On Solid Ground

Seismological data would show that the ground around Japan is almost always rumbling, even if ever so slightly. But it only gets strong enough for us to feel every once in a while. I felt the earth begin to move on Wednesday (Ash Wednesday) just before noon. It was just a feint tremor, but sitting at my desk I could feel it. And what caught my attention was that it was long. It seemed like it went on for well over a minute. I turned on the T.V. and learned that the epicenter was up north, a ways off the Pacific coast. Tsunami warnings began to blink in the bottom corner of the screen on every channel. Several channels switched to live coverage of coastal areas. This sort of thing is actually quite common here as Japan has one of the world’s best tsunami warning systems. The tsunami alert was predicting waves of up to 50cm in several locations, all well north of Tokyo. In the end a few locations did actually get measurable tsunamis but they didn’t amount to much more than a sudden change in the water level. No damage was reported. But it stuck in my mind just because I had felt it in spite of how far away it was, and also just because it was longer than most earthquakes. Frequently they are over in 10 or 15 seconds.

Having lived here all my life these things don’t register very high on my awareness chart, but just get filed away somewhere as yet another rattle. Of course if you ask me to objectively think about it I’d have to admit that living in Japan means that the chances of dying in an earthquake are actually pretty high. But I guess that is something to which I’ve just resigned myself somewhere along the way, and really don’t think about it all that much.

Two days later I was in Chiba for the monthly meeting of pastors from the Tokyo district of the Japan Covenant Church. We were meeting at IBF (International Bible Fellowship), one of our churches that has seen significant growth in recent years and has a vibrant youth ministry. Eight of us were gathered and just about to wrap things up when we began to feel another light tremor. Having just felt a similar one 48 hours earlier was reason enough to not get very excited. But the host pastor urged us to go outside just to be safe. At first we were hesitant but it kept rattling so we got up and stepped outside, and just when I expected it to start dying down it suddenly did the opposite, getting stronger and stronger. Telephone poles were springing back and forth, all the buildings were visibly shaking, and parked cars were almost jumping up and down. It was actually hard to stand up and keep one’s balance, and it just kept going and going and going…

I’ve heard people say that time appears to slow down during big earthquakes and I can now attest to that truth. In my forty-some years in Japan I have felt hundreds of earthquakes but this one was without a doubt the strongest I had ever experienced. After an amazingly long feeling 2-3 minutes it finally began to abate and we eventually went back inside. But it never really stopped. There were two more large aftershocks and now, as I write this some 24 hours later the truth is, it still hasn’t stopped. All day yesterday and all day today the ground has continued to move; sometimes rather sharply, and other times almost imperceptibly. The frequency and severity of the aftershocks is undoubtedly decreasing, but this is a new experience for me. It really does just keep on rumbling for a long time.

In the hours following the earthquake getting in contact with the rest of the family was my main priority. Phones were out of service but eventually through a combination of cell phones, land lines, Skype and Facebook, I was able to talk with everyone and confirm that we were okay. The kids stayed at school until evening and then went home with friends. Hydi was stuck in traffic that basically gridlocked almost all of Eastern Japan. She ended up spending the next 12 hours driving a route that normally would take no more than 2 hours. I was faced with a decision… all the trains were stopped with little hope of restarting any time soon. It was too far to walk home unless I was really desperate. I was offered a place to spend the night at the church but in the end I asked if I could borrow a bicycle.

The other pastors looked at me like I was crazy, but I guess I’m sort of used to that. I pulled up Google Maps and mapped out my course, which was right around 40km (25 miles). A member of the church there generously agreed to lend me his bike; a little shopping bike with a basket in front and a seat that is about 7 inches too low for me! I left the church around 8PM which meant I needed a light. You can actually get ticketed by the police here for riding a bike in the dark without a light. Japanese shopping bikes have these wonderfully eco-friendly lights that draw their power from the spinning tire. But that means turning them on significantly increases the drag. With 40km ahead of me on a tiny bike I wasn’t about to try that so I happened to see a bike shop just a block or two from the church.

The front door was locked but there were still people inside so I knocked. It was sort of embarrassing because this was one seriously high-end bike shop with countless bikes on display with price tags in the thousands of dollars! But when I explained my predicament they were eager to help and sold me a little battery powered light. And while I was paying for it the owner went out and put air in my tires while instructing another staff member to oil the chain, and yet another to go get a pair of gloves for me. They insisted I take the gloves for free and sent me on my way feeling downright blessed!

The next four hours were actually much more pleasant than I had expected. Every main road was completely clogged with traffic, and there were more people walking the sidewalks than I’ve ever seen. I was warm and felt incredibly fortunate to be moving faster than everyone around me, both in cars and on foot. I only had to ask directions once at a gas station and the guy was again incredibly helpful, drawing out a detailed map on the spot.

Tokyo suffered very little structural damage from the earthquake. I only saw two buildings with damage. But I was powerfully reminded of just how delicate a system this place has. When trains shut down the inconveniences are massive. It was reported that over one million people had to walk long distances to get home last night. The lines of pedestrians just went on and on; even when it was almost midnight.

And yet… as memorable as all of this was, it only takes a few minutes of news reports to realize that my story is immeasurably insignificant in comparison to the horror experienced by so many. Entire towns were swept away, leaving nothing but rubble. Houses, cars, trucks, and boats all tossed around like toys in a bathtub. Survivors aimlessly walking around looking for something, anything that might be familiar. Three and four story buildings that were completely submersed by the waves, with all sorts of evidence strewn on their rooftops.

I’m never good at coming up with spiritually deep conclusions at times like this. But one thing is clear; when I see people suffering there is a pain in my heart. Please join me in praying for those who are hurting. In the past I’ve had the opportunity to join in the relief efforts after the large earthquakes in Kobe and Niigata. Perhaps those doors will once again be opened!