3 - 11- 11 in Tokyo

Photos and thoughts from the day of the earthquake...

It was one of those bright days that looked warm, but was briskly chilly. Because the sun was shining, our group was excited to get out into the streets of Tokyo. The previous day we had visited a temple in Nikko (two hours north and west in the mountains), and the day before that had been an unplanned travel day as we left Micronesia because our departure plane had a broken engine sensor. That resulted in a six-hour wait at a tiny airport on the island of Chuk for a rescue plane which made us miss our connection thus having to stay overnight in Guam. Nice hotel that the airline paid for though :) ... and good night's sleep in the Hyatt Heavenly Bed.

OK back to Tokyo...

This is our tourist group: Dex Bowen, friend of Brett; Brett Stevenson, Gary & Lesa's son; Mike Raymond, our son; Erika Baldwin, Lesa's niece; Debbie and Scott. Lesa is taking the picture. Kyle is at school and Gary is at the Tokyo headquarters for the church - he's president of the Asia North Area.

Lesa knew the perfect place to take everyone for shopping and culture - and we loved it. We went to the Asakusa area to see the pagoda above and Senso-ji Temple below and to shop on a fun market street called Nakamise-dori that had food booths, sweet shops, lovely Japanese goods, and souvenir stands. 'People watching' here was wonderful too.

Here are some Tokyo girls dressed in their graduation kimonos - darling less-traditional kimono/dresses. They were posing with tourists at the gate in front of the shopping street. Oh, they were cute, giggly girls.

We got on a river tourist boat sort of like this and went on an hour ride on the Sumida-Gawa river from Asakusa to Odaiba - an island with shops and restaurants where we had arranged to meet Gary for a late lunch. We saw all kinds of boats and yachts, and of course beautiful buildings along the way - and unusual sculpture.


Scott loved the bridges - twelve of them that we passed under or saw - each one painted a different color. He photographed most of them. To think that these bridges withstood the movement of the earthquake is a tribute to Japanese engineering and building code.

So, on the boat is where we were when the largest earthquake in the history of Japan hit. We didn't feel a thing.

Everyone on the boat wondered what was going on when off in the distance we saw a large cloud of smoke around Odaiba - in fact Scott and Mike were complaining because the smoke ruined their photos of Rainbow Bridge. No one knew it was from an earthquake.

We wonder if the small boats pictured above felt the shaking or noticed more waves in the water - we did not. It wasn't until we got off the boat to transfer to another boat that we found out about the earthquake and that we would not be going to Odaiba.

From our taxis, which Lesa luckily found and herded us into to head home after getting off the boat, we marveled at how the streets were filled with people who had evacuated the thousands of office buildings and businesses. People were standing and looking skyward, or walking quickly. They had their emergency helmets on. Some were standing holding on to trees or lamposts feeling the aftershocks and wondering if there would be another quake. We felt the tremors - they shook the car as if someone was behind rocking it.

Meantime, as I wrote in earlier blog posts, Gary was in the van waiting for us to arrive at the pier, and he WAS feeling the earthquake. Kyle was in gym class at school and felt it too - and then endured the seven-hour bus ride through Tokyo from school to home.

Our taxi ride through the city was amazingly quick - considering the state of events. I think that we were ahead of the traffic jams because people were still at work and didn't know whether to leave or stay. We arrived at the apartment and Brett ran first up the five flights of stairs. We could hear Brett yelling about what the place looked like.





Poor Lesa - she just walked from room to room in shock. It was so unreal to see so many of their beautiful belongings on the floor some broken and ruined. We didn't touch a thing - wanted Gary and Kyle to see it too.

It was a long evening - waiting for Kyle and watching the sickening TV news. But it was the BEST sight to see Kyle come walking through the back door of their apartment.

