Japan quake and tsunami: one family, reunited

"Shoko Ono, the 23-year-old who took the $800 taxi ride from Tokyo, completes the last part of her journey to her parents' house on foot. The family dog welcomes her to a home largely undamaged by the earthquake, and a mother stunned by her arrival. There's no hugging or kissing, just gasps of surprise and shock as she stands and bows to her parents. They bow, too -- the emotion of the moment palpable, even though nobody touches anyone."—NPR All Things Considered (audio here).

• [metafactory]

  I heard this story on NPR and am kind of fascinated by the fascination with difference in emotional expression. No one touches! no one kisses! I’m reaching for the language to express my vague sense of discomfort and unease with the way that this was reported but I can’t quite put my finger on it. I don’t doubt the reporting is sincere but it seems that there is a lot going on in that relatively simple observation and statement.

  • [Rayonic]

    I’m reaching for the language to express my vague sense of discomfort and unease with the way that this was reported

    It sounds like he’s an anthropologist on safari. “Here we see the rare Humanus Japanicus. This group is in a state of high stress and anxiety, but witness their legendary Japanese stoicism.”

    “And now we see an unexpected meeting between parents and offspring. Note the greeting ritual: Small movements and no touching. Scientists believe this is learned behavior.”

    Definitely a creepy vibe.

• [Anonymous]

  I was listening to this on the way drive home, started crying on the tollway. The expression in their voices, you never would have thought all they did was bow if the reporter hadn’t said anything.

• [Anonymous]

  grimc,

  The story clearly states that she took trains first, then taxis for the remainder of her journey. Did you listen to the story?

  • [grimc]

    That’s what I was saying. The posted NPR snippet, which teapot was reacting to, suggests that the taxi ride was all the way from Tokyo. NPR got it right at the start, then muddled it up later in the same piece.

• [teapot]

  Jackass is on a mission.

  It’s classic that you are criticising that my original comment was “self-important and adds nothing to the conversation”. Well, look again Jackass…. Remember my first reply to you? “We need more stories like this and less like OMFG RUN ITS CHERNOBYL MKII! LOOK AT IT BLOW UP ON REPEAT!”
  ^That is the point. I liked the story, especially in comparison to the scare-mongering going on by people who didn’t know a thing about nuclear power generation until they suddenly became experts on Saturday (read: you).

  So… your first comment is to criticise a comment which you feel is self-important and doesn’t add to the conversation? What kind of addition to the conversation is that? Classic case of the Jackass calling the teapot black.

  You didn’t even adequately respond to Canuck’s questions with your alleged debunking.
  Questions: “Which officials said there were no problems? When?” “Which of them said it was no big deal?”
  Your Answer: “US military worked to put out fire at Japan’s Fukushima No. 4 reactor”
  Your non sequitur response show you are clearly still full of it.

  Chado:
  a) wrong
  b) unlikely
  c) possible
  d) wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong
  e) possible
  f) “etc.” doesn’t count as a point

• [teapot]

  Obviously the gravity of this event has switched off people’s ability to detect humour.

  1) She’s 23. It’s likely as impossible for a 23-year old to rent a car in Japan as it is in America.

  @anon: Presumptions, presumptions. I rented a 2t truck in Tokyo at the age of 22. The world is not just a giant version of America, you know?

  2) Do you seriously imagine that every rental car in the greater Tokyo metro area wasn’t snapped up by more eligible and wealthier people by….oh, say, 6:00 pm the night of the quake?

  As I have already mentioned my comment was clearly a joke, but I will tear your comment apart just for practice. Do I seriously imagine your given example situation was true or reflective of the situation in Tokyo? No. You, my friend, were trying to escape from a dangerous place. This situation is her going to a dangerous place. Furthermore the supply of rental vehicles in Tokyo is absolutely incomparable to the supply in New Orleans. When an earthquake hits, people’s first thoughts are not “You know what? Forget the fact that everything around me is shaking and falling apart, I’m going to rent me a car! kthxbai”

  This is quite possibly the stupidest criticism of someone’s reaction to a massive national tragedy I ever heard of.

  @Jack: Yeah, cos LOL dogs are a far more appropriate response. Jackass, more like it.

  • [Jack]

    If I made a bet you’d bring that petit thing up, I would have won. You know what, I said I debated whether to post that and did so on a whim. The joke is targeted at anyone saying that the problems at Fukushima Dai-ichi are “no big deal”; there’s a lot of denial going around in this mess and that is true comedy because it’s horrific.

    You personally criticizing someone who spent time and energy to reach their parents in a disaster? Get a life.

• [teapot]

  Jack, you have a long history of irrelevant and simplistic comments. Point out to me where I am criticising her? The last line of my comment (I know it was 3 paragraphs, which is 2 more than you are used to reading on the back of a cereal packet):

  “We need more stories like this and less like OMFG RUN ITS CHERNOBYL MKII! LOOK AT IT BLOW UP ON REPEAT!”

