It has been a year since the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the effects are still evident. This week, I will be focusing primarily on what has changed, nuclear energy, and how the disaster in Fukushima could impact Washington state sooner than we think. 

The below post was written two days after quake, rather hastily. Even though some of it isn't relevant, I thought it interesting to go back and start off the series this way.

Does climate change mean more tsunamis?  This controversial question was posed by Grist columnist Christopher Mims and the attacks came on quick and nasty. Almost three hundred comments later and switching to a more sensitive deadline by the afternoon, readers were upset he was attributing the tragedy to climate change. In his defense, he said “tsunamis are inundations of shorelines and therefore have impacts that resemble storm surges, which are one of the most immediate threats of a warmer planet. In addition, climate change may cause tsunamis directly, so it’s possible we’ll someday see more images like this as a result.”
 
We shouldn’t be afraid to ask the question since scientists have confirmed even a simple change in the weather can dramatically affect the earth beneath our feet and that weather patterns affect volcanic activity. 
 
But for now I would like to focus on how you can help. Locally, at the Spokane Buddhist Temple on Friday, March 18th at 6:00 pm, there will be a Seven Day service in memory of those lost in the devastating earthquake and tsunami. They will be accepting donations made out to the BCA (Buddhist Churches of America) Social Welfare Fund to be used for relief efforts in Japan. 

If you can’t attend this event or are interested in helping, the Red Cross has already launched efforts to help those impacted by the quake. Visit Redcross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 from your phone.  The Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund was launched at GlobalGiving.org to garner funds for relief organizations helping victims and has already raised thousands.


 
There are many Japanese Americans living in Spokane trying to connect with family and friends back in Japan but are having a hard time getting through. In the area hardest hit by the quake and resulting tsunami cell phones aren’t working, Internet access is sporadic and people in other areas of Japan cannot reach people in the affected areas. At Mukogawa Ft. Wright Institute there are currently 250 Japanese students living and studying next to Spokane Falls Community College.  Director of Student Life Marie Whalen said when she woke up Friday morning and heard about the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit northern Japan, the school's president immediately spoke to students.  None of the students are from the hardest hit area of Sendai but they are very connected to their country, and the devastation is weighing heavy on their minds as they make contact with Japan.

To get a sense of how powerful the quake off the coast of Japan was, Eastern Washington University has a seismometer on campus that can record the subtlest vibration in the earth’s crust generated by earthquakes.  For about three and a half hours that seismometer in Cheney was registering vibrations from the quake and aftershocks in Japan from 11,500 kilometers away.
 
Amidst the images of chaos in Japan, the most powerful to me is Hokusai’s famous print, “The Great Wave of Kanagawa." Mark Vernon examined what the portrait means today:

It's a religious image, representing the very different approach that Shintoism has towards nature, compared with Christianity. In Christianity, human beings are at the centre of nature: creation is for humanity, along with other creatures, and it's humanity's task to care for it. Hence, in part, the offence we feel when nature turns against us.

In Shintoism, nature is recognised as infinitely more powerful than humankind - as in the wave - and that humankind is in nature with the permission of the gods but with no particular concern from the gods.

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