I suppose it takes something as massive as an 8.9 earthquake and a tsunami on the Richter scale to make me update this blog. As it was- there was no updates because I wasn’t doing much of anything so far- save trying to get L’arc~en~Ciel tickets for their concert in May. Now I fear even making it to May.
Anna, my friend from college, had just come in this past Saturday to visit Tokyo and sightsee things that she would be interested in. As it was- we visited everything anime and Visual Kei related: Mandrake in Shibuya, Takeshita dori in Harajuku (including an expensive visit to Yellow House she left at MY house lol), Akihabara’s Electric Town, and Ikebukuro’s main street (didn’t go into Sunshine City). After a trip to Tokyo Disneyland on Thursday, we decided that we were going to head back to Akihabara on Friday to get more Gachapon Gundams for her. These things are very tiny but quite adorable Gundams that you have to put together. I wouldn’t mind a few for myself XD.
Anyways- we woke up late because we were both exhausted (and I didn’t want to get up- my hip’s been KILLING ME for a while now if I keep moving for a long period of time), and basically ran to hop on the train to Shibuya, catching the Yamanote line towards Akihabara (Akiba). In the midst of all this, I was texting a sick Tyesha asking if she wished to come and that we’d meet her in Akiba and had just texted an okay to her getting ready when we reached the stop Yurakucho- which is somewhere between Tokyo and Shinagawa I think. We were only about 6-8 minutes by train away from Akiba- sitting in the priority seating area (it was empty save for us basically) as we chatted back and forth about the person joining us and what we were going to do when we got there. Suddenly the train began to move from side to side as the Yamanote line going in the other direction began to come into Yurakucho and my reaction was “Hey! Anna- check it out- it’s an earthquake!” We’ve had small ones up until this point so I felt very safe in a way.
But the train continued to shake and move unnaturally- the doors stuck open and Anna and I finally (after about 10-20 seconds) abandoned our seats in favor of the station’s more stable platform- feeling a sense of panic run through me. I’d never been though such a large quake before and all I could do was press myself against the office on the platform and stare at the train as it moved and the ground below us moved as well. I know that my adrenaline continued pumping for a while afterwards as most of us moved back onto the train curiously and cautiously. Only a couple minutes later- with men running up and down the train- were we basically told that it would stop running (as indicated by everyone exiting the train).
So Anna and I made our way down into the train station to look up at the TVs- moving over to one side when suddenly the ground began to move again. There was an immediate rush towards the station exits- everything turned off so that people could run through away from the now dangerous building. In the distance, Tokyo Tower swayed with the might of this aftershock. Anna and I now stood on the street in front of the station- looking up at a Bic Camera store and multiple large buildings in the cold. Everyone had simply stopped where they were and it was strange seeing so many people simply STOPPED in the middle of Tokyo. We stood- wondering what to do next as we watched some signs shake with the movements of the ground again and I rocked back and forth on my shoes (a pair of Shape-ups). I felt nervous and worried but strangely excited I suppose for what was going on- I think that was the adrenaline speaking however.
After this smaller aftershock, a Japanese woman moved up to us and asked us in good English if we were okay- to which we replied that we were shaken up and were okay. She started a conversation with the two of us which a man from Switzerland joined in- stating that he had been up in a club or glass shop (couldn’t figure out which) and all of the glass in the store broke. It put terrifying ideas in both mine and Anna’s heads of the glass running up the buildings above our heads falling down onto people with another quake. Soon after, we all went our separate ways- the man walking towards the still slightly moving Tokyo Tower- and the woman walking across the street through the buildings- leaving Anna and I standing at this station.
We decided to go back inside to see if we could wait for the JR to run again, moving up to the top platform but staying close to the stairs just in case another quake happened. Eventually we grew tired of waiting- the lights in the train being turned off and everything as it sat there. We moved back downstairs- continuing to wait for some news about the train beginning to move somehow. For the next 9 hours- we stayed in Yurakucho, shivering and cold on the stairs- moving into Bic Camera afterwards until we were kicked out of there and then trying to continue finding a way home. When none was found, we decided upon food- quickly eating at the closest non-jammed place we could find which turned out to be VERY expensive. Which sucked. Majorly. Not like we wanted to eat there though but we didn’t know any other way home to Shibuya (Ikenoue station afterwards).
