Archive for June, 2011

Fearing Radiation, New York Opera Stars Cancel Japan Tour

New York’s Metropolitan Opera Company is in Japan to put on shows in Nagoya and Tokyo. Two of its stars, Russian soprano Anna Netrebko and Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja, had to be replaced at the last minute because they feared radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident:

The radiation scare due to the world’s worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster sent foreigners fleeing from Japan and saw the number of visitors from abroad plunge.

Netrebko, who was born in 1971 in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar, “changed her mind because of the emotional weight of having also lived through the tragedy of Chernobyl,” the Met statement said.

“She didn’t feel that she would be able to present her best performances and didn’t want to disappoint her Japanese fans.”

Calleja, 33, “also had last-minute misgivings about performing in Japan at this time,” the Met added.

Their decision is quite ridiculous, when you consider the situation in Japan:

• Tokyo and Nagoya are far away from Fukushima. As of Yesterday, the radiation level in Tokyo was lower than the amount measured in cities such as New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, Singapore, Berlin, and Taipei.
• If one stays away from the contaminated area of Fukushima, the biggest radiation risk from a trip to Japan would come from radiation exposure during air travel. (And even that would be at a harmless level.)
• There is no measurable amount of radiation in Tokyo’s tap water. Until about a month ago, a tiny amount of radiation was detected, but it was far below the safety standards. Now the tests find no radiation.
• Safety checks on food are constantly being carried out. When radiation exceeds standards, the sale of the food in question is halted. A foreign tourist would have very little chance of consuming any food that contained a significant amount of radiation.

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Earthquake Safety Tips

A Japanese TV program takes some foreign students to an earthquake simulator to see if they know the proper way to act during a strong earthquake:

The students are from Chile, Finland, Spain, and Canada. Only the Chilean has undergone formal earthquake safety education.

The Chilean quickly places stuff that might fall into a safe location. He then rushed under the tabled, grabbed onto it, and waited for the shaking to stop.

The Finnish and Spanish girls just stayed in their chairs and did nothing.

The Canadian said he’d learned that getting under a door frame is the safest thing to do. Unfortunately, the earthquake simulator room only has half a door frame, so he doesn’t have anything to hold on to. He sits under the half-door and looks kind of silly as the floor shakes.

According to the program, the Chilean was the only one who did the right thing.

Those that did nothing were obviously wrong, but what about the Canadian? According to the CDC’s earthquake safety tips, door frames are actually pretty safe (when a heavy table is not available):

• If an earthquake strikes, you may be able to take cover under a heavy desk or table. It can provide you with air space if the building collapses. If you get under a table and it moves, try to move with it.
• Inner walls or door frames are the least likely to collapse and may also shield against falling objects. If other cover is not available, go to an inner corner or doorway, away from windows or glass panels.
• Stay away from glass and hanging objects, and bookcases, china cabinets, or other large furniture that could fall. Watch for falling objects, such as bricks from fireplaces and chimneys, light fixtures, wall hangings, high shelves, and cabinets with doors that could swing open.
• Grab something to shield your head and face from falling debris and broken glass.
• If the lights go out, use a battery-operated flashlight. Don’t use candles, matches, or lighters during or after the earthquake. If there is a gas leak, an explosion could result.
• If you are in the kitchen, quickly turn off the stove and take cover at the first sign of shaking.

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Train Fire in Hokkaido

A JR Hokkaido train partially derailed and caught fire on Friday:

As smoke and flames spread, the conductor, who could not see the fire, did not make an announcement telling passengers to evacuate.

It’s very disrespectful in Japan to disobey authority, so everybody just sat there in the train, right?

A JR employee who happened to be on the train contacted the company’s command center at about 10:30 p.m., saying, “Smoke’s filling up the train, but I can’t see a fire.”

About the same time, passengers began to evacuate the train on their own, while employees assisted some of them.

JR Hokkaido finally confirmed there was a fire at 12:02 a.m. Saturday after receiving a report from the Hokkaido prefectural police. Investigators believe the casualties may have been much worse if evacuation of the train had not started until then.

Oh, nevermind.

Hokkaido police are investigating to determine if JR Hokkaido is liable for the accident.

[hat tip to Steve]

• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)