe the pressure dial is no longer in use…

Also taken at the back of the tram. They are switches for the front and back doors. Again, I think they are no longer in use.

With a flat fare of just HK$2 (S$0.40), travelling on the tram is very economical. In fact I wonder how they make money.

It’s funny how the tram is integrated into the road network on Hong Kong Island. The tracks usually run in the middle of the road, but where the roads are more narrow, they actually cut into the lanes for normal vehicles. They follow the same traffic lights too.

Joanne reading the map. She did almost all the navigation for the trip. Quite a refreshing change for me!

We took the tram home that evening too.

While I liked taking the tram, it’s a pity the network is pretty much limited to Hong Kong Island. I only used it on that day. I have never taken buses in Hong Kong though, so I’m not sure how they compare.

The fast and efficient MTR is probably still likely to be the most used mode of transport for tourists like me.

Nonetheless, I think the tram is cool because it’s like a relic of the past, and yet still very relevant to Hong Kongers today. I hope they will continue to operate and reach their 200th anniversary. That may involve raising the flat fare though!

How Marina Bay has changed!

As mentioned here, I went to Forlino’s at One Fullerton for my Valentine’s dinner on Feb 13. Part of the reason why I was hunting for a place near the Marina Bay area, was that Joanne told me on a couple of occasions that it is great for an evening stroll.

So that helped me narrow down the search, which was always going to be hard given my lack of expertise in this area.

I believed my last time here was more than a year ago – when the Marina Bay Sands was still under construction! And I was really impressed by the transformation the area has undergone since then.

Marina Bay Sands, with the iconic three towers (aka ancestral tablets) and the sky park (aka banana boat or space ship) on top. I think the lotus inspired design of the ArtScience Museum looks like a hand pointing the middle finger at Singapore, but don’t quote me on this… The Helix Bridge is on the left, while the complex on the right is the shopping arcade of Bay Sands.

The whole bayfront area is now linked by walkways and bridges, which means you can now walk a full round about the bay area. It was really breezy that evening, which made it a pleasant walk. (though in the end, we had to quicken our footsteps to make it to Forlino in time for our sitting)

In fact, it felt as if I was in another country. Which is quite cool because Singapore doesn’t have too many interesting places to visit.

The famous Merlion undergoing a transformation… to become a five-star hotel room during the 2011 Singapore Biennale. The Esplanade is in the background, but you can’t really see it here.

With the area buzzing now, there’s more reason than ever to consider a stay-cation at the Bay Sands. The hotel’s infinity pool, in case you haven’t heard about it, looks absolutely stunning.

Some Hong Kong favourites

I decided that I need a break in January. My last extended break was in October, when I took two weeks off work to visit Japan with Joanne. Three months without an extended break is actually quite a long time, come to think of it. Which was probably why I ended up over-eating and over-shopping.

Favourite after-dinner sport in Hong Kong – harassing chefs at the glass window by taking pictures of them non-stop.

(The Japan trip was a blast btw. I have written a little about it here but I withheld the rest of it because I was going to submit an article to my newspaper for publication, and also because I took quite a while to finally sieve through all of the pictures. Hope to post the stuff up the rest of this month!)

We stayed in this boutique hotel called Butterfly on Wellington, which has an excellent location in Hong Kong Island’s Central district. Which meant it was close to plenty of very nice eateries.

A quick run-down of nearby food haunts: Michelin-starred Yung Kee, which specialises in roast goose; Luk Yu, a classy but unpretentious dim sum joint; Lau Fu Kee, a no-frills congee specialist; Wang Fu Dumplings, with its variety of hand-made Beijing-style dumplings; Mak Noodle, for its great wonton noodles and dumplings; Lin Heung Tea House, for the sheer madness of having to fight for your dim sum(!!!) and Tsui Wah Restaurant, a chain Hong Kong-style cafe where you can have a traditional Boh Loh Bao with butter and coffee for breakfast.

Fighting for dim sum at Lin Heung. I hated the place but I have to admit it was quite an interesting experience.

Some very well-dressed patrons at Luk Yu. Can you see the contrast with Lin Heung?

Yes, Hong Kong is quite the food heaven if you have a good guide with you! Joanne did most of the background research for this trip, really.

An odd couple at Charter Garden, just outside the Legco building. I found the yellow shelters at the seats quite fascinating too. They look somewhat like mushrooms and offer little if any shelter.

With all that eating though, we had to do some exercise to compensate. Shopping mall trawling aside, the ultimate work-out came unexpectedly in the form of a walk up the Peak, as we lost our way en route to the funicular station. Think it took us about an hour and a half, and it was then I realised how unfit I was. We didn’t do much once we reached the top though – had coffee and cake at Pacific Coffee and we were soon on the funicular down the hill.

We chanced upon a memorial outside the Legco building, set up for the late Szeto Wah, a pro-democracy Hong Kong politician. He died just weeks before my visit.

A seal-maker in one of the many tiny alleys on Hong Kong Island.

A devotee praying to the giant Buddha on Lantau Island.

It may sound a little surprising, but I actually spent more on shopping than Joanne this trip. In fact the same thing happened during our Japan trip. I can be quite a spendthrift actually. And the main damage was done both trips because I bought a Porter bag each time. Haha.

One of our best couple pictures, I think! I’m wearing my new jacket here, bought from Sogo just a day before.

All-in-all, a very fruitful trip. We did have a major quarrel on the fourth day, which was mostly my fault. I would love to go back again sometime soon – the good food beckons. Also because we didn’t have time to visit villages such as Tai O and Mui Wo or try out the outdoor hiking trails. And oh we didn’t even have time to go to Tsim Sha Tsui or Mongkok this time, can you believe it?