After that- we could see that the Yamanote line wasn’t running- so we finally decided to buck up and start asking (in broken Japanese) questions to the attendants. We (I) asked how to get to Shibuya and the answer was apparently the Ginza line- a subway. One would think it wouldn’t run but we ignored that and ran into Yurakucho’s metro line station instead- quickly beginning to sweat our brains out from the heat there. The Ginza line was found quickly and we tried to run down to it and found ourselves faced with a train literally PACKED with people. Unfortunately- I was unsure of where this train went and IF it would go.
So I walked up to the attendant there and asked if the train went to Shibuya which turned into a conversation like this “eto~~… kono densha wa… ano… Shibuya ni ikimasuka?” (not even sure if I said half of that correctly at the time but I TRIED). And his reply was a bunch of Japanese I didn’t understand save for a word that sounded like “congested”. Which made me reply “a…ah… gomen nasai- wakarimasen…” Which he apparently took as not HEARING him… *sigh* so he repeated everything he said and then did the traditional arms in an X posture which means “it ain’t happenin’” if my experiences of getting shoved out of clothing sections in Harajuku have taught me anything. So my report to Anna: “…I don’t think it goes to Shibuya… I think he said that it’s got too many people.” So we stood there and watched a couple of trains go by- watching the people literally pack into them like sardines- more than anything I’d ever seen before.
Then I got the bright idea to try to get to Harajuku. We could walk from there to Shibuya easily. Unfortunately- the attendant couldn’t understand a thing I said apparently and was just as confused as I was… I think… either that or he just said no again and probably wondered why I wanted to go to Harajuku. So in light of this- the two of us decided to hop on the train anyways and just get further towards Shibuya instead of just sitting and waiting for nothing. Thank you random intuition though, since as we rode the train (with me in almost heat stroke MISERY) we came to realize that it WAS going to go to Shibuya and that we COULD get home.
I now question what the HECK that guy was saying. But anyways- we wound up in Shibuya- happy to be closer to home if not on our way home. We then started towards the Keio Inokashira line with fingers crossed. In shock- we found a large LINE of people throughout the whole station as we descended from where the Yamanote and Ginza lines were. Come to find out- as we moved over towards the Inokashira part of the station- that this large line was for the Keio line. A simple “kono… line… wa… Inokashira sen desu ka?” in broken Japanese got the point across to the policeman who nodded and said that it was the line for the train. Anna and I immediately hopped onto this line and hugged each other going “We’re going home! We’re going home!” or… technically to my home.
This line however, was wrapped extremely far around the station’s insides and it took the two of us about an hour to get through the line to actually get on the train. But nevertheless, we were on the train and on our way home. We were so happy. We got off at Ikenoue with a quick “Sumimasen” and an “Arigatou gozaimasu” from me and Anna- hugged again and started for my dorm. All in all, it was a long day… so the Skype conversation and the phone calls that took place upon reaching home were even more tiring. We were exhausted but happy to be alive and safe at home. So happy.
Even so- I dropped Anna off today (Sunday) at Narita Airport Terminal 1. The line for her flight was LITERALLY wrapped around the terminal. LITERALLY. It must have been at least two or three or MORE football fields long. It took about 2 hours to get through this new line and get Anna all checked in before I saw her off through security and sat down to wait for her call that her flight was okay and was going to leave on time. Upon receiving this message and call- I left Narita and began home- feeling awfully lonely and sick to my stomach.
Now- I’m alone in a dangerous situation. I wish I could’ve climbed in her luggage. But it’s all right- I plan on trying to stick it out and continue through- despite not having much food to eat or anything and the blackouts that will start tomorrow and last for 3 hours each day. I continue to feel as if the ground is moving beneath my feet and begin to panic each time I move myself without knowing it. I feel like I’m all bundled up into knots and I feel absolutely terrified. The coffee didn’t help.
I now need to clean my room, do the rest of my laundry and pack an emergency bag- just in case- as well as contact the US embassy to see what I should do in this situation. But that requires a phone card that I need to get tomorrow morning- which will also be expensive. Hopefully I will be all right.
- One lost and scared American
