Dispatch: Far From Earthquake Site, Life Disrupted In Japan

18 March 2011

Shoppers peruse items at confectionary stands in Saitama, Japan. Life in the prefecture, north of Tokyo, has been disrupted since last week's earthquake. Food and energy shortages are widespread there.

By James A. Smith
Dispatch From Japan

SAKADO, Japan — Citizens here are adjusting to the new normal following last week's massive earthquake and tsunami.

Because of the problems at the nuclear power plants, Tokyo and nearby prefectures — including here in Saitama — implemented scheduled power outages beginning Monday. But, because people reduced their power usage enough on Monday, some of the scheduled outages did not occur.

Nevertheless, the energy supply is still a major concern here. Locals are gassing up their vehicles as they anticipate a fuel shortage. I waited in line for about 35 minutes on Sunday evening to refuel my vehicle.

A more pressing concern here, however, is that food is not easily accessible. My wife, Amy, went to the store Wednesday to do some shopping; many of the food aisles were practically empty. There was no bread, rice, or other staples. She said that it was surreal. However, we were receiving much of our food through a cooperative program before the earthquake. Through the program, our food is delivered directly to our home. Our food was delivered Monday — as scheduled.

Overall, though, the situation here is quite burdensome. I certainly would not have been surprised to see civil unrest overtake the country. Yet, the behavior of citizens in Sakado has been encouraging. I don't know what behavior these kinds of conditions would produce elsewhere, but the Japanese people are handling themselves with dignity, to say the least. For example, when Amy went shopping Wednesday, she waited in line for 45 minutes. During that time, no one complained, cut in line, or grabbed at the last item, she said. They were polite and patient. In one sense, they are an example to the world.

The human decency on display here will allow crisis management officials to focus on Japan's most urgent challenges. Those challenges include the rescue efforts and the nuclear power plant problems.

It has been a week since the magnitude 8.7 earthquake rocked Japan, and now there are many specialized rescue groups from around the world here on the ground conducting recovery efforts. I'm encouraged that, all these days later, reports are still surfacing of people being rescued from underneath rubble. Amy and I have wanted to enter the most affected areas to assess the situation and see if there is anything that we can do to help. However, emergency response teams have warned citizens to stay out of the way until these most important efforts to rescue people are concluded. So, we will try to enter when it is most appropriate. The local government also has asked everyone to restrict their travel to only that which is necessary.

Although life in Sakado is far from normal these days, the area did not suffer any major damage. Our daily lives have been disrupted, but things are relatively normal. It's probably not at all like what you are seeing on television. We are so thankful to be doing as well as we are.

James A. Smith is a missionary pastor to Japan with Baptist Bible Fellowship International.