The situation here in Japan is truly tragic - the number of lives lost is now supposed to be over 10,000, and the destruction wreaked by the tsunami has been enormous. Here in Tokyo, things have been far more stable - no-one has died and buildings are intact. But right now everyone, including myself, is very worried about the radiation spreading from Fukushima, and we're all hoping we survive OK.
When the earthquake hit, I was riding the train to a photo shoot in Ueno. While between stations, the train suddenly stopped in the tunnel, and started rocking back and forth, which continued for a few minutes. Everyone sat with worried expressions on their faces. Finally, the train continued to the next stop - Ueno - and everyone had to get off. There was no more train service that day, and everyone had to walk home. In a city the size of Tokyo, that was a big challenge! My home was over three hours away, so it took a lot of walking to get back.
The pictures here are some snapshots I took right after the earthquake hit. In a sense, there wasn't much to see - just many people waiting, waiting, and checking their cell-phones for news updates, or to contact friends and family. Hopefully, these pictures give a sense of the moment, and what it felt like to be there.
Let's all hope that the people in northeastern Japan are OK, that there aren't any more deaths, that the injured recover quickly, and that those people who've lost someone can somehow mend their broken hearts.