I guess what's interesting to me is that life just went on in Tokyo after the earthquake. There was an eerie sense of calm - I would have expected panic in the streets. Our plans were changed because we couldn't travel to Sendai, but we went to Ueno Park in Tokyo and shopping. There was damage to things that had fallen at the apartment - Lesa's beautiful vases, ceramic jars, and china, but no building were toppled etc. It affected Gary of course - he spent the next days and nights at the office organizing the effort to locate every missionary in Japan and then every church member. He's still there morning to late into the night figuring out where to relocate the missionaries that are in affected areas and how to begin to provide humanitarian aid.

Our thoughts were constantly with Gary and his counselors and the church employees who were on phones all night at the church offices trying to locate missionaries and then call their families, and we cheered each time Gary reported that another two missionaries had reached an evacuation center and contacted someone to say they were safe. We helped Lesa take food and messages from their apartment to the offices. We watched the images on TV with shock and sadness - especially Mike because Sendai is where he served his mission. I'm going to try to do another post about that.

We continued to feel lots of aftershocks and tremors over the next few days. It's a strange feeling to feel the earth swaying. But we were able to go sightseeing and shopping and Tokyo seemed busy and moving forward...and unbelievably calm. We experienced NO power outages or loss of heat or water. The subways and trains ran most of the time - though there were brownouts and times when they shut down to save power because of the nuclear situation.

We left Tokyo on our scheduled flight - again nothing changed for us. However, we know and understand that the earthquake changed everything for millions of people and our hearts are there with them.

Tokyo transportation woes

It's Sunday morning in Tokyo. We're waiting for Gary to come back from the train station. He went there to see if the trains are running. They haven't been since the earthquake. Today is the day that Brett and Dex are supposed to fly home - their flight is in six hours at 3:30 pm...the same flight from Tokyo to Portland that Scott, Mike and I are on tomorrow. There is no way to contact the train station or airport. They are not answering phones nor posting schedules or confirming flights on the internet. So we just have to go there and see in person if our flights will leave.

Brett and Dex are all packed and ready to go because if Gary has to drive them to the airport it could take up to six hours to make the one-hour drive. The roads near the airport were flooded and traffic is horrible around the airport. There were 13,000 passengers stranded there on Friday and Saturday before flights resumed.

Gary just called to say that the trains are running. That's really good news for everyone. Brett and Lesa have gone to the ATM to try to get cash to send with Brett in case they can't fly today and have to come back into Tokyo or stay overnight at the airport. I'm glad that they are going today because if they get home then they can tell us what to do tomorrow as far as what trains to take etc.

As I type I have felt two aftershocks. They just keep coming. There have been over 100 since the earthquake.

We're going to church today in Tokyo at Lesa's English-speaking ward. We're supposed to be in Sendai - it's surreal that things have turned out the way they have.

We had a fun day yesterday - life goes on here in Tokyo ALMOST normal. We went to two shopping areas - Harijuku (?) and Shin - something ... forgot.

Mike noticed, however, that it was quiet and less lively. The people seemed subdued. About 20% of the stores and shops had signs hanging on their doors that they were closed because of the earthquake. The little convenience stores and neighborhood groceries were empty except for drinks in the coolers and magazines on the racks. No food on the shelves anywhere. I did buy the last bag of gummi bears at one store and Mike was so happy to see that.

The main roads, subway stations and bigger stores were very very busy though and the stores seemed to be stocked. I wandered around a huge department store and loved seeing all the beautiful housewares, purses, cosmetics, and fantastic food area. Maybe it was busy there because the smaller stores were empty. Well, I have to go get ready for church so I'll post more later. Pray for Brett and Dex to make their flight out.

deb's earthquake notes

This is the email I sent to family last night.....

Hello everyone. This info is pretty disorganized but it will give you an idea of our experiences yesterday.

I just want to email you what I've been writing down - but too tired to edit anymore tonite.

Friday, March 10, 2011 - the day of the earthquake

Scott, Debbie, Mike Raymond, Brett Stevenson, Dexter Bowen and Erika Baldwin are visiting Gary and Lesa Stevenson and Kyle who live in Tokyo.

