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my_way
Joined: 16 Feb 2010
Posts: 72
Location: tokyo
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 Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 1:55 am Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
| Shimokitazawa wrote: |
| In many places, there is now no bottled water left in the supermarkets in Tokyo. The public have panic bought all of the bottled water! |
Whoa. Tokyo has millions of people. When you write "no bottled water left...in Tokyo", that's a bit overstated, isn't it? |
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key words here....'in many places'....that includes my neighborhood and the neigborhoods of a handful of people i communicate with on a regular basis. |
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namdak
Joined: 22 Mar 2005
Posts: 620
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my_way
Joined: 16 Feb 2010
Posts: 72
Location: tokyo
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| Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 2:31 am Post subject: |
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it just seems hopeless to me......will they ever be able to fix these things?
i think they should cover them all in concrete and call it a day?
i realize this is easier said than done, and i have no clue about the politics and details of nuclear plants.......but really, all the work and money being spent on these things seems like a waste at this point  |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 3:52 am Post subject: |
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| Apparently covering them in concrete doesn't fix the problem of the rods heating up, and can cause more problems than it solves, so they won't go that route just yet if ever. |
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torontogirl88
Joined: 07 Feb 2011
Posts: 38
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| Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 3:57 am Post subject: |
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Yup. Radiation in water definitely freaks me out.
Pretty big bummer.
So devastating for Japan. Really so sad. Such a shame for this to happen to such a beautiful country.  |
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TL
Joined: 07 Nov 2004
Posts: 76
Location: Seoul
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rostovru
Joined: 19 Mar 2009
Posts: 17
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| Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 8:10 am Post subject: Sakura-shi, Tochigi? |
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I understand that the media focuses on the most dramatic side of the story.
That being said, I'm scheduled to start training for a job in Nasukarayama near Sakura-shi on the border between Ibaraki and Tochigi.
Looking at the radiation map for the link above, it looks like my town is only about 3-5kms from significant radiation.
Is it a good idea to be heading to this place right now, or are my concerns rooted in ignorance?
I have a position lined up - just in case - in Seoul, where I am right now. I wouldn't think twice about coming to Japan if my town were a bit farther, but it looks like my location is right on the edge of the action. |
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Sweetsee
Joined: 11 Jun 2004
Posts: 2302
Location: ) is everything
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| Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 10:58 am Post subject: |
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| What kind of job? |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:25 pm Post subject: |
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| TL wrote: |
Did anyone watch this press conference by Edano?
We Are Not Able To Measure The Amount Of Radiation Coming From The Power Plant |
No, you got that all wrong.
They are indeed able to measure the radiation levels (how many microsieverts) are in the atmosphere.
What he said (rather badly) was that they could not tell how much cesium or iodine was coming out of the plant (not measured in micro or millisieverts, but in other units, perhaps grams per cubic centimeter, for example). He used the words "radioactive materials, instead of radiation, and that is the tipoff for what he tried to explain. He then immediately drifted back into talking about radiation levels, so it was very confusing. That's what you get for having a non-technical person explain technical matters.
Big difference. Radiation levels vs. radioactive materials..Don't cause a panic here over something you didn't understand well. |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279
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| Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:39 pm Post subject: |
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my_way, I had a similar problem in my area, though bottled water was available in some cases (the more expensive stuff, usually in smaller bottles) later in the day. I personally think, unless you're expecting or have a baby (or a pet like in our case), you don't really need bottled water.
| Quote: |
| Big difference. Radiation levels vs. radioactive materials..Don't cause a panic here over something you didn't understand well. |
Glenski is right, they are different. Unfortunately they are both dangerous..
From the Let's Japan site. kind of sums up my position.
by Sankyuberymucho � Fri Mar 18, 2011 6:20 pm
| Quote: |
I think people are fearful in this situation due to
- they can't see, smell or taste the radiation. So they could be being poisoned at this very minute but don't know it
- When it comes to nuclear testing, nuclear accidents, nuclear power etc the government and industry have a long history of secrecy, lies, cover-ups, etc
- People have seen the destructive power of nuclear weapons and the tragic consequences of nuclear accidents
- The Japanese government and foreign governments seem to be putting out contradictory messages.
- The messages from the plant operator are confused and contradictory
- The plant operators and government seem completely unprepared for a nuclear accident and are undertaking a series of desperate and adhoc attempts to get the situation under control
- There is not just one nuclear reactor, there are several plus the spent fuel rods
- Nobody knows the exact status at the plant. Every 5 minutes the story seems to have changed.
The fear and uncertainty is what is leading to hysteria and panic. Of course if you are outside of Japan or in Osaka you don't need to worry. But if you were living closer to the plant and had young children, yes I can understand why you might feel concerned. Can anyone say for certain if one or more reactors melted down, and some of the spent fuel rods caught on fire or went critical what would happen? What if a strong wind was blowing towards Tokyo? Have you seen any models showing what you would be exposed to? The point I am making is not that people should get hysterical, but nobody knows the exact situation, and that is why people are in a panic. It is a normal human reaction.
I hope they can resolve the situation. But if say 30km radius from the plant was contaminated that is a hell of a lot of land and water. And then would you want to live 31km from the plant? How about 40km? Or would you eat something that was grown there? Most of Japan isn't in danger, nor are other countries, but I think people are concerned about what will happen to the people who lived near to the plant and their livelihoods.
