

Awed in Japan

It is the incomprehensible scale of the tragedy that silences you. There's the physical scale: A car perched on the roof of a three-story building in Minami Sanriku, or the 200-ton tug Kazumaru No. 1, swept 1,500 feet inland in the port of Ofunato, smashing every house in its path to splintered pulp.

The Kazumaru No. 1 tugboat, where the March 11 tsunami left it. Image courtesy WGBH.

But there's also the scale of the human tragedy. Rikuzentakata must once have been a stunningly beautiful coastal town. If you stand in the bay and look up at the mountains, the view is lovely, the mountains still and peaceful. But lower your eyes and the scene is of awful devastation. Where once there was a town of over 20,000, now there is a blasted mudflat.

I followed a group of perhaps 50 soldiers from the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, armed with bamboo canes, onto the mud. They formed a long line, waiting for the order, then set off on a careful yard-by-yard search.

Slowly and methodically they advanced, pulling and tugging at every piece of cloth or material they found, partially submerged in the clinging mud. Was this just wasted detritus, or was it a sleeve, a skirt, or a jacket? Was it empty, or did it contain an arm, a limb, a snuffed-out life? You could sense the relief every time it came away in their hand empty. And their pain every time it was a body--a child perhaps, or a mother or grandfather.

Somebody shouted. It was another body. Six men were assigned to dig it out. The rest continued the search. The body was extracted and wrapped in bright blue polyethylene sheeting. The men set off, leaving just two soldiers behind.

They crouched by the body. I thought they must be filling in paperwork, or taking a photograph for the record. Then they stood up, removed their helmets, and bowed. They left the body in its tarpaulin, marked with a fluttering cloth on a bamboo pole, ready for the recovery team that would follow.

When they left I walked closer. The soldiers had not been filling in forms or doing anything bureaucratic; they had been lighting incense. They were just paying their respects.

It has been difficult in this horror to be anything but impressed by something in the character of Japanese people. Sometimes, as a Westerner, you feel annoyed: "How," you chide, "can you seem to accept so easily your government's assurance that things will be fine at the nuclear plant!" Other times you look at the discipline, the self-control, and the sense of responsibility and responsiveness to the needs of the community, and you are truly awed.

Callum Macrae in Ofunatu. Image courtesy WGBH.

At one point we went off to talk to some people and, slightly phased by the situation, I left my camera in the car. Almost immediately I started panicking. Leaving your camera when on assignment is just something you never do. Someone might steal it, and without it there is no point in you being there.

My driver Nickie Matsumoto looked at me as though I was mad. "You think that in this situation someone will break into the car and steal your camera?" he asked incredulously.

You know what: Looting in a disaster? In America, in the U.K.--yes, that is exactly what might happen.

But not here. Not in northern Japan.

Callum Macrae is the producer of Japan's Killer Quake, premiering Wednesday, March 30 at 9pm on most PBS stations. Please check your local listings to confirm when it will air near you.

Correction: March 28, 2001
This post has been revised to correct the spelling of "Ofunato" and "Minami Sanriku."

User Comments:

I am curious about the time difference between the earthquake and tsunami warning. Why were trains running in the earthquake zone if they knew/expected that a tsunami was or might come? How much time did residents have between the tsunami warning and the actual wave? Finally, if the earthquake location was known to be so close to the Japanese shoreline, why was there no cautionary evacuation in case a tsunami came (which would be inevitable, no?)? Thank you.

Thank you for articulating what I have been thinking since this disaster struck. I have such great respect for the Japanese people for their dignity during all of this. I will be watching the special. I wish I could be there to help with clean-up and rebuilding.

My understanding is that it was on the order of 15 minutes between the earthquake in Japan and the arrival of the first waves. Having been in the 7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake in California, I can tell you that it would have taken an AMAZING amount of self-possession and discipline to have gotten it together to evacuate within 15 minutes after the 9.0 shaking. Sirens probably started sounding in the coastal areas within a few minutes of the quake, but the quake itself causes a rush of fear that easily stuns and paralyzes you and 15 minutes goes VERY quickly. I'm sure it took us 10 minutes just to get out of our building and into the parking lot after Loma Prieta. As for the trains, they may have already been off the tracks just from the quake even before the tsunami came. Or stopped for safety and in the middle of evacuating. (They can only go where the tracks are.) I haven't heard reports on that.

It is standard procedure for the trains to shut down during an earthquake. The possibility that tracks may be compromised makes it too dangerous to operate them. The distances to safe refuge is the biggest reason for most people to escape. Couple that with trying help people that are compromised by old age, youth, injury, Etc. Reliance on Tsunami Barriers that were too low, a lack of power, destruction of roadways and confusion. All of these things contributed to the loss of life. It is why I advocate tsunami free construction. They should never allow populations to build their homes, schools and hospitals in areas prone to flooding. At the very least there should be elevated structures in place that can withstand tsunamis. They should be dispersed through out the community at intervals that would allow access to everyone. If they incorporated water supplies, stores and restaurants everything needed for survival would be in place. Unfortunately we have yet to learn much from most disasters so we keep having them.

During my tour of duty in the USAF I had the opportunity to visit Japan. I found the people to be gracious and respectful. They are an ancient society. Maybe if we survive as a society for another thousand years or so we will be fortunate enough realize the value of respect. But for now it seems to be a word that does not translate well into English. I am eager to watch this program and will recommend it to my friends.

While I appreciate Mr Macrae's sentiments, it would be more respectful of him to double or triple check the spellings of place names before he publishes. I did as much for his name. Minami Sanriku. Ofunato.

Although Japan's Killer Quake can be viewed online, due to "rights restrictions", it cannot be viewed from Japan.

Is that not lacking in tact to say the least?

Amazing documentary. I am so grateful for the amazing speed you were able to produce this film and with such depth. I need to watch it many more times. I listen to world news several hours a day but learned so much more through your film.

Thank you for capturing the Japanese spirit and humanity so aptly. It is truly difficult to fathom the amount of devastation. Sound bites do not begin to explain what you have shown us. Like a previous blogger, I wish I was there to help.

Recently I wrote down a Japanese cultural expression I heard. "How does my behavior affect others." It is unfortunate how foreign this concept is to me and I consider myself rather empathic.

Again, thank you for this film and the risks to your health that you and others took so the rest of the world could understand this tragedy.

I thought the report was very informative and educational. Our daughter lived in Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher for two years. She has been back in the US for a year. The Japanese people welcomed her and she had friends there that would watch out for her while there. She still gets cards and mail from the school where she taught and a part of her will always be in Japan. Sendai was her favorite place to visit because of the beauty of the landscape and the warmth of the people.Our hearts goes out to those living in the disaster zone of Japan. Wish We could return the love and care to them that was given to our daughter. Thank you for a great broadcast.

Apologies - you are quite right. this was written in a hurry, but that is no excuse.

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