Japan Earthquake & Tsunami

Photo of Sakura - Cherry Blossom by pictureTYO. Thanks to pictureTYO for making this available with Creative Commons.


My heart hurts.
The destruction of the earthquake and tsunami leave me speechless.

My mom's family in Okinawa, and my friend and her family in Chiba prefecture are okay, but there are so many who can't say the same. Heatbreaking.

I pretty much lost it when I saw footage on NHK of little children eating rice balls (onigiri) in an emergency shelter. Onigiri is the most basic comfort food, something your mom would make you for lunch or a snack. Volunteers were making them, pressing them into the familiar triangle shape with their hands.I just wanted to go to Japan and make everyone an onigiri. You just feel helpless seeing it all happen from afar.

Thanks to JustBento's Maki for translating major new sources in Japan on her twitter feed. She tweeted for 12 hours straight after the earthquake and she informed me more than CNN. For footage that concentrates on Japan, you may want to catch Japan's public broadcasting NHK World News streaming video (in English). Many cable companies are offering free access to TV Japan for the week for the live NHK feed (in Japanese).

I hope you keep Japan in your thoughts, and open your wallet to give to a relief organization. In the USA, you can text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to the relief fund for Japan.