Greetings from Downtown Tokyo: An ATS Member Reports

Hello ATS. It just so happens that old Silent Thunder, having a taste for trouble of all sorts, happens to be in Tokyo for a bit.

I am fine...far better than most, actually, considering the luxurious appointments of which I have availed myself for this jaunt. I witnessed the quake from one of the taller buildings in the city Friday afternoon, following which I walked for about 6 hours through the congested downtown to the very other end of the city. That in itself was a pretty wild experience...as others have observed , the lack of looting, chaos, etc. was remarkable and everyone was quite polite and well-behaved.

I know, I know, "Pics or it didn't happen." OK, here you go. You will have to forgive me, I'm not a very good photographer and I'm not particularly comfortable with cameras anyway, but this is all I can trigger up for now:

Picture One: A not-very-good skyline balcony shot, looking north from central Tokyo.

Pictures Two and Three: In the subway station this moring. A bit empty for a weekday in the world's biggest city, but not deserted by any means.

Pic Three: Empty convenience-store shelves.

I plan to stay here for a while at least, although my associates and family members are urging me to leave. I shall sit here sipping this fine champagne room service sent up and then I shall enjoy some doomsday relaxation with my winsome companion. Such relaxation, my friends, will undoubtedly take the form of a game of scrabble or some such. Enquire no further. Following that, I shall check the markets and settle in for whatever comes next.

I have plenty of supplies and all the trimmings.
I have a high-end Geiger counter.
I have the soul of a true adreniline junkie.
And I have ATS.


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I will be staying here for awhile unless the radiation truly gets unbearable. More observations to come, and possibly photos, although as stated above I'm not a photo person. I'll be happy to take any questions, etc. insofar as I am able to without revealing Personal Info.

What have you experienced thus far? Have you noticed anything peculiar?

Thank you for posting! Great to know you are okay!

All my best to you and your family/friends.

We're all very happy for you

God forbid silen thunder should be inconvenienced

reply to post by silent thunder


Good luck man, be safe. I hope you realize if they can't cool the fuel pool and it evaporates tokyo will be so irradiated it will not be safe to live in for 50 years. Keep us posted with your geiger counter readings, take some more photos of the readings as well, and again, be safe.

Very cool.

I don't mean to ask but can you describe the disaster? If it's traumatizing then you don't have to do it. I want to know because I live in South Cali Los Angeles to be exact and I fear it is next

you are crazy!

I hope you stay safe and healthy.

reply to post by silent thunder


Awesome! How long are you staying? What will you do if they decide to evacuate? Can you get any information from authorities? Is there an influx of refugees to Tokyo?

Don't do anything foolish. Be safe I enjoy your postings.Keep up the good work and tip a glass for me.

reply to post by silent thunder


Can you describe the EQ, how it felt in Tokyo?

Do you understand Japanese? If so, what are the local papers and media saying that may differ from what is being reported in the English media?

Hi silent thunder!

ATS seems to be going crazy with radiation madness at present. Are you measuring any noticeable increase in background rads there?

I have a theory that the reactors are a problem because they are doing some illegal secret weapons work there and that's why they aren't cooling down (they should have started cooling as soon as the control rods were lowered during the quake).

Anyway, have a really good holiday.

Well, if you survive, it will be a riviting story to tell your grandchildren!
Are they still expecting another, similarly big earthquake there soon?

Stay safe.

It sounds like you know how to handle stress Thunder. A little bubbly and a little lovely.

Did you feel the 6.0 (aftershock?) quake that was SW of Tokyo?

Hope you, or your benefactor, have a private jet on stand by in case things head downhill, and downwind for that matter.

Good to know... as I can see by the Copyrighted photos by SilentThunder it seems like the Japanese are very organized.

Originally posted by MyPathManifests
What have you experienced thus far? Have you noticed anything peculiar?

edit on 15-3-2011 by MyPathManifests because: (no reason given)

Hmmm...big question. You know what the most peculiar thing was? I can think of more than a handful of nations I've been in where there was a power failure, a natural disaster, or another way in which the fabric of life was damaged. If you throw in situations of poilitical unrest, the figure is well into the double digits. and NOWHEWRE have I seen such orderliness, civility, and self-control as in Japan. Nowhere.

Beyond that...unusual? Well, Japan itself is pretty unusual even to somebody such as myself who knows it well, but I guess I would say the most obvious difference at the moment is thinner crowds, lights turned off, a lot of shuttered stores, etc. But this is by no means universal. Surreally, at least half the city appears to be carrying on business as usual.

I'm not trying to be all doom and gloom, and I cannot deny nor confirm anything...

But my guess, IMO I must be paranoid....your on an island....not just an island......an island with possible radiation issues...let me give you a very plausible senerio here... ie....actually very likely senerio

One of the guys working "well, was working on 1 the failing reactor/s" tries to take his family and buys plane tickets...to anywhere..
alls cool right?, what happens when the MSM gets a hold of that? When the radiation detectors go off at the airport with him trying to board a plane?
Yet alone questioning if the planes them selves are flying through clouds of radioactive mist like the American Navy did....coating the plane so the ground crews world wide are affected.
It could very easily become a no-fly or transport zone.....

I recommend relocating asap.....but Like I said I'm usually just paranoid.....
Be safe and good luck..

Originally posted by starwarsisreal
I don't mean to ask but can you describe the disaster? If it's traumatizing then you don't have to do it. I want to know because I live in South Cali Los Angeles to be exact and I fear it is next

Hmmm...Let's see. Not traumatic at all, at least for me. I've been in a number of earthquakes, mostly throughout East and Central Asia, where I've spent most of the last two-and-a-half decades or so. This was far and away the worst.

I was up high in a big building and it began to sway with a motion very reminiscent of a boat on an ocean with moderate swells. People were a bit alarmed at first but not freaking out...but the thing just didn't stop. It kept building and building and building. I looked out at the horizon and I could see the various skyscrapers yawing past each other, sickeningly. A big plume of dark smoke rose from down near Tokyo bay.

The electricity was off and I had to walk down many fligths of stairs, which is a bit hard beause I have an old leg injury and use a cane most of the time. I stupidly thought I'd be able to get a taxi on the street. Ha. It was to be days before I'd see another taxi. Then began the long trudge back across the city.

What is up with the volcano?

silent thunder, thanks for posting. i hope you are safe and your family knows it. i hope when you are back in a place where you are completely secure with full access to internet, that you will post longer and more specific answers and observations. i see the cnn and media reports, but feel that not everything is being revealed. I would love to hear your first hand descriptions about the incident and the aftermath in detail. good luck, and thanks for posting.