We had several options of things to do today. We decided to all stay together and visit the Senso-ji shrine and market at an area in Tokyo called Akasakusa...(except Kyle who had to go to school and Gary who had to go to work for a while this morning). From there we planned to go to a pier on the river and get on a tourist river boat cruise that would end up in an area on the bay called Odiva where we would meet Gary for lunch and then drive home with him in the van.

Scott started the day extra early by getting up at 4:30 am to go to the Tokyo Fish Market. Debbie and Mike decided to stay home and attend the 8:00 am temple session in the Tokyo temple. Scott got back in time to go to the session too and we really enjoyed a it in Japanese with headphones for Scott and Debbie.

We then all (Lesa, Brett, Dex, Erika, Scott, Debbie and Mike) got in the van and went to Akasakusa. The market street was filled with people and was actually sunshiney and a bit warm. (It has been cold this week.) We all bought gifts to take home. At the shrine/Buddahist temple, it was interesting to watch the people worship and pray.

We were on the tourist boat for about an hour seeing the city of Tokyo from the water. Suddenly there was a huge ball of smoke around the Odiba area off in the distance. Scott and Mike were taking pictures and commented that the smoke was ruining their photos. We talked about Gary being over there waiting and wondered what was going on. The boat route had us stopping at a dock and changing boats then continuing on to Odiba where Gary was waiting with the van. As we got off the boat the boat workers excitedly told us there had just been an earthquake and we had to move away from the river in case there were waves up the banks. All of the tourists from the boat just sort of stood around wondering what we should do. Lesa saw two taxis at the curb and ran over and told them to wait. She grabbed all of us and had us get in the cabs and get home.

Gary said the van was shaking so hard that it felt it would possibly tip over. The people in the car next to him got out, so he got out. He could see inside the buildings that the lights were swinging. He quickly called Brett before the cell lines went out and told Brett to have all of us go home to the apt. Then Gary got in his van and headed home.

Gary continues: "I got back in the car and it started to bounce and move and then I got a hold of Brett and said to go home and then I raced home and I got on the rainbow bridge and the upper level closed down and I got on the lower level."
Gary said:
"I got behind a couple of emergency vehicles
And I got right on their trail and followed them out of the roundabout and when I was coming thru the city I saw that everyone in the whole city had evacuated the buildings."

We got home in our taxis and were overjoyed when Gary walked in from his ride home.

We walked into Gary and Lesa's apartment and were shocked at how many things had falledn down. Most of the books in their four sided bookcase, vases and pots off of shelves, china and crystal from the china cabinet. A big dresser
tipped over and the food from the pantry and cupboards fallen all over the floor. It was sad to see and Lesa was sick and almost in tears. She stayed strong throughout. They are on the 5th floor. On the second floor where Scott and I are sleeping (the apt of Elder Che who is out of town) there was no damage or fallen stuff.

News on TV at 8pm. Epicenter of quake was 130 km east of Sendai greatest impact was along the coast with a 33 foot tsunami in sendai.

Gary came for dinner at 7:45 pm and said.....

The area office is calling each missionary by their cell phone. We are moving all of Japan missionaries to the inland away from coast.

All this time Kyle has been on his school bus trying to get home. He is about thee hours away but moving slowly. He Facebooked Brett to say that they are stopping for dinner. He can't call or text because the cell lines are down but he can get Internet on his phone so he is communicating by Facebook.

Kyle got home after seven hours on the bus. We were all so relieved when he walked in.

More Gary reporting...

"We Divided the job of reaching the stakes and missions and employees with the area staff.

Everyone (about 8 people) has an assignment at area headquarters to contact missions or stakes. They are meeting hourly until everyone has complete clearance on buildings. missionaries, and members. I have a meeting at eight and every hour after that.

Mike, Dex and Brett went out to the neighborhood store and got back and said the store shelves are empty.

