Earthquake
Everyone probably knows already, there has been a massive earthquake here in Japan.
It's really bad. the casualties are rising, trains and buses are still not running and telephone lines are not working well.
The tsunami warning is still going on, and in some places there are still fires raging.
But of course, you can read all that from the newspaper.
Now, for mayu's side of the story.
mayu's graduation ceremony is tomorrow, and therefore mayu went to to school today for the rehearsal.
If everything had went according to plan, mayu would have taken her school bus from school to Horobetsu train station to take the 3.30 train to Higashi Muroran to meet miya and Jac (who had came to attend mayu's grad ceremony) for Karaoke.
At about 2.40pm, the classroom started shaking.
At first mayu thought it might be just another one of those normal trembles that usually last for 10 seconds.
But the trembles didn't stop and it got stronger and stronger.
After a minute passed, everyone in the classroom was looking at satou sensei in fear and confusion. Satou sensei (obviously quite shaken and equally scared) suggested everyone stay away from the window and that we should get out of the classroom should it shake even stronger. It is the strongest quake mayu has felt in her 2 years here.
Fortunately, the trembles soon stopped and everyone started checking the internet with their phones for information on the earthquake. And it was then that everyone started realizing that the phone lines weren't really working.
Still, mayu boarded her school bus and alighted at the train station, and all the the mayu was trying to call miya's japan phone number but lines were completely down.
At the train station, mayu received news that the 特急 train that was supposed to read at 3.06 had stopped at the previous station and that all trains would be delayed. mayu's 普通電車 was supposed to come at 3.36. But if the 特急 train was stuck, the 3.36 train would definitely be delayed too. At the train station, it started shaking again and everyone was told to leave the train station for safety purposes. And it was only then that mayu noticed all the tsunami siren warnings and the evacuation warnings. (the evacuation warning are meant for those living right along the coast.)
The 特急電車 did eventually come into the Horobetsu train station at almost 4pm. The station master allowed mayu to board with a 普通電車 ticket because of the circumstances. But after waiting in the unmoving train for another ten minutes, mayu gave up the idea of going to 東室蘭, got out of the train and the station master returned mayu her money. It was a good decision because till now, the trains are not moving.
Throughout all this time, mayu was unable to contact miya and Jac who were in Noboribetsu, as well as Shu (mayu's cousin studying in Tokyo.) By now, mayu was pretty much close to crying actually. I mean, hearing all the sirens, the evacuation announcements and watching people around mayu trying to call their families and failing, it can get a little too much, especially for mayu who came from a little island with no natural disaster aside from flash floods.
In the end, mayu went back to her dorm, dug out her singapore mobile phone and finally managed to contact miya and jac via the singapore mobile phone. Apparently, all buses and trains have stopped services in Noboribetsu and everyone has been herded off to the Evacuation Center (避難所). No one knew when the buses and trains would start working again. So in the end, mayu suggested that they try to hitchhike over to Horobetsu, which was really not that far away.
Miraculously, within ten minutes, they managed to find an ojisan who graciously drove them all the way up to mayu's dorm. TwT
mayu was soooooo damn relieved to see that they have arrived her safely.
But then, mayu's cousin shuu is still stuck in Tokyo. >_<
It seems that in Tokyo, no trains or buses are working at all, even now.
Shuu lives in Saitama, which is about 40 minutes away by train away. She went to Tokyo for a 企業説明会（career fair） today, but on the way there, while she was on the train, the earthquake struck. She got stuck in the train for about ten minutes before she got off at Harajuku.
And then, like everyone else, she tried to get a cab since all trains and buses were down. But after waiting in the freezing cold for an hour, she still couldn't flag a cab. That was when she found a bus to Ikebukuro, which is closer to where she stays. But because of the traffic jam all over tokyo, the driver warned that it might take 5 hours to reach Ikebukuro from Harajuku. Thus she alighted, walked to Shinjuku and tried to look for a Manga cafe to stay for the night. But naturally, many manga cafes were full (because no one could go home. >_<)
Last that mayu heard, she was still queuing for the Manga cafe. mayu is praying that she can get in and stay there till morning. And hopefully the trains would start running tomorrow morning....
It really breaks mayu's heart to see her classmates trying to call their families in the worse hit areas and unable to reach them. And to think of those people who are stuck out there in the cold, or in the trains unable to go home. TwT
Hopefully everything will be better by tomorrow morning.
