The tragedy of Japan

I'm sure anyone reading this will know what I am about to write about. This is just a small piece of what is going through my mind. The great sadness, my thoughts and feelings about what happened a couple of days ago. On Friday 12th march 2011, there was a massive earthquake north of Japan, it measured a staggering 8.9 on the richter scale. Japan is no stranger to earthquakes, but this one was unbelievably big. The damage done by this was nothing compared to the aftermath. The aftermath was a large Tsunami, that destroyed most of the coastal towns and villages. Even a few days after, there is still no idea of the amount of people who have been taken away by this disaster, and it seems it will still be awhile till they will actually have an idea of the amount of people who have lost their lives. With the Tsunami destroying house after house carrying boats and cars and anything else, it will a very very long time till the Japanese can rebuild their livelihoods and regain a sense of normality. And still there was worse to come. The Nuclear Reactors at Fukushima have had explosions causing a potential meltdown. Radiation had been leaking through the day causing people to be evacuated, but now it seems the Reactors have been controlled despite there been more explosions. The idea of a nuclear meltdown would only add more fears to a devastated Japan.

It seems this is the sort of thing that could only happen in movies, but this is reality, and day by day, with more video footages and news of the devastation coming out, it makes me very sad, as it was just a few months ago, that we had visited the beautiful north of Japan. Japan is one of my favourite places. I have been about 4/5 times, and with each time, I never get bored but more amazed. The places are very elegant, peaceful and graceful, and the people I always find are pleasant, kind and proud, for me there really is nowhere else like it.

My thoughts and prayers are for the people and the nation, that they are able to get through this, as they have before through war and previous disasters. I do know one thing for certain, that once Japan is on the road to recovery, they will look back and be stronger as a nation and as a people.