We are all just sitting around here watching TV and feeling small aftershocks. The city is in chaos. it's 10:30 pm which is 6:30 am for you. Gary will be at the office all night I expect. Everyone is just in wait mode to see what will happen in the next few hours and days. Will Brett and Dex be able to fly home Sunday and us Monday? Will the subways and trains start moving? Will we be able to go anywhere tomorrow? (We were going to be going to Sendai), We are grateful for many things. 1. That the earthquake came today while we were all together in Tokyo (except Gary and Kyle ) and not tomorrow because tomorrow Scott Debbie and Mike would be in Sendai and Gary would also be up north at a stake conference. 2. That we were on the boat cruise and not somewhere that would have been dangerous. (Although ironic that it was the biggest earthquake in Japan history and we were in Japan and didn't feel it because of being on the river). 3. That we were on the boat and not at Disneyland - which the kids were thinking about. There were 50,000 people at Disneyland and they all had to be evacuated but there were no subways or trains in service which most of them took to get there. It had to have been chaos and we were grateful that the kids weren't in it. 4. That Gary was able to get across the Rainbow bridge safely - there was a huge metal bar across one section of the bridge road which came down shuttling traffice to one lane and still he was able to get through. 5. That Lesa has lots of food and water on hand because we don't know what tomorrow will bring. 6. That no one was sitting at the dining table in front of the china cabinet when all the dishes and crystal came crashing down. ps One sad thing for me is that we were going to go to the DISH store tomorrow. A huge store filled with dishes. And lots of blue and white dishes... my favorite. I wonder how the Dish Store looks tonight?

in the middle of an earthquake in Japan

This is confusing I know, but I just want to get it posted while I still can. We are literally in the middle of an earthquake and aftershocks and I sent the following words in an email to family. This is overwhelming and wierd...like we're watching a movie. But the earth is swaying and doesn't seem to stop.

We are experiencing an earthquake - but we are all OK - we are at gary's apt. and Gary is at the Area office doing the emergency work that he has to do. We keep having tremors and lots of shaking but the epicenter is north in Sendai where we were going to be traveling tomorrow. It's an 8.9 up north and a 7 here. We are watching TV and sseeing a tidal wave up notrth. It's strange because it doesn't feel that huge, but we are all preparing for another bigger one. Gary called me special from his office to the house here to tell me to get in touch with all of you. we are all trying to stay calm and think through what needs to be done. We were on a river cruise boat when the big one hit. Except Gary was at the place where we were meeting him after our river cruise - he was wiating for us in the car. He said he felt it swaying so much that he thought the car might turn over. Luckily the boat that we were on was arriving at the dock (not the dock where gary was, but one stop before where gary was. ) we got off the boat (Lesa Brett, Dexter Bowen, Me Scott and Michael ) and they said that w that all boats subways trains etc were stoopped. they rushed everone off the pier because of waves and Lesa quickly hailed two cabs and we headed home. Along the way there were thoughsand of people outside of all the buildings many with helmets on - all watching the sky waiting for another quake. We luckily got to the apt after a 15 minute drive through streets with ambulances wailing and crowds of people moving and traffic snarling. we walked into the area office and all hte workers were so happy to see us, but more happy was when Gary walked in. and we are all now safe. Their apt has broken vases tipped dressers, pantty all down, spilled stuff china fallen out of hutch This is the end of the message.

In the time of panic when we got off the boat, it was wonderful to have both Brett and MIchael who spoke japanese as we had to split up and get into two taxi cabs - in case we got separated or something worse happened. It was HUGE when Gary walked in because he had been on the island of Odiva (waiting for us to arrive on the boat) and once we called him (and got through another blessing) he jumped in his car and drove home as fast as he could and got here without incident in the horrible traffic. The church area workers are all gathered in the church offices and cannot leave to go home because of no transportation.

