Harvard/Japan Seminar

On 3.11 I was fortunate enough to not be in school due to parent-teacher conferences. I was in fourth grade, and at 3:46 I was in the rooftop swimming pool at the Tokyo American Club. No one in the pool noticed that waves were pouring out of the pool and off the side of the building until parents and various of adults directed us to get out. Because of the inherent danger of a glass overhead ceiling, we huddled in various corners with towels over our heads. Eventually, we were directed to leave the building. Water was still trickling down the staircase as my mother, various ASIJ families and I went to the front parking lot. My mother, my friend, and myself made our way to my dad's office, which was nearby. It was there were I saw the news footage and video of the tsunami. Particularly, a video of an oil tank exploding in the water. After changing out of our bathing suits, we got in our cars and drove to our house. My dad's office staff spent the night at our apartment, as public transportation was shut down and they were unable to get home. My friend also stayed with us, as his family were all at school in Chofu at the time, and unable to get home to him. At home, my friend and I played video games in my parent's bedroom and didn't interact with the various concerned adults in my house. Photo: Dec. 9th, 2017, Arahama Shogakko, Wakabayashi-ku, Sendai