News from Japan rekindles memory of a kindness from long ago

Ordinarily, I would be celebrating and writing about the first days of spring. But my mind’s eye is too occupied with the scenes of devastation in Japan.

The pictures I have been seeing in the newspapers, on the Internet and on television are heartbreakingly familiar; years ago, we lived near the affected area in a small village called Tokai Mura. Val was working for a New York engineering company that, in conjunction with Tokyo Electric Power, was building one of Japan’s first nuclear power plants. Fortunately, that particular plant was located farther south and was unaffected by the tsunami, but the power plants now in trouble were also designed by Val’s company.

Our family has always been divided on the issue of nuclear power. My husband feels unless we want to be forever dependent on foreign oil and all that that dependence implies, nuclear power is the answer and can be completely safe.

Our daughter, whose first job after college was with Greenpeace, has been and still is, adamantly opposed. I have stayed out of the argument, not because I am afraid of making my opinion known, but because I honestly see the merits of both sides.

What I have learned, however, whether the subject is mining, drilling for oil, nuclear energy, bank failures or food safety, is you can’t expect companies or individuals to follow the wisest, safest and most altruistic procedures.

Governments must put regulations in place and strictly enforce them. Now, in addition to the devastation and loss of life created by the earthquake and the tsunami, residents in many areas fear the effects of radiation. The elderly remember all too vividly the aftereffects of the atom bomb.

The Japanese are a stoic, resilient people, raised from their earliest years to not question authority and to put the good of the group before individual desires. However, this calamity and the government’s lack of direction and transparency has them concerned.

I spoke recently with my longtime friend, Nobuko, who lives in Yokohama, and she mentioned that in addition to the scary aftershocks, gas, food supplies and power outages are making life difficult. Foreigners living in Tokyo have left for Osaka and Kyoto or for home. As is so often the case in disasters of any kind, the ones most affected are the poor and the elderly. The small villages where the power plants were located housed farmers and fishermen; many are elderly pensioners.

I still miss the rolling green of the countryside, the unique pine and bamboo ... their green color contrasting with the red tile roofs and white stucco facade of the simple houses. I remember small, weathered gray fishing boats putting out to sea, and the deeply wrinkled faces of the men in their thigh-high rubber boots.

Of course, I also remember the standoffish, almost hostile attitude of some, but our years in Japan took place not long after the war, and the Japanese have never tolerated “gaigin” or foreigners, well. There were others, like my lifelong friend Nobu, or the grocery boy, Tarusan, whose affection and feelings toward our two small sons was so apparent that despite his lack of any English, came to live with us and became a cherished part of our family.

Of all the many memories of the four years lived in Japan, the one that now haunts me the most and makes me feel guilty that all I can offer is to donate money is this: Our small home in Tokai lost most of the roof during a typhoon and we quickly evacuated to a nearby but substantially built inn.

Returning the following day to start to salvage what we could from the resulting mess of waterlogged and muddy possessions, we were greeted by the sight of a large group of local townspeople waiting in front of our little house. Many of these simple people had never had contact with and still disliked Americans, but they had heard that a neighbor was in trouble and so they were there to help.

I can think of very few other life experiences that have ever affected me as much as the sight of that group gathered in front of our home.

Contact Branford resident Jean Cherni, founder of the retirement advisory service, Senior Living Solutions, at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net, or 15 The Ponds at Hotchkiss Grove, Branford 06405.

LEND A HAND

For Americans wishing to extend a helping hand, donations can be sent to: The Japan Society, 333 East 47th St., New York 10017, Attention: Japan Earthquake Relief Fund.

I'm reading: News from Japan rekindles memory of a kindness from long ago