5200 Telephone Poles

Telephone Poles
As of March 26, more than 5200 telephone and electric poles have fallen down because of the earthquake and tsunami and need to be repaired. The phone company and electric company are doing their best to put the poles back up. Right now, many, if not most people in the effected areas have no TV - so all those messages about "Japan is a strong country, we will overcome" or "We are with you, we will help you" (obviously a message for those in Tohoku), aren't really being seen by anyone up north. Only those people who have left the hardest hit areas are seeing these commercials.

Relocating
Whole towns are thinking of relocating, at least during this early stage of the recovery. Japanese people tend to be very loyal to their "home towns" and do not move around very much.
Different from "city" people, where they may be posted by their Tokyo or Osaka based company all over the country. But, even in the big cities, you will find that often, just the father moves into a small apartment in the new city and the rest of the family DO NOT join him. Children do not want to change schools. Some Jr. High Schools are hard to get into and once in the kid has been accepted he/she would not want to leave. Most High Schools are the same. Plus, if the old parents are living in the same house, it makes it even harder to pick up and move the whole family.

In Yamanomachi, 4000 people are still in the refugee centers. But the town is thinking of sending all these people away from the town to a safer place. I have heard that several other small towns are thinking along the same lines.

Area around the Fukushima Plant
It makes sense, but no cleanup and not much cleaning up of bodies is being done in the immediate area around the Fukushima plant. Perhaps the Jietai (Japanese Self-Defense Force) is doing that. But families can not go back to their broken homes to even look for a few keepsakes, much less their loved ones. This town may relocate, at least for a while.

Fishing Boat on a Pole
In Matsukawa Town, many people have just given up and don't go down to the port anymore, but one fisherman went looking for his boat. And he found it! It had been tied up by the pier. Now it was on top of the pier. Unfortunately, it had landed on top of pole which drilled a hole through the boat. But, he will not give up. He wants to have his boat fixed and he wants to start up work again....even though the ocean may be contaminated by the Fukushima Plant......

Hakone
It snowed again last night, but not very much snow. Most of it melted by 9:00. But even now, at about 12:30, I see snow flakes again. It better not snow any more.