Twelfth day and over...

I left the disaster-hit zone at around 4PM with my colleagues. All my prayers are given to the sufferers, but I must go on with my life, as I must return to my job at the international news division right away from tomorrow...

taking the Joetsu Shinkansen back to Tokyo...

Right as I took a seat on the Shinkansen, I went blank and woke up just before arriving at Tokyo, filling quite dizzy and uncomfortable.
There were so many people in Tokyo making me feel even more dizzy. I went back to say hi to my colleagues and my bosses at the internation news division and the current events division. I'm still not convinced that I have to work right away first thing in the morning at the new section, but I've got no choice...

Back home after nine, I took a bath and rolled the laundry machine...
oh yes... I'm back!

Let's go! the slogan was posted today at the city hall walls

a view of the city from the roof of the city hall...
two weeks from the quake... another cloudy but refreshing day...

the first train from the JR Kashiwazaki Station towards Nagaoka left at 5:48AM...
the first one in two weeks since the quake!

Eleventh day... the last night

It was election day in the disaster zone. This upper house election is practically the reason why I'm here for 12 days, as many of my colleagues nationwide is taking part in the election coverage and therefore can not leave their positions to participate in the disaster coverage team.

Out here in Kashiwazaki, I have nothing to do with the coverage of the House of Councilors' election and I made good use of this freedom. Walking around the perimeter...I found many signs of vitality.

voices of strength... signs of vitality!!

At the last night here in the disaster stricken area, the party in power suffered a historical crushing defeat.
But our nation will probably be the same as always tomorrow. The DPJ is not a clearly different party compared to the ruling LDP. I just hope it's a better choice we have two large parties with a strong rivalry, which will finally lead to a real sword crossing of policies, and not a competition of negative campaigning!

election at the disaster-stricken zone...
the polling place set at the city hall...

Tenth day

The second weekend at Kashiwazaki. Last night, after I had 2 mugs of beer, I fell fast asleep. I couldn't wake up till it was almost 9AM, but luckily I stayed in Kashiwazaki last night and it was only a 10 min. walk to the city hall.

I was able to roam around the vicinity for about an hour on a bike our reporting team rented. There seemed to be signs of revival around the area with different stores reopening each day... one by one... But it's still a long way to a real revival.


the "slogan" of the disater-hit city: "Let's go! Shining Kashiwazaki"

P.S.
No pic today, as I lost my digital camera I'd taken many pictures with...
very regretful... where'd it go!?

Ninth day

Last weekday of the this week.

A sunny and bright day, but still a gloomy day for many here in the disaster zone... The water supply is almost back as 90% of the system is restored, but the gas supply is still way off the mark...

the so-called "press center" at the fourth floor of the city hall...
everybody's getting a little tired here!

We went out to get some beer for the first time. But I was so tired, I just couldn't taste the treat so well...

Eighth day

After midnight, warning was given out when I was still @ our base in Kashiwazaki.
and strong rain started to pour onto the disaster zone...

I'd already reserved a hotel in Nagaoka , and I took a risk and left the base and hoped nothing bad for the sufferers will happen.
In the morn, waking up @ 7 I took the taxi towards base, but Route 8 was shut down because of the rain and it was an hour and a half ride.

And it was another tough day with the younger ones, and I was once again angry about a lot of things!
Stressful and unhealthy, I once again felt empty saying to myself why and for whom am I doing this job!?
...I couldn't find the answer.

the rain fell heavily on my way to Kashiwazaki!

the radar at 5AM... heavy ready to attack the area...

One week and more to go...

It's getting traumatic for me, as now I'm not so sure anymore if I'm doing this job for the sufferers or for my organization... Maybe I'm just getting beaten mentally. Frustration is poison and abstinence is harm. Adding the two up brings disintegration.

How can I bring up my motivation? I've got no clue...

at least the gentle seacoast I saw for the first time since the first day relieved me...

Sixth day

It was a refreshing day @ Kashiwazaki.

I walked through a shopping street near the station to get to our base near the city hall. Almost all of the merchants had their doors shut down. When will this city spring back to its normal self?

tearing down the houses... you can see this anywhere in the city now...

Fifth Day

Half way through... A week from the outbreak of this disaster.
It took a long hour and a half to get to Kashiwazaki from Nagaoka.

I heard that the number of volunteers arriving have dropped severely today.

Without any hope of being able to walk around the vicinity, I had to stay around the city hall as always. Helping out the younger making news reports, and taking control of the news program coverage plans were some of the tasks I was in charged of.

It's greatly tiresome and my energy tank is getting empty. I need to get some rest and I hope that as time goes by, we will get some room to breathe!

last night, I saw this convenience chain store for the first time...
later in the day, I realized many of them were around this area

Fourth Day

A cloudy and fairly cool day.

We had to get ready for tomorrow, as it will be exactly one week from the quake. We will feature the news about the aftermath of the disaster and how the stricken area and the sufferers are trying to revive.

Till last night, I hadn't taken a bath. The first night, I had to hit the keyboard till 3 AM, so I gave up. The second night, I was just tired... I just had to sleep rather than take a bed... And last night, unlike the first two nights I stayed in Nagaoka City, as Kashiwazaki City's water service is still out, I had no way to bathe.

Tonight, I decided to get back to Nagaoka to take a bath. I need to refresh badly!

the dry-goods store (=kimono shop) I saw the first day at the entrance of the Enma-dori shopping street had turned to rubble...
oh, nothing can keep its form... ever...

a necessity of life here in the disaster-stricken area...
temporary lavatories!
today, we finally got these plastic containers filled with water to wash our hands

Third day

It's getting tougher each day!

Being one of the elders on board, I can't row away out to the sea as a reporter. With so many young guns riding, I have to take care of them with fellow members of the desk team. It's much easier to go out and cover what's out there rather than being the desk, but I've got no choice but to volunteer to take responsibility. I still have a long way to go and I better get some rest!

the disaster relief conference held everyday at the city hall
it's mostly up to these people here if they can revitalize the disaster-stricken area!

Second Day

Rain in the disaster striken area.

I spent the whole day at our frontline base near the city hall.
The day started out slowly, as it took us 2 hours to get to Kashiwazaki from Nagaoka where I stayed at night.

I was so sleepy, as I had to arrange the ideas we could cover here overnight and I went to sleep at around 3AM last night. I hope I didn't trouble my elder colleagues sleeping in the same room!
;)

As the tough day had finally come to an end, it started to rain stronger.
I hope there wouldn't be any landslides near the houses of the sufferers.

lights were still on at the city hall... yes, there's lots of work to do!

The first day

Leaving Tokyo in the morning... taking the Joetsu Shinkansen to Nagaoka it was sad I had to hear the result of Murakami-san's trial at Tokyo station & not @ the courthouse.

It was so hot in Kashiwazaki reaching nearly 30 degrees!
It was actually more like 40 degrees inside the city hall where we stationed in, inside the Kashiwazaki City Hall.

the Kashiwazaki City Hall where the emergency measures and the first steps towards revival will start...

After I took my position, I walked around the vicinity for about 3 hours & as told, I witnessed that the neighborhood of Higashihoncho & Nishihoncho was hit the hardest with heavily damaged houses all over the place...

the Enma-dori shopping street near the city hall suffered crucial damages...
I was shocked by the dreadfulness and seriousness of the disaster-stricken area...

At the entrance of the Enma-dori shopping street...

the dry-goods store (kimono shop) I continuously saw on TV, was still there... bearly...