by Philbert Ono
Due to the threat of mosquitoes carrying dengue fever from August 2014, Yoyogi Park has been closed to the public since September 4, 2014. Here are a few photos of along the fringe of Yoyogi Park on the weekend of September 20-21, 2014. We just have to wait until colder weather for the mosquitoes to die. The birds, bugs, trees, etc.,
» Read moreWhen an earthquake in Japan is reported overseas, the problem is that they only report the magnitude of the epicenter (usually offshore). They don’t usually report the magnitude in the populated areas. This is actually more important than the epicenter’s magnitude (unless the epicenter is under a populated area). A magnitude 6+ quake was reported today. That’s very strong, but
» Read moreWhen an earthquake in Japan is reported overseas, the problem is that they only report the magnitude of the epicenter (usually offshore). They don’t usually report the magnitude in the populated areas. This is actually more important than the epicenter’s magnitude (unless the epicenter is under a populated area). A magnitude 6+ quake was reported today. That’s very strong, but
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Prayers, a minute of silence, and memorial services were held at many places. Most of the TV stations aired 3/11-related programs for most of the afternoon. Despite their unimaginable and tragic loss of family, people who were interviewed about their experiences still had moments to smile or laugh. Somehow that brought me great relief.
» Read morePeople refer to 3/11 as a triple disaster. But it really was a quadruple disaster. The fourth disaster was the sensationalist and negative press coverage by the overseas media. The mainstream media did severe damage to Japan’s economy by frightening away foreign residents/students and tourists alike. As if the entire country of Japan were in peril when in fact, only
» Read moreNorthern Japan got hit with a major earthquake today on March 11, 2011. We felt it in Tokyo as well, and it was the worse earthquake I ever experienced. I was at home and rushed out as soon as it became clear it was a big one. We had a few aftershocks and it was hard to return home, fearing
» Read moreLast Nov. 2010 was a buying frenzy for TVs in Japan. Electrical appliance stores sure made a killing with so many customers every day until Nov. 30, 2010. I was one of them, and in late Nov. 2010, I waited behind 30 people for about an hour to get hold of a salesman at my local Yodobashi Camera store, a
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