This picture was taken minutes after the big earthquake on March 11. We were in Tokyo city on the 7th floor of a building.

When all the shaking stopped, we made our way down the steps to the street. As you can see people left the buildings and made their way to the sidewalk.

Once we learned that the trains were no longer running, we looked for other ways to get home; walking, the bus, and walking again. We were standing at a crosswalk and a Good Samaritan came along in his car and gave us a ride. We did not know this man nor did he speak English. He knew we needed help. He drove us to our apartment taking 5 hours. In all, it took us 8 hours to make what would have been a 35 minute train ride.

As we were relocating to Osaka on Saturday, we saw Japan's flag at half mast due to the crisis they are experiencing.

Before we left Musashi Koganei, we felt safe there. We were experiencing rolling blackouts where they would happen at different times of the day. Other cities were having no blackouts. These were certainly mere inconviences for us.
Stores were open on an abbreviated schedule due to helping to conserve energy. Everyone was trying to help in their own way the people of the north.

Now things are uncertain due to the nuclear contamination. We are scheduled to be here for two weeks. Everyday has brought different news that may affect us. We thank you for your prayers for Japan and its people. We had to leave our national friends, and that saddens us.