It's really bad. the casualties are rising, trains and buses are still not running and telephone lines are not working well.
The tsunami warning is still going on, and in some places there are still fires raging.
But of course, you can read all that from the newspaper.
Now, for mayu's side of the story.
mayu's graduation ceremony is tomorrow, and therefore mayu went to to school today for the rehearsal.
If everything had went according to plan, mayu would have taken her school bus from school to Horobetsu train station to take the 3.30 train to Higashi Muroran to meet miya and Jac (who had came to attend mayu's grad ceremony) for Karaoke.
At about 2.40pm, the classroom started shaking.
At first mayu thought it might be just another one of those normal trembles that usually last for 10 seconds.
But the trembles didn't stop and it got stronger and stronger.
After a minute passed, everyone in the classroom was looking at satou sensei in fear and confusion. Satou sensei (obviously quite shaken and equally scared) suggested everyone stay away from the window and that we should get out of the classroom should it shake even stronger. It is the strongest quake mayu has felt in her 2 years here.
Fortunately, the trembles soon stopped and everyone started checking the internet with their phones for information on the earthquake. And it was then that everyone started realizing that the phone lines weren't really working.
Still, mayu boarded her school bus and alighted at the train station, and all the the mayu was trying to call miya's japan phone number but lines were completely down.
At the train station, mayu received news that the 特急 train that was supposed to read at 3.06 had stopped at the previous station and that all trains would be delayed. mayu's 普通電車 was supposed to come at 3.36. But if the 特急 train was stuck, the 3.36 train would definitely be delayed too. At the train station, it started shaking again and everyone was told to leave the train station for safety purposes. And it was only then that mayu noticed all the tsunami siren warnings and the evacuation warnings. (the evacuation warning are meant for those living right along the coast.)
The 特急電車 did eventually come into the Horobetsu train station at almost 4pm. The station master allowed mayu to board with a 普通電車 ticket because of the circumstances. But after waiting in the unmoving train for another ten minutes, mayu gave up the idea of going to 東室蘭, got out of the train and the station master returned mayu her money. It was a good decision because till now, the trains are not moving.
Throughout all this time, mayu was unable to contact miya and Jac who were in Noboribetsu, as well as Shu (mayu's cousin studying in Tokyo.) By now, mayu was pretty much close to crying actually. I mean, hearing all the sirens, the evacuation announcements and watching people around mayu trying to call their families and failing, it can get a little too much, especially for mayu who came from a little island with no natural disaster aside from flash floods.
In the end, mayu went back to her dorm, dug out her singapore mobile phone and finally managed to contact miya and jac via the singapore mobile phone. Apparently, all buses and trains have stopped services in Noboribetsu and everyone has been herded off to the Evacuation Center (避難所). No one knew when the buses and trains would start working again. So in the end, mayu suggested that they try to hitchhike over to Horobetsu, which was really not that far away.
Miraculously, within ten minutes, they managed to find an ojisan who graciously drove them all the way up to mayu's dorm. TwT
mayu was soooooo damn relieved to see that they have arrived her safely.
But then, mayu's cousin shuu is still stuck in Tokyo. >_<
It seems that in Tokyo, no trains or buses are working at all, even now.
Shuu lives in Saitama, which is about 40 minutes away by train away. She went to Tokyo for a 企業説明会（career fair） today, but on the way there, while she was on the train, the earthquake struck. She got stuck in the train for about ten minutes before she got off at Harajuku.
And then, like everyone else, she tried to get a cab since all trains and buses were down. But after waiting in the freezing cold for an hour, she still couldn't flag a cab. That was when she found a bus to Ikebukuro, which is closer to where she stays. But because of the traffic jam all over tokyo, the driver warned that it might take 5 hours to reach Ikebukuro from Harajuku. Thus she alighted, walked to Shinjuku and tried to look for a Manga cafe to stay for the night. But naturally, many manga cafes were full (because no one could go home. >_<)
Last that mayu heard, she was still queuing for the Manga cafe. mayu is praying that she can get in and stay there till morning. And hopefully the trains would start running tomorrow morning....
It really breaks mayu's heart to see her classmates trying to call their families in the worse hit areas and unable to reach them. And to think of those people who are stuck out there in the cold, or in the trains unable to go home. TwT
Hopefully everything will be better by tomorrow morning.