Yesterday I was having a conversation with a coworker, and it eventually came around to the inevitable. “No, I’m not going back to America. I don’t want to go.”
“Really!?” My coworker said with astonishment. “Fu-sensei, come here! Listen! Alice-chan doesn’t want to go to America! She doesn’t want to go home! Amazing!”
But Japan feels like home. This is where I plan to be for a long, long time (much to my family’s dismay, I’m sure!) I don’t currently even have any scheduled trips back to North America, and I’m ok with that. It might be nice to go back in the summer to see some friends, but if it’s not possible I’ll be ok.
The decision to stay or leave is a very personal one, and everyone has different concerns and priorities. Many people have said that they’re going home just so that their mothers will stop worrying.
I’m lucky because we haven’t had anyone crying or screaming or begging us to come home as many of our friends have. It’s hard watching them leave, one by one, wondering if they’ll ever come back. A small part of me wonders why no one’s been begging us, but I think perhaps they know it wouldn’t do any good.
One of the things that keeps running through my mind is that if we had to experience a major natural disaster, Japan is easily one of the best places in the world to be. As many people on Twitter said, the headline you probably wouldn’t see was “Millions saved in Japan by good engineering and strict Government Building Codes.” It’s true. There’s also been precious little looting or civil unrest, despite what some foreign media would have you believe.
What do you think? Stay, go? If you’re in Japan, are you staying? Also, check out Sean’s Facebook Page about it, “I Support Japan, and I’m not going anywhere.”
superhappyawesome.co 
Nobody begged me because I told them right off the bat that I wouldn’t go, I think. That, and my parents have been kept abreast of the actual news, rather than the scaremongering. This is my home, and even though I’m gonna have to leave it in October (which…suuuuucks), I’ll find a way to come back.
Crap, October? That does suck! Do you know where you’re headed next?
“Home”, as described by the Navy.
AMEN! I’m with you on this one. I know that my family would be happier if I were to go home, but they know that I’m a GROWN ADULT and that I have a LIFE here. I can’t just pack up the past 2 years of my life at the drop of a hat and fly back across the ocean to never see my friends, my boyfriend, or my HOME again. I feel so bad for people who’s families CLEARLY only believe what they see on FOX and are screaming for their ‘babies’ to go home. We’re all adults! If we’re big enough to make the choice to come here to live, aren’t we big enough to make the choice to stay? I have a handful of friends who were guilt-ed, forced, and “recommended” to go back to their home countries and I know they didn’t want to go!
I DO respect that people have their own reasons.
I’m just grateful that my reasons for staying are respected as well.
If I had the option to “like” a comment, I would! I agree with this exactly–especially the last line!
I support Japan and… I wouldn’t be going anywhere if I hadn’t already booked my ticket last December! (>_<) I'll be back as soon as I've saved up my pennies!! (*^^)v
It's sad that so many are leaving because of fear, families' fear, etc. I'm glad you're staying – I need to live vicariously through you! hehe.
Haha, yeah, the timing is crazy for you! Are you planning on coming back ever? Have you sorted what you’re doing next?
Oh hell yeah – I’ll be back ASAP!! I’m hoping to get into the travel industry and I want to work for a Japan tours company of some sort – encouraging Brits to take tours in Japan. Not the best time to be doing that in some ways but… がんばります！
I’m staying. Haven’t considered anything else.
Glad to hear it!
We’re building a house here, this is my home, and I am not leaving.
You’re building a house here? Very cool! So you’re definitely in for the long haul, eh? 🙂
If you wish to stay that i awesome. As far as i am concerned i have a trip to japan on the 23rd, im still going. Some of my friends and family seemed worried but i assured them where i will be going and that i will call them. I have no fears about my journey and even with such a great tradgedy i would rather be there then here. Especially if i plan to make a donation i wish to do so there.
I think you guys will be more than fine–Tokyo is pretty much back to normal, and you’re not planning on coming farther north than that, right? Trains are still disrupted up here, and we still have the blackouts, but it’s really only the Miyagi/Iwate that are still troubled areas. I’m glad that you’re still coming! 🙂
I sort of disagree with your portrayal of the media’s attention to the disaster in the above blog. Given, I only read the NY Times, but they did in fact emphasize how building codes, drills, and preparation for earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan saved millions of lives. They also emphasized that there has been almost no looting or civil unrest. In a country that is currently dealing with holding together and providing the basics for the hundreds of thousands of now homeless people, as well as those who may be unable to return to their homes because of radiation, I think it makes a lot of sense for foreigners in home stays or in regions where there may be a lack of housing due to the influx of refugees to return to their home countries. At the same time, all foreign language professors or other foreign professionals leaving isn’t doing the country any good either.
It’s not really the NYT that’s been the problem–if you follow the link, you’ll see many examples of the fear mongering & panic porn that has been passing for “journalism” in recent days. I mean, look at this map from Fox News:
http://www.mediaite.com/online/did-fox-news-misidentify-a-japanese-nightclub-as-a-nuclear-power-plant/
Obviously I don’t consider Fox to be a go-to source for journalistic integrity by any means, but if you think about how they report on any topic, and the number of people that DO consider them to be their number one source for information? It’s a frightening prospect.
One of the most telling things I’ve see so far was actually a positive statement at the end of this article:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/03/18/fukushima_friday/
By the way, how did you find the blog? I notice you used to live in Takasaki? Very cool!
I’m lucky that my father was a nuclear engineer in the 70’s, specializing in nuclear disposal. He made it clear that while he welcomed a visit from me anytime, he did not find it necessary to go home. He in fact was amused at much of the coverage as he emphasized that any comparisons to Chernobyl were ridiculous. However, other friends and family were going nuts and messaging me constantly. The number of people who suddenly became “scientists” overnight by watching CNN and reading the New Yorks Times was unbelievable. The implication that my father was not looking out for my best interests was also incredibly irritating. All other nuclear scientists I know (whether retired or still in the field) also agreed that there was no reason to leave Tokyo. In the end, it’s better to trust experts than a bunch of talking heads. Eric also panicked but we were all able to talk him out of evacuating us. I’m glad I held firm, but I was so cranky by the end of the week. (Actually, I’m still really cranky when people send me America media links coupled with a bunch of chat messages still trying to convince me to leave.)
I’ve been in Japan for most of my adult life. We own our home and have invested heavily into it. If I am going to have to give up the comfort of my own home (and let my fish and plants die), there better be a damn good reason for it and not some crap CNN made up for ratings. Things aren’t fully back to normal here and won’t be for some time, but this ongoing episode has emphasized to me that Tokyo is indeed home.
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