Oh my word it just keeps shaking. The earthquale is continuing - it's weird because it has been just a long series of shakings. Just sit here and feel it rock and roll but nothing as big as the first one that shook the whole apartment apart. The TV is going next to me (I'm on the lower floor of gary and Lesa's two floor apartment) I'm sitting here alone on Kyle's computer and waiting for someone to come and tell me we're evacuating. I think everyone is upstairs wathcing the TV reports. It's hard to know what to do - wherther to leave or stay. I think I better push send and go see what's going on upstairs.

We are just staying in the apartment but

There was china that had fallen out of the China Hutch shattered on the floor, Gary and Lesa's apt is on the fifth floor so they got the worst damage. There is no damage on the lst and second floors of this church apartment building. Gary is working to contact missions so they can call the parents of mssionaries. There is a tsunami in the north area completely immersing the Sendai airpot (where Mike served his mission and Mike Scott and I were going to be traveling to tomorrow (Sat afternoon). I know---you are getting probably more information than we are here.

and now...paradise

I can't even describe where we are right now - except to say that we are so far away from anything and everything that I can't even wrap my mind around it. We are on the island of Kosrae - an island in Micronesia that looks on the map to be somewhere between Japan and Australia. And far far from each. To get here or leave here, one must catch a plane that flies only on Friday and Tuesday.

We're here with my brother Gary and his wife Lesa. This island and others in Micronesia...as well as Guam (four hours away by plane), Korea, and Japan are part of their church assignment - Gary is the Asia North Area President. They are visiting Kosrae for a District Conference of the church members here. Last fall, they expressed that they would love to have us join them for this adventure, so we planned and arranged - and here we are.

We flew to Japan last Wednesday - Mike was with us and we said good-bye to him at the Tokyo airport. He served his mission in Japan and was so thrilled and excited to get back to that country and begin a week of travel to visit friends and church members. We then met Gary and Lesa at the departure gate for Guam and continue our air travel for four more hours to Guam. We stayed overnight there and left for Kosrae early the next morning. By now it was Friday thanks to long flights crossing time zones. We have been overwhelmed with the beauty of this paradise island - very undeveloped and humble - but with tropical scenes and ocean surroundings that take our breath away.

And the people! Absolutely incredible. We have met them at our inn and at our church meetings, and we have been so delighted. These people are precious. They are faithful, articulate, beautiful, and just amazing. When we walked into the church, we were greeted with flower hairbands and shell necklaces and smiles and handshakes.

Because of internet limits, I'm going to post some photos and let the photos do the talking. Hope this works....

* suzy ** snowflake hats *

My daughter Suzie taught herself to knit and crochet last year, and she's been knitting all kinds of things - even learning how to do new and unusual stitches by watching You Tube videos. (Amazing - she says there are thousands of video tutorials on You Tube.)

When she surprised me with this brown hat with the green bow, I knew she was really serious about his new 'hobby.' The hat is so cute! I've worn it a lot lately - because we've had a lot of snow. It stays on well, it's warm, and so fashionable.

Everyone I know is sick of the cold weather and snow storms. We had a little nice spell last month that spoiled us, and now we're back in the deep freeze. Spring seems so far away.

Thanks Suzie-I love my hat! Hope you're enjoying warm days and sunshine where you live!

snippets of writing

I've had no time to blog or journal lately, and I'm missing it. I bought a new Julia Cameron book (about art, writing and creativity), and I just want to sit and consume it. So, I decided I had to put the book in the cupboard (out of sight out of mind), so I wouldn't spend time READING and WRITING stuff. And then I remembered my Susan Branch "Days" book. It's an illustrated week-at-a-glance book with just enough space to write {a little something } each day and love doing it because of Susan's adorable illustrations (and fine quality paper). I've gone in spurts writing in this book, so I have snippets of different years mixed into every page. (I'm careful to always write the date including the year.) And, with spring just around the corner (hopefully sooner than later), the green leafy cover looks cute and 'seasonal' sitting on the kitchen counter or writing desk. Below is the link to the website of Susan Branch where you can buy the book. It can be a gratitude journal or a planner or a place to write down funny things people (especially kids) say or whatever you want to make it. I like this book (almost as much as I like parentheses lol).

