March 11th 2011 Tokyo, 2:46 pm

Friday March 11th 2011 Tokyo 10 am:

Alex, my CouchSurfing host, and Charlie, my friend, and I are cycling to the Asakusa Jinja Shrine. We watch the locals dip metal ladles in a warrior-mounted fountain mounted. They sip the water or wash their hands with it. I want to respect their ritual so I decide not to disturb anyone with my unquenchable curiosity. Inside Sensouji Temple Charlie draws an Omikuji (written fortune). English instructions are provided allowing us to understand at least one of the rituals performed here. Pray. Shake box politely. A numbered stick will appear out of the box. Take the fortune out of the box with the matching number. The temple warns: “Whether in good or bad fortune you should tenaciously do your best. You can carve out your own future.”

12:15 pm:

Lunch time. Instead of reading a menu we look at perfectly modelled plastic food. I throw 250 Yen in a vending machine, out comes a ticket, in I go and cold noodles with cold broth I am served. We eat along side noodle-slurping Japanese business men.

1:30 pm

We are in the Tokyo National Museum.

2:46 pm

A man sitting in front of a painting waves his hand. I'm not sure why.
I hear a deep rumbling. The guy's hands are shaking vigorously now. And it hits me: he's signalling an earthquake. The floor beneath me is vibrating. The glass cases are rattling to the point of intimidation. The paintings have come alive as they hop and bounce off of the walls. Everyone gathers in the hallway away from a potential glass-shard shower. It's weird to walk in a building which seems to be moving through its vigorous and continuous shakes. I thought it would be over by now but the trembles are gathering momentum. The noise is nauseating. I look at the ceiling tentatively expecting it to collapse. The growling and grumbling of the walls slowly decrease, the violent quakes turn into a boat-like rocking until it is finally over. As we are evacuated I see a masked face come towards me. I panic thinking there are injured people but quickly remember that this is Japan, a country full of masked faces seeking protection from allergies.

Post-Quake

We bike through people-packed streets. Some are wearing white helmets to match their masks. An aftershock sends a ripple of panic through the crowded streets. The subways are shut. Queues for buses, phones, toilets and McDonalds make the city seem more like an amusement park than usual. We weave in and out of cars, mopeds, bikes and people. We ask for directions and receive much more valuable information: a tsunami warning.

Quick stop at FamilyMart for heated coffee in a can. People are shoving handfuls of instant soups in their baskets. Hunger or panic? Now we begin our mission: biking safely from East Tokyo to NorthWest Tokyo through hectic, rush-hour, post-quake Tokyo.“Whether in good or bad fortune you should tenaciously do your best...