Tokyo Earthquake (I am Living it)

Your own money doesn't matter in this case a whole lot, except you were actually rich. If the government or whatever is not helping the people living in the country, rebuild it, offering them food and whatnot, you were fucked from the get-go anyway.

It is still a shame when a lot of hard working people build a damn good system and are prospering (which they deserved), and something comes out from left field and wrecks a whole lot. They lost a lot. A lot of people nonetheless. Just because they had quite a bit before, doesn't mean it's all good; They are going to have a long struggle to get back most of what they had (when they were already working hard to make accomplishments), and that doesn't include the unfourtunate ones that didn't make it through the earthquake and it's aftermath.

It isn't the end of everything they worked for, but it certainly isn't "not-a-problem".

Every little bit helps, much like the "one vote is all it takes" argument to get people to vote. Notice how big companies like Sony and Nintendo are donating hundreds of millions of dollars to help out? The government can't just magically make it dissappear without any help.

That was in the 1980's.

So, we got better at nuclear power 10 years earlier than I argued. Thanks for arguing my point even further.

The Fukushima plants were built prior to the Chernobyl accident. Reactor designs do not change after their construction - that would be risky. Work practice will have improved over the years, however.

:shock: Oh dear..... Um... It will all get better in the end? It always does.

Well, things just got worse, as I for some strange reason switched to manual breathing after reading your post.
My timing is all messed up. Some breaths are too long and others too short. I dont know if I will make it


As for radiation, being exposed to 23 times the normal for 1.5 days does have noticeable effects, but not permanent.
It feels like having a cold/flu, but with the addition of dizziness.

If this is a low-level dosage, I would hate to feel a dangerous level. I imagine it would feel like having your insides cooked.


But until the upcoming 8.X hits near Tokyo, I can at least say I have a home.
And I probably have not died yet. So I am still quite lucky.
Maybe now is the time to go work for Nintendo in Kyoto?


L. Spiro

I hear they have free magic. It's what they smother all their games in.

Stay save and good luck Spiro! Hope you feel better soon and there won't be any lasting effects. Don't take any chances, nobody will care in a few years if you showed up for work or not!

Yes, work isn't worth anyone's health.

Wonder if it is possible to get a bunch of lead aprons (like they use in xray rooms), and sew a trenchcoat of them?

When you say 23 times normal do you mean 23 times the amount you'd normally receive in 1.5 days?. That would be about 8mrem (0.08mSv), which is a small dose, less than registered radiation workers receive during normal work. Instead do you mean 23 times what you might normally receive in a year over 1.5 days (150mrem or if you prefer 1.5mSv)? That's more in line with astronauts exposure, and for a similar time period, but it is still less and they do not suffer health side affects (at least not radiation induced ones)

Don't get me wrong, take every precaution, and if you feel ill then you fell ill, there's no disputing it. I'm just trying to be reassuring based on the few facts I have. If the number you gave is at all accurate, it doesn't sound like a significant dose.

Im only going by the numbers given in the media, so who knows what the real numbers are, and what time period they are meant to cover (I keep seeing per year measurements so I could assume they meant that on the same source where I got 23 times).

I wouldnt try to eat 23 years worth of food in 1.5 days, but I am also not so worried about the dangers of such a low dosage.
I get higher taking x-rays (which also make me feel a little strange shortly after).


It is certain that I felt very tired and dizzy, and had aching joints and flash headaches.
Also 3 coworkers reported the same symptoms starting at the same time, whereas 2 others felt nothing.
It is definitely not a coincidence, so it is either hypersensitivity among a few people, the doses were much higher than reported, or it was caused by something else we dont know.

But if I were truly worried I would simply leave Tokyo.


L. Spiro

I wouldn't dispute hypersensitivity. Some people can feel the symptoms other can not in that kind of environment, and those people can create other symptoms in light of feeling the minor other ones.

It is kind of like psychosomatic, but it is caused by subconscious internal feelings. People do it with barometric pressure and weather temperature all the time, and feel achey joints and nausea.

There was an earthquake in Tokyo?

Technically in close proximity to it. Just outside of it, to the northeast if I am not mistaken?

It was 8.9-9.1, it was definitely big enough to engulf Tokyo, although devastated many areas of Japan.

Has a lot of Japan's Nuclear Power Plants in a frenzy to keep under control too.

You really didn't know?

I think he was being facetious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLFlQnGuybM&feature=channel_video_title

Good luck there. Hope things get better soon.

I wouldn't worry too much about the radiation at this point. The amount being put out is actually super super low. (check this for a comparison: http://xkcd.com/radiation/).
Of course you should listen to the officials and follow their warnings, but don't pay much attention to the world media. They're blowing things way out of proportion to scare people into buying newspapers.
Reading "some radiation has leaked but the doses are really low and some amazing heroes are working hard on keeping everyone safe" doesn't really make a headline nowadays :|

The ill feelings may just be stress weakening your immune system and some water-borne bugs going around like the flu. Unclean water is a breeding ground for that sort of thing and you certainly have plenty of that around at the moment.

Whatever the case: Keep safe and healthy. I wish you (and the rest of the country) the best.

Thank you.

The sickness has ended and things are getting back to normal, but my room/office still shake violently daily and the streets are still dark. Convenience stores are empty, etc. Trains are crowded at the wrong times.

Many people are back on their regular schedules but the atmosphere is quite different.


L. Spiro