[Column] Soon it will be one year since I left Japan

Soon it will be one year since I jumped out of Japan with only one laptop and I’m still alive.
When I left there, I was as clear as Mark Rothko about my future.

Last year, I didn’t have any medical knowledge and didn’t know much about internal exposure, but thanks to my sensitive physical constitution, I left there before thinking about too many things.

Radiation exposure (internal and external) is irreversible. I had the first hit of 3/15 and 3/16/2011, but I must be dodging any more unnecessary exposure since last December.

I feel like some people criticize me to say “but you can’t live without donation or hosting.” or “but you <betrayed> Japan.” or “<Everyone> is living normally in Japan.” so I’d brag about that to my grandma in heaven (maybe in heaven). lol

When I left Japan, I was with almost just one thing -laptop. It’s a used one, I bought it for 200USD in Akihabara. The screen is a little broken, it has a pink line in the middle but it’s working at least. That was all I could buy. Clothes, shoes, bags, I was given all of them on the way. To show my appreciation, I write Fukushima diary.

I wanted to show how not dangerous it is to live outside of Japan because some of the Japanese people are really scared of going out. I hope my journals inspired them to think of leaving Japan or sending their children out of Japan.

People who love Japan complain about me. but for me, it looks like there is no hope for Japan. Radiation keeps leaking from 4 reactors and there is no technology to stop it. Not to mention, we have no technology to clean it up. Next year, it will be more contaminated than this year. Supermarket is full of contaminated food and debris is going all around in Japan. No one in power is trying to stop it. Political situation is becoming more and more like before WWW2, and economical situation is helpless because of the crisis with China. When JPY starts dropping off, I think that’d be the beginning of something.

I’d just like to sit on my computer in the quiet place, with no disturbance of “authorities” and look into the world. I think of planting some vegetables and fermenting some food, and beer by myself when I get my own nest with a copy of Rothko so I won’t get low blood sugar symptoms by working too much to forget to eat something. My writing is the substitution of frustration to see Fukushima children having thyroid cancers, nodules and cysts. Eastern Japanese and some of the western Japanese are having health problems too. I can not go and heal them, can not fly the plants to the space.

but I think I’m happy because I can make the most of my life. Everyone must live for somebody some time in your life. I want to be serious about serious things and don’t want to waste my life on thinking about just my life. I think people are to help each other. We do something we can do for others.

I came to US and met some people involved in Occupy movement. Gladly all of them are read Fukushima Diary. At least they know what is happening in Japan.
They ask me what they can do for Japan. Honestly I don’t know. I don’t even know the political and economical situation of your country. but I do my best to give you food for thought everyday, or several times a day. It’s up to you how to cook with them.

One thing sure is doing something is better than doing nothing.

 

 

_____

Français :

[Édito] Ça va bientôt faire un an que j’ai quitté le Japon

Il y aura bientôt un an que j’ai quitté le Japon avec seulement un ordinateur portable et je suis toujours vivant.
Quand je suis parti de là-bas, j’étais aussi clair que Mark Rothko sur mon futur.

L’an dernier, je n’avais aucune connaissance médicale et je ne connaissais par grand chose aux expositions internes mais à cause de ma constitution physique fragile je suis parti avant d’avoir à penser à trop de choses.

L’exposition aux radiations (internes et externes) est irréversible. J’ai reçu les premiers chocs des 15 et 16 mars 2011 mais je dois esquiver toute exposition inutile depuis décembre dernier.

Je sens que certains me critiquent en disant “mais tu ne peux pas vivre sans dons et hébergement.” ou “mais tu as <trahi> le Japon.” ou “<tout le monde> vit normalement au Japon.” donc je pourrai m’en vanter à ma mamie au paradis (peut-être au paradis). lol

Lorsque j’ai quitté le Japon, je n’avais pratiquement qu’une chose – un laptop. Il est vieux, je l’avais acheté 200,00USD à Akihabara. L’écran est un peu cassé, il a une ligne rose au milieu mais au moins il marche. C’était tout ce que je pouvais acheter. Les habits, chaussures, sacs, on m’a donné tout ça en route. Pour montrer ma reconnaissance j’écris le Fukushima Diary.

Je voulais montrer à quel point il n’est pas dangereux de vivre en-dehors du Japon parce que certains japonais sont vraiment effrayés à l’idée d’en sortir. J’espère que mon journal les a aidés à envisager de quitter le Japon ou à en faire partir leurs enfants.