  Makes it pretty clear to anyone with half a brain that I appreciate the human aspect of the story. Maybe you are just cranky cos my comment actually criticises fools like you who are keeping on about the nuke issue, being led on a leash by mainstream media.

  You’re making LOL dogs images? I think we know who needs to get a life.

• [Jack]

  Teapot, and if I made a bet on you coming up with ad-homimen attacks based on the fact I still do not accept your troll-ish logic, I would have won again.

  I don’t have to quote one thing from your post. The whole thing is self-important and adds nothing to the conversation and was made without you clearly even clicking the link on the piece to read the whole piece. She took a train, then a taxi and then walked the distance

  So please keep on pointing out I made an LOL dog mocking the reaction of folks saying there are no problems at the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors. If you know anything about comedy you would know one thing: The utter denial of the Japanese energy officials and plant managers is horrifically and comedically in denial. THAT needs to be mocked.

  You saying: Is there a reason she didn’t rent a car? You could rent a damn good car for $800. Imagine how shocked they would’ve been had she rocked up in a Lambo. is tone-deaf to what she did, the rush to post shows arrogance, and your lack of humility shows you are a schmuck.

  Seriously, can you make a joke about the ding-dongs who say that 3 reactors near meltdown and a population being evacuated is no big deal? Or are you one of them?

  Really, get a life.

  • [Ugly Canuck]

    Which officials said there were no problems? When?

    Which of them said it was no big deal?

    You’re full of it.

    • [Jack]

      Make up your mind which thread you are trolling me in. I’m currently posting info in this thread that debunks the ”You’re full of it” comment, kind sir: Report: US military worked to put out fire at Japan’s Fukushima No. 4 reactor

• [ChadoSan]

  Youz guys should act less western and more Japanese. Overlook each other’s errors and remain steadily headed toward the betterment of information use and digestion.
  Argue privately, please.

  I’m guessing she didn’t rent a car because a) car rental is not as common or practical in Japan as it is in other countries b) the cars were gone c) she simply didn’t think of d) the process for renting a car, like everything else in Japan, requires a laundry list of documents and paperwork that requires a lot of time, effort, and possible repeat visits to the rental facility e) she doesn’t have a driver’s license f) a number of other possibilities.

  Also, especially in an emergency situation, Japanese people look for the simplest way to take care of a problem. Money is obviously not as relevant in such a situation. You might agree that getting home to see your family is much more important than paper with imaginary value.

  Ne?
  ね？

• [Manooshi]

  I heard this story on NPR on the way home from work today. It totally made me cry. Poor Japan. :(

  Also, it’s sad that transportation is so expensive in there…

• [Antinous / Moderator]

  Compose yourselves or I’m going to take an ax to this thread.

• [awjtawjt]

  I heard that broadcast and started to cry. It was very moving.

• [spocko]

  $800 dollars? What is that 1/2 mile?

  /taxis in Tokyo are expensive.

  • [teapot]

    Taxis are actually OK value in Japan, you just don’t want to be going long distances.

    As you can see from this image the first 2 kilometers of your journey will cost 660 yen, irrespective of time taken. Some taxis are around the 550 yen mark for the first 2 Kms, and the majority of them become more expensive after a certain time (midnight, I believe).

• [teapot]

  Is there a reason she didn’t rent a car? You could rent a damn good car for $800. Imagine how shocked they would’ve been had she rocked up in a Lambo.

  Anyway, good to know everything is cool for her. Now when the international news media has finished milking the situation for every scare-mongering revenue dolla they can get their hands on maybe they should turn around and make a donation. It scares me to consider how much must have been raised by news websites’ web ad clicks on earthquake/tsunami stories over the last few days.

  We need more stories like this and less like OMFG RUN ITS CHERNOBYL MKII! LOOK AT IT BLOW UP ON REPEAT!

  • [Anonymous]

    Did you read the post? 1) She’s 23. It’s likely as impossible for a 23-year old to rent a car in Japan as it is in America. 2) Do you seriously imagine that every rental car in the greater Tokyo metro area wasn’t snapped up by more eligible and wealthier people by….oh, say, 6:00 pm the night of the quake?
    Rental cars were unavailable within hundreds of miles of the Greater New Orleans are by Sunday noon, before Katrina hit. I drove my parents c. 350 miles to get a motel room — booked from New York by my sister.
    Why don’t you ask why she didn’t just get a stretch limo?

  • [grimc]

    She took a taxi after taking trains as far as she could. Bad NPR.

  • [Jack]

    Is there a reason she didn’t rent a car? You could rent a damn good car for $800. Imagine how shocked they would’ve been had she rocked up in a Lambo.

    This is quite possibly the stupidest criticism of someone’s reaction to a massive national tragedy I ever heard of.