Jul 23

Written by: JohnWild
7/23/2009 3:59 PM

So, the two day OKC Tokyo workshop feels like it was a huge success! I enjoyed the students and working with Mr. Matsushita again. Mr. Yamada was a great host and we all worked very hard on some new and difficult technique. The next morning I woke up physically crushed! I was sore from head to toe and 100% exhausted! But it was a travel day and Nazo and I had to leave the hotel and head down to the Onsen by Yamaguchi Pref.

It was tough to get moving but when we got to the train we settled in for our 5 hour ride. After about 4 hours they told us via loudspeaker that there was a huge storm in the south and the last leg of our train ride would be cancelled. This left us about 150km from our next stop. After 3 more hours we were let off the train in Hiroshima and the train station was full with over 15,000 people! There were blue tarps all over the floor so people could sit and wait. There was no estimate for how long. Maybe 5 hours, maybe days, nobody knew. They said tat there was flooding and the tracks were in bad shape, the bullet train could not run.

Nazo and I were feeling worse for wear. Both of our bodies were hurting and we had a decision to make. Should we sit and wait or should we push on. We decided to try and push on. One taxi outside told us he could take us the 150km to our next stop and we jumped in. Traffic moved for the first hour but then it stopped, completely. The roads ahead were closing down, it was pouring rain, and all the trains had stopped running. We inched along until the gas almost ran out, then we stopped at a gas station. He said his cab used a very special kind of gas and he could take us no further. It was a mess.

Our frustration was building but while at the gas station we got word that the highway was closed because of a landslide that killed 13 people. Then reports started coming in about 6 people dead here and 3 people dead there and 40 people missing. There was a story on the news about a nursing home that had flooded and almost washed away entirely. We were not frustrated any more. Now we knew that this was beyond serious and that our situation tough but not compared to the tragedy around us.
We knew we could not stay where we were. We looked for options and there were few. Nazo suggested we try to get a ride with a trucker passing through. It’s not something I had ever done but desperate times right? She was talking to this Trucker and our taxi driver and the night time gas station manager and convinced the trucker to drive us. I jumped in the cab (behind the seats where he had is bed) with the luggage and Nazo squeezed in a little open space in the front. He drove us through the rain for 4 hours. He brought us all the way to our hotel.
We were both exhausted and somewhere along the way I picked up a stomach bug. I was the happiest man alive to reach a bathroom! We both just collapsed and slept for a while. In the morning the News was incredible. There was so much damage. So many people had been killed. It was a real disaster.
I have been pretty sick for the past few days and I could not have been more greatful. Every time my stomach turned I knew I was still alive.
We finally made it down to Yamaguchi Pref. where we are teaching today, tomorrow, and Sunday. Believe me when I tell you, we couldn’t be happier to be here!

jw

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