The streets in Tokyo are always crowded, but when I left the hospital and turned the corner, I found myself in a river of people streaming out of the city on foot, past empty, idle trains and cars stuck in one massive traffic jam. It finally hit me: this went far beyond what residents of Japan were prepared to deal with. This was bound to take a dramatic physical and psychological toll.
The author, Tom Kain ’05, with his wife, Megumi, and daughter, Sara. The Kains spent the days after the earthquake at Megumi’s family’s house in Saitama, northwest of Tokyo. But life quickly went back to normal—Tom returning to work as an instructor at Bunkyo Gakuin University and translator, and Megumi spending most of her time taking care of Sara, who celebrated her first birthday in August.
There were many other CSB/SJU alumni in Tokyo that day. Wakaba Nobori CSB ’06, who grew up in Okinawa, Japan, had received earthquake training and experienced many earthquakes in the past. She reacted calmly, thinking that “this time also it would stop sooner.” When it didn’t, she took shelter under a desk. Kathy Kampa Vilina CSB ’83, a music/dance/English specialist at an international school in western Tokyo, was getting students ready to go home when the earthquake hit. She immediately thought “this is it—the big one.” Despite thorough training and one co-worker's efforts to keep things light by comparing the shaking to “the rides at Disneyland,” the falling objects and ominous low rumbling sounds made it a terrifying time for all. 23