Wednesday woke us with aftershocks, and I'm sure cracks such as "Aw, Hera, was that you?" were made (as of course we were sharing a futon at that point; isn't that cutie-cute?--but the point being, someone plausibly could have ripped one and disguised it as an earthquake). While still in a half-slumber, Hera received a phone call, and the tone of her voice freaked me out--but since some of it was in Korean, I didn't have a solid grip on what was being said, though I did know enough Korean to understand she was saying, "Mom!" in a bit of an anxious tone. My thoughts immediately went to the power plant situation, and my heart started racing as I wondered what it could be. She paused and turned to me and said, "My mom bought me a ticket to Korea." Recap: apparently Hera's mom had truly taken it to heart when she said she'd go if her mom bought the ticket; telling her, "Okay, I bought you the ticket; you're leaving this afternoon." I began to panic as I realized I would be alone.
While she began packing, I skyped my mom. Her radiation indifferent demeanor had fa
ded; when I told her Hera was leaving for Korea, she in turn told me she thought I needed to leave Tokyo. I told her I would look into places to go, after I got back to my own apartment. I decided it would be better to leave sooner rather than later; Hera told me she would come back when the situation blew over, whenever that would be. So as I left her place, I wondered when the next time I would see her would be. That was probably one of the scariest moments of the time; realizing that the situation was serious enough that people I knew where leaving.
Had it been any other spring day, the beautiful sunshine would have felt like a wonderful reprieve from the previous cold days of winter; but with the situation at hand, it just felt threatening. There was also an intensely forceful gust that would have been a threat to the Santa Ana winds; I struggled with keeping my rolling suitcase straight on the ground. The wind itself seemed terrifying; I wondered if it was carrying with it radioactive particles. When I got to my transfer station, I discovered that my next train line was shut down, so again I trudged towards my place with my suitcase in tow. On the way, I got a text from Beth, a friend who had been in training with Hera--she told me they were planning to leave Tokyo, and that I join them.
At my apartment, I decided to call my mom as soon as possible just to get an idea of where she recommended we go. However, her advice was limited--she told me that my uncle, who has had experience with nuclear weapons in the army, had strongly recommended that I leave the area. She reiterated the idea that the Japanese government might not be revealing everything about the situation; she told me that I had to leave, and that I had to leave soon. She added that I should take my computer and passport with me. After that, I packed in a heightened state of fear--I threw some stuff in my backpack, and tore up my apartment in an attempt to find my passport. After a mini breakdown, I finally found it, and I took off.
This time, as I hurried down the street, there was a greater urgency in my pace. The train itself was going about 1/3 the speed of normal--what should have been a 20 minute train ride took at least twice the time, which might have irritated me in normal conditions, but now sent m
y mind in an anxious flurry, as I literally felt as if I was racing against time to get out of town. I remember looking around my fellow train companions, wondering who was in the same state as me behind the stoic faces.
I finally arrived at Jamie's house to discover that Russell hadn't arrived yet, and so we waited to hear about his ETA with current train situation. Jamie apparently thought it would be a good idea to take the biggest suitcase on earth on our little evac-getaway, and he labored over whether to bring bathing suits and cans of tuna. He decided on both, and I told him I might have to borrow a shirt, as I realized I had only packed one pair of pants and some pajamas. That's when I discovered that the majority of his clothing happens to be plaid. Finally, after a tortuous waiting period, we decided that it would just be better to meet Russell at Tokyo station, and then all hop on a Shinkansen together to wherever seemed to be the cheapest and most affordable.
After arriving at the station and meeting with Russell, we decided that location would
be Kyoto. Mainly, this was due to the fact that not all of us had been there, and I knew a family friend lived nearby who might be willing to let us stay (though after a few very confusing phone calls to the woman, I realized I might have made a poor decision). Nevertheless, on the train ride there, Jamie found us a hotel room for the night for a reasonable price next to the station, and I felt a bit of tension slip away--really, just being on the train itself made me breathe easier, and I began to look forward to visiting the ancient city.
When we arrived in Kyoto, it almost felt like arriving in a foreign country. The city was much colder than Tokyo; in fact, as we began our walk to the hotel, it began to snow. It was a peaceful envelopment; and while I still felt uncertain of our current situation, it felt good to be away from the drama and on (quite literally) sturdy ground. The evening felt relaxing and almost carefree; considering none of us knew when we would return to our places or work.
That night, as we all settled in our hotel room, we began talking to family. That evening, we each contacted families in four different countries, and we all got the same reply--get out of Japan. I had been one of the last to talk to my family members, and therefore I didn't speak with my mom until just after 1, right before I was about to fall asleep. While I tried to reassure that I was entirely removed from the situation at the power plants, her information from my uncle was chilling: "They (the US army) think this is bigger than Japan. They think it's going to take 100 years to clean up. You really need to leave the country." The rest of the details of the conversation are a bit foggy to me. I remember hanging up the phone, then starting to shake. Beth asked what my mom had said; I kept trying to say something, but the words wouldn't really come out right. I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning in anxiety, uncertain about what I should do, and where I would be tomorrow.
P.S. This is not the end of the saga, as I had originally predicted. Good grief, I will be writing about this forever.
Jilly, you went through such an intense adventure! You will be writing about your experience forever! You could write a book. Anyway, thanks for posting this and sharing your thoughts and feelings on here. I miss you!
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