Unfortunately the usual sources are reporting this in a sensationalistic manner, but that is how they report everything. If you want balanced reporting, you will have to tune it to a more reputable news source.
I really hope they can get this sorted out, and I hope that Japan and the world learns some important lessons from this disaster about how to make nuclear plants safer.
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The underlined portion was the only part I somewhat disagree with. I think you need to look at various media and connect the dots yourself.
Excerpt from an ex-employee in the UK from the same website above.
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I worked in the nuclear industry for a number of years on the Heysham, Torness & Sizewell B nuclear power stations.
I wouldn't trust the official line, it is not safe. Do not go. Their maintenance & inspection regime was a joke, they crammed so many spent rods into the pond it boiled over when the power was cut.
This would never have happened in one of our stations, we have tight mandatory inspections & checks.
According to the UN Chernobyl resulted in 50 deaths and maybe 100,000 premature deaths inc the UK but they don't tell all about the disfigurements and future genetic damage and mutation. 500,000 deaths already have occurred and 30,000 more to come.
I was working outdoors that wet week-end after Chernobyl went up and Thatcher& co were told by the experts to warn people not to go out unless necessary but they didn't want to spook the people against NP.
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Very comforting indeed.
And finally, touching on looting�
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703410604576216293024644156.html
Life just keeps getting..um, something.. |
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rostovru
Joined: 19 Mar 2009
Posts: 17
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| Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Sweetsee wrote: |
| What kind of job? |
Teaching at a public school...... |
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cat mother
Joined: 22 Sep 2009
Posts: 62
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| Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 1:25 pm Post subject: Re: Sakura-shi, Tochigi? |
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| rostovru wrote: |
That being said, I'm scheduled to start training for a job in Nasukarayama near Sakura-shi on the border between Ibaraki and Tochigi.
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Nasukarasuyama (I suppose that's the town you're referring to) is only about 32 km from where I live and I don't see any problems in Tochigi yet. Everything done so far has been done as a precaution.
Having said that, if you're coming from a big city, prepare to be bored out of your mind. Nasukarasuyama is rather rural, even by Tochigi standards. But it's a lovely place, and their summer festival is awesome! |
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Kornan DeKobb
Joined: 24 Jan 2010
Posts: 242
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| Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 2:50 pm Post subject: |
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| inuzuki8605 wrote: |
| torontogirl88 wrote: |
Such devastating news. It makes you think how so much can be taken away from you SO suddenly.
I hope I don't come across as insensitive here - but how do you think this will affect teachers who are applying to Japan? or the teachers who have already received offers and are expected to leave in a few months? Any possibility of those offers being retracted? |
Just got an update from my company about our training in two weeks. Everything is still a go!! ^_^ No one was rejected!! |
You mean people still want to go there?
| apsara wrote: |
| That bbc article is good- everyone should read it. This is not going to be a Chernobyl, folks. |
I hope these aren't going to be famous last words.
| shimokitazawa wrote: |
In many places, there is now no bottled water left in the supermarkets in Tokyo. The public have panic bought all of the bottled water!
So many people are now ordering bottled water online from other areas of the country. There was also an article in the news here in Tokyo that discussed the crisis that food vendors or restaurant industry are now going to face if they cannot access and use the local water to prepare their food. |
I've heard that many bottled water companies just bottle and sell tap water. What is your guarantee that bottled water won't be radioactive? Or that the restaurant you choose to dine in won't be using tap water or contaminated water? |
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PO1
Joined: 24 May 2010
Posts: 136
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| Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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I live in Kanagawa and I'm not sure how things are elsewhere, but everyone seems normal here. No one seems concerned about radiation, I see people playing with their kids, going to work, all normal stuff. I guess I live about 60 km south of Shibuya. Seems like they are just putting the situation in control of the people that know what to do. In this age of "I need news NOW NOW NOW" it seems to be dragging on forever. But I feel like they are doing their best. I respect the brave workers who are staying behind and risking their lives in the hopes of fixing this crisis.
I went to Tokyo last week expecting to be the only foreigner there with the way news is reported. Not so. And I went to the US Embassy. No one grabbed me and said "You MUST evacuate!"
It seems like I've read countless news articles about the radiation not being harmful in most cases. I just got an MRI done yesterday, and I'm sure I got more radiation than most are getting in Tokyo right now.
I mostly worry for my wife's friends and family that live in Fukushima. They are at the most risk at the moment.
In 2010, I worked with the oil spill clean-up in the Gulf of Mexico after the BP disaster. People freaked out about it for months and months. And for good reason. But they couldn't do much. Just had to keep living.
If you live in Japan, keep safe and do your best to follow reliable news sources. If you are scared to come live here, then stay home. Follow your gut. It usually won't fail you.
I'm not overly optimistic about the situation, but I don't see the point in being all doom and gloom everyday either.
You can get post-traumatic stress from reading too much news...  |
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cvmurrieta
Joined: 10 Jul 2008
Posts: 209
Location: Sendai, Japan
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| Posted: Thu Mar 24, 2011 11:31 pm Post subject: |
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| PO1 wrote: |
I went to Tokyo last week expecting to be the only foreigner there with the way news is reported. Not so. And I went to the US Embassy. No one grabbed me and said "You MUST evacuate!" |
I went to Tokyo on a bus sent by the American Embassy last Friday. As with you, no one told me I had to evacuate. I also expected to see the streets dead. As with you, not so
I caught a flight up to Sapporo  |
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