Les gens qui aiment le Japon se plaignent de moi mais, pour moi, tout indique qu’il n’y a pas d’espoir pour le Japon. La radioactivité continue de fuir des 4 réacteurs et on n’a aucune technique pour arrêter ça. Sans parler de ce que nous n’avons aucune technologie pour la nettoyer. L’an prochain ce sera encore plus contaminé que cette année. Les supermarchés sont pleins de denrées contaminées et les débris sont dispersés sur tout le Japon. Personne au pouvoir n’essaye d’arrêter ça. La situation politique ressemble de plus en plus à celle de la deuxième guerre mondiale et la situation économique est sans espoir à cause de la crise avec la Chine. Quand le Yen japonais commencera à s’effondrer, je pense que ce sera le début de quelque chose.

J’aimerai simplement m’asseoir devant mon ordinateur à un endroit tranquille, sans être dérangé par les “autorités” et regarder le monde. Je pense à planter quelques légumes et faire des conserves, de la bière, par moi-même lorsque j’aurais mon propre nid avec une copie de Rothko comme ça je n’aurai pas d’hypoglycémie de trop travailler au point d’oublier de manger. Ce que j’écris est une sublimation de la frustration de voir les enfants de Fukushima attraper des cancers de la thyroïde, des nodules et des kystes. Les japonais de l’Est et certains de l’Ouest ont aussi des problèmes de santé. Je ne peux aller les guérir, ni expédier les centrales dans l’espace.

mais je pense que je suis heureux parce que je peux réaliser l’essentiel de ma vie. Chacun doit vivre pour quelqu’un à un moment de sa vie. Je veux être sérieux sur les choses graves et je ne veux pas gaspiller ma vie juste en pensant à ma vie. Je pense que les gens doivent s’entraider. On fait ce qu’on peut pour les autres.

Je suis venu aux USA et j’ai rencontré des gens du mouvement Occupy. Agréablement, tous sont des lecteurs du Fukushima Diary. Au moins, ils savent ce qui se passe au Japon.
Ils me demandent ce qu’ils peuvent faire pour le Japon. Sincèrement, je n’en sais rien. Je ne connais même pas la situation économique et politique de votre pays mais je fais de mon mieux pour vous alimenter en éléments de réflexion tous les jours, ou plusieurs fois par jour. C’est à vous de voir comment les cuisiner.

Une chose sure est que faire quelque chose et mieux que de ne rien faire.

  1. Hello Iori,

    I honestly believe every citizen on this planet must understand the money system in order to change how things are. People get paid for their jobs from people with a lot of capital. So if you stand up against their ideas, you won’t get income anymore, because you get fired. Everyone with capital automatically gains power over their employees or group. The concept of work connected to money is a bad idea. And the accumulation of money in the hands of just a few is a systemic error.(google “debt money system”, everyone who is interested)

    Just my thoughts. じゃまたこんど。
    Jack

  2. Iori – You did the right thing. I love Japan and its people, but have come to distrust Japan, Inc. and its government. And I don’t fault you at all for leaving Japan and publishing your thoughts and news about what TEPCO, NISA and the Japanese government have done to the Japan I love. Keep up the good work.

    By the way, if your next stop takes you outside the US, I’m thinking Fiji might be a good stopping point en route to New Zealand and Australia.

    Anyone out there have a place for our hero to stay in Fiji?

  3. Thank you for your work. I like sharing news too. I spend time almost every day sending stories about national politics and the environment to some friends and liberal talk radio shows. Fukushima Diary is an important source of information. It may not be a lot but I feel that I am doing something to get the truth out.

    1. Greyhawk – keep up the good work yourself. If enough people do what you are doing, together we will become like the wind and in that way sway the direction of the popular mind and politics in general. You are part of something much bigger than any one of us. Keep pushing.

  4. Congratulations for hanging in there for one year. I look forward to reading your blog everyday I come home from work. I feel deeply for you and your country. I have always admired the culture of the Japanese. I share your work and educate people about what has happened to Japan.

    Lori, you have great empathy and you are doing what is right for you. Your spirit is amazing. I will continue to pray for your health, your youth and your country. May GOD give you peace and the continued strength to continue your work. Haoy Thanksgiving and I am with you in spirit. Please come to visit.

Comments are closed.

About this site

This website updates the latest news about the Fukushima nuclear plant and also archives the past news from 2011. Because it's always updated and added live, articles, categories and the tags are not necessarily fitted in the latest format.
I am the writer of this website. About page remains in 2014. This is because my memory about 311 was clearer than now, 2023, and I think it can have a historical value. Now I'm living in Romania with 3 cats as an independent data scientist.
Actually, nothing has progressed in the plant since 2011. We still don't even know what is going on inside. They must keep cooling the crippled reactors by water, but additionally groundwater keeps flowing into the reactor buildings from the broken parts. This is why highly contaminated water is always produced more than it can circulate. Tepco is planning to officially discharge this water to the Pacific but Tritium is still remaining in it. They dilute this with seawater so that it is legally safe, but scientifically the same amount of radioactive tritium is contained. They say it is safe to discharge, but none of them have drunk it.

Categories

November 2012
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930