Research in Tokyo part 14:
Tokyo is an active city. I mean the earth. Last week during a meeting a very small quake happened, everybody went into a total panic. Till that moment I had never realised what an earthquake actually means. For me it always felt like a fairground attraction.
Today I went to a ‘Live Safety Learning Center’. Together with a group of Japanese I followed a course how to survive natural disasters like earthquakes, typhoons and fires. I will never ever call it a fairground attraction again. It started with a 3D movie about what happens in modern Tokyo when seismic waves hit it. The city will be devastated in a few seconds and change into a nightmare.
Humble we followed our teacher to the typhoon-room. Dressed in rain clothes we learned about the strength of rain and wind.
After we had to find our way out of a labyrinth filled with smoke and learned about how to extinguish a beginning fire. We ended up in the earthquake stimulation-room, where we experienced a 7.9 (the Richter scale) quacke. I can tell you I hope I will never feel that again. It was impossible to keep standing; (soft) cupboards fell down on us.
On my way home I stopped at Yoyogi Park because I remembered from 18 years ago on Sunday afternoons rock and rollers come together to dance.
The rockers were still there but these days also many other groups hang out near the park. Tokyo’s teen hipsters (mainly girls) dressed in outrageous garb. The costumes have gone from cool to bizarre. A favourite outfit is the 19th-century French maid’s kit. Black, white, frilly and naughtily sexy. Another eye-catching offering was the nurse’s (goth, punk) uniforms with bits of blood from supposed patients.
They seem to be aware about the dangers and risks of this city!