"How calm everything was, no horns blaring, no pushing, shoving, swearing'

IRISH RESIDENTS:A Dublin woman living in Naka Meguro praises the Japanese people for their calm reaction

WHILE SOME shortages of fresh food continue – of milk in particular – the largest shortages are of non-perishables items such as torches, batteries, radios and toilet paper.

Irish residents said most households would have kept up a permanent supply of emergency food and other requisites. But there had been an element of stockpiling in recent days and supermarkets were only being supplied on a day-to-day basis.

Native Dubliner Agnes McMorrough, who lives in Naka Meguro, near Shibuya in Tokyo, said most state schools remained open, but at her son’s school, tea was now being given out instead of milk due to shortages.

“My local supermarket still has plenty of fresh foods and today had plenty of boxed lunches. However, it is finding it hard to keep the non-perishables on the shelves. The Starbucks next door was running as normal with plenty of pastries and sandwiches.

“As much as possible, everyday life is continuing with as little disruption as possible. Last week I scheduled a repair man to come service my gas cooker yesterday, and he rang to tell me what time he would be here and he arrived as promised,” she said.

McMorrough said most people were very concerned, but calm, and believed the information the Japanese government was transmitting to them. She said the opinions of the international nuclear experts they were seeing on television were reassuring. People understood there had been some release of nuclear radiation, but the amount in the Tokyo area was small. She said people were not expecting a Chernobyl-like disaster.

She said she has been exchanging support and offers of supplies with about 14 other Irish women married to Japanese through their own Yahoo group. In the last 24 hours she said regular television programmes had returned on the state broadcasting channel.

Members of her group had praised the Japanese people for their calm reaction to the crisis. One recalled walking home on the day of the quake and being amazed at “how calm everything was, no horns blaring, no pushing, shoving, swearing. The police took out maps and drew maps and directions for me in two different Kobans [police boxes], even though some of them had been at work since early morning. They were cheerful and helpful. I think this is a tribute to the common Japanese person. They realise the severity of the situation, but they don’t complain or dramatise and just get on with it.”

The worst experiences were media images of people searching for children in the wreckage on Sunday, McMorrough said.

While some expatriates on working contracts had already left Japan, McMorrough said members of hers and other similar networks, such as the Association of Foreign Wives, were staying. “I am quite happy here and not ready to flee yet,” she said.

JAPANESE EMBASSY OPENS BOOK OF CONDOLENCES

“Following the tragic earthquake and tsunami that hit our country on the afternoon of March 11th, 2011, the Embassy of Japan in Ireland has opened a book of condolences.

“The book of condolences, opened yesterday, will be available at the premises of the Embassy of Japan (3rd Floor, Nutley Building, Merrion Centre, Nutley Lane, Dublin 4) as follows:

Friday, March 18th: 9.30am to 4.30pm

Tuesday, March 22nd: 9.30am to 4.30pm

Wednesday, March 23rd: 9.30am to 4.30pm.”

For further information, please contact the Embassy of Japan at 01 202 8300 or cultural@embjp.ie