A volcano in southwestern Japan erupted Sunday after nearly two weeks of relative silence, sending ash and rocks up to four kilometres (two and a half miles) into the air, a local official says.
It was not immediately clear if the eruption was a direct result of the massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked northern areas Friday, unleashing a fierce tsunami and sparking fears that more than 10,000 may have been killed.
The 1,421-metre (4,689-feet) Shinmoedake volcano in the Kirishima range saw its first major eruption for 52 years in January. There had not been any major activity at the site since March 1.
Authorities have maintained a volcano warning at a level of three out of five, restricting access to the entire mountain.
Here are pictures from a lesser eruption earlier this year, complete with volcanic lightning:
When it rains, it pours, so they say.
I actually applied to the JET program last year. I was put on the waiting list because I was still married and my divorce hadn’t finalized… and I think this affected how the program viewed me. Something like 70% of married women are stay-at-home wives/mothers. I think they were worried that the placement would affect my ability to be a good cultural ambassador.
Let me just say… I’ve never been so glad to be turned down in my life! I was accepted to Columbia University in 2001… and we all know how that turned out. One major disaster in my life is enough! (I lived in NYC from 2001-2004 and it was a particularly trying time in my life. The culture shock of moving from Texas to NYC was hard, amplified by the worst terrorist attack in American history.)
My cousin (who is my dad’s age and I sometimes call my uncle) and his daughter live in Japan. They are ok, but I wouldn’t want to be there now, dealing with all of this death and destruction. It’s strange, because Japan will probably be a very safe place to be over the next year or so when the after effects wear off. The destruction has happened. The energy is spent. It is a bit like NYC after 9/11. Yet, tourism will likely suffer. The Japanese economy at large will likely suffer.
Maybe I should re-apply to the JET program…. they might need someone like me now, who knows?
Go for it! Even if it means to leave your trusted environment to a completely different one.
And if it turns out not to be your thing, you can always go back.
But I don’t know where the sun does shine more – in Texas or in Japan? :)
I strike at thee.
Knowing how g0d works since S/He/IT is pounding the schite out of Japan and S/He/IT’s accurate aiming ability, this must mean that some state in USA is supporting gay marriage and S/He/IT is really pissed about it!
Or are Jen & the girls really being immodest this week end?
To those who say all this is god’s judgment, I say then he must be really pissed at people who live near water, the 04 tsunami, Katrina, now this. He doesn’t seem to bother with, say, Iowa.
Just have to say those photo’s are awsome.
I just saw this item: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwest/100079703/why-is-there-no-looting-in-japan/ Apparently, everyone is wondering why there’s no looting going on over there. I mean, how is that possible? The Japanese aren’t Christians. What’s keeping them moral?
The slight upside to honor-based cultural ethics, I suppose.
All the same, honor-based cultures creep me out some. Don’t know if you ever watched Caprica, but there is one scene in particular that illustrates perfectly what I’m talking about.
SPOILER ALERT
Graystone and Vergis are business competitors. Graystone outmaneuvered Vergis and as a consequence the mob takes over Vergis’ business. Later on, as the mob starts threatening Graystone, he meets with Vergis, and offers a partnership to defeat the mob. To Graystone, this makes simple pragmatic sense, but Vergis states that he is more concerned about the honorable course, and about “controlling the time and manner of his own death” and then commits suicide in front of Graystone to drive home the point.
Yech.
(There’s even more context in the show that makes it an even sharper parallel, but it would take too much text to describe.)
Yeah. Now if we could just get people to be honorable without all that honor stuff, if you know what I mean.
Yup.
Sadly, myth deflated.
Probably due to the scale or response. The army is everywhere and supplies are plentiful in Japan for such an event. Most of the army’s actual work is in disaster relief and they are very good at it.
The things we are sending them are things that we know are needed. For example clothes (harder to stockpile), specific medication that deal with diarrhoea (you can never have enough) and luxuries to keep the morale up (Chocolate, tinned fruit and peanut butter). They have adequate supply on the ground and the manpower is extremely well organised and prepared for this with every one in the emergency service working together as prepared.
It’s a lot harder to loot because the breakdown of law has not occurred, it’s still in place with the only difference being that a lot of the buildings have collapsed rather than in Katrina where the cops fled the city and people were left to their own devices for days before anyone came to help. In Katrina the response was so slow that people were forced to start looting to survive which spiralled out of control.
I have done disaster relief work before (Indonesian Earthquake) and there was little looting there because after the Tsunami the government had a plan of how to deal with a future quake. When one showed up they just followed the plan and the transfer between normal working and survival was made with minimum of fuss and little recourse to looting.
Even in the Indian Tsunami there was relatively little looting not due to honour but because the government responded within in an hour to keep law and order and evacuate people and bury the bodies and start clearing the aftermath since India is used to large scale famines and quakes. After the series of earthquakes such as the Gujarat quake they had a plan too.
I think it boils down to planning and government showing how it is done. The more planned and prepared a government is the better the response of the people. If left to starve even the most honourable people will loot.
A
That doesn’t seem to me to be a sufficient explanation. (Although, perhaps, a partial one.) Their culture really doesn’t see the kind of crime we have here in the West.
Less assault and more molestation/groping? Remember they don’t consider that as a great crime. Different people have different acceptable crimes. Something like that would have us up in arms while they regard it as “boys will be boys”.
Yeah. If I see a headline asking, “Why is there no Groping in Japan,” then I’ll be skeptical.
Definitely, the face of Jesus can clearly be seen in that first lightning photo.
maybe some of you remember me here. I live in Japan and things are bad here. :(
I just wish it would stop shaking and it;s one things after another here.
I have power and internet now but I have no idea how we are going to rebuild.
Good luck.
I think I speak for everyone here (except the nutters – you’ll recognise who they are) when I say that we’re all thinking of you and hoping for the best for you all.
Keep in touch if you can.
I’m so sorry Tee! We are here if you need an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on!
good point ^^
wow this is crazy i would have terrified if i was in japan