Days from the Heart of the Home

my story

It's funny how, when you start to think of something, suddenly that thing you're thinking of appears everywhere. If I learn a new word, for example, I then see the word here, there, and everywhere - though I had never noticed the word nor known the meaning of it before. It just starts popping up once I become aware of it. You know what I mean, I'm sure. This phenomenon is the partly the basis for things like the "The Secret" and other affirmation philosophies. And, to a point, I believe in it.

So, awhile ago, I was asked to write a small program for a church women's event. I mulled it over in my mind for a week and kept coming back to the topic of "story."

My story. Our stories. Women's stories. My Grandma's story. Faith stories.

And, guess what - the subject of story is popping up everywhere for me! I mean, it's uncanny. I can't list all the stuff with the specific topic of story that has presented itself to me in the past two weeks, but I'm relishing every incident. Excitedly this afternoon, I read to Scott an email I had received - out of the blue - that said, "It's a magical thing to be able to, through telling stories, through the magic of their own communication, have the audience almost breathing in rhythm with the speaker."

My interest is piqued. Of course, I'm immersed in Google searches and website browsing. I'm getting too much material, but what a pleasure to read many different takes on one subject.

Here are a few lovely quotes (from brainyquote.com) I gathered this afternoon:

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.
Maya Angelou

Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.
C. S. Lewis

If you've heard this story before, don't stop me, because I'd like to hear it again.
Groucho Marx

I find that most people know what a story is until they sit down to write one.
Flannery O'Connor

The life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story, and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he vowed to make it.
James M. Barrie

The story of the human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short.
Abraham Maslow

I decided to devote my life to telling the story because I felt that having survived I owe something to the dead. and anyone who does not remember betrays them again.
Elie Wiesel

Our past is a story existing only in our minds. Look, analyze, understand, and forgive. Then, as quickly as possible, chuck it.
Marianne Williamson

Read more: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/story.html#ixzz1EZwBmkAy

having a 'snow' ball

When I looked out the back door at midnight tonight, I was surprised to see that the snow was still falling - has been since about 6:00 pm. I took my camera outside to get photos of the deep snow piling up on the lantern and stair rails.

I looked up just in time to see my son Mike with a snowball in his hands. He started pelting me with snowballs and laughing his head off at my protests. I was holding my camera and trying to duck and yelling at him to quit it! He was having too much and completely ignored my pleas that he stop.

Happy Valentine's Day

"No heart so true as mine for you." This is a card that I've had for years and love because of colors - the mix of blue and tan with the red and pink. I put it in a pretty gold frame - it's a favorite Valentine decoration.

Yesterday after church I had Mike take a few pictures of Scott and me. I'm making a scrapbook page for my "One Little Word" class and needed a recent photo. It was painful for everyone involved, but we managed to get one good shot. Most of the time, one or the other of us was talking or moving - or goofing off.

~ PiLLow LoVe ~

I'm not sure if I've mentioned how much I love buttons. Well, I do love buttons. And patchwork and ribbons and black and pillows. And that's why I love the pillows my friend Teresa Lewis makes. They are d-a-r-l-i-n-g. I was the lucky one to get Teresa's pillow as a gift at our Christmas Sew & Sew's party. Yes, everyone was searching for the gift bag that might be from Teresa. And I got it. (I also have her fall and Halloween pillows.) My new LOVE is the Valentine pillow Teresa made for me. Just look!

Have you ever seen so many cute buttons and baubles. How DOES Teresa have the patience to sew them all on?

Teresa - luv you - thanks for making me happy every season of the year!

If YOU need a pillow for a special occasion just email Teresa - it's on her blog. She makes wonderful pillows for bridal showers that have the names of the bride and groom in custom colors. And if you need an extra special birthday gift - you know who to call.