3:22 PM - Iodine 131 levels in Tokyo tap water are now above safety limits for babies. How does this happen given the distance from Fukushima and the low levels of radiation being reported? Are we Tokyoites the frogs in the cookpot with more news everyday of incremental increases in radiation? (tap water radiation levels for Tokyo)
2:21 PM - Excerpt from another blog (blog link) that captures the mood of Tokyo ... "The darkness of the capital feels incredibly appropriate lately. Every partially lit shop I pass, is like a flag flown at half mast. Every unlit window is a constant reminder that so many, so close to us, are going through such unimaginable suffering. With so much empathy everywhere I look, it becomes impossible to forget a what I saw in the news today.
At the graduation ceremony for a junior high school in Miyagi, a father attends in place of his son who was washed away in the tsunami. The man holds up a photograph of the boy in a baseball uniform as the accepts his son's diploma.
Moving through the train stations, the signs, billboards, clocks and vending machines that I had always presumed to be constructed of naturally glowing material, have gone dark and are hardly visible.
In Iwate, the results of the high school entrance exam- taken before the earthquake- are posted today. A solemn-faced boy in his school uniform tells a reporter that he really wants to go tell his mother that he passed the test. But she is still missing.
There are over 10,000 stories like these, and likely just as many darkened shops in the capital. So perhaps it's my survivor's guilt talking, but personally, I am in no hurry to see the neon begin burning again."
11:25 AM - Saw some sun today after a couple days of rain. So far, radiation levels in Tokyo remain normal. Nuclear plants generally seem to be moving slowly toward being controlled but will be periodically venting nuclear materials at various levels of radioactivity for some time to come.
No blackouts for us yet, but after the 3 day weekend, today is a business day and demand is up again, so blackouts scheduled. We still get the occasional aftershock and the constant need to check the news for updates on emergency information does increase anxiety levels a bit. Still, compared to what the people of Fukushima are dealing with, it would be selfish to be overly worried about these minor issues.
Progress in getting food, water and gas to stricken areas in Fukushima is being made slowly. 11 days after the quake and still some people in shelters are lacking water and food. This seems inexcusable. This article talks about the government red tape and inflexibility that is stymieing the efforts at relief. Red tape
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