Sunday, March 27, 2011

Ikebukuru on a long weekend

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Ikebukuro and most of Tokyo commercial centers are operating as usual for a weekend; stores are full of people, long queues on popular places, students getting together on the street, even the usual crew of young people distributing free pocket tissue paper (contains sponsor’s ad).

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Although the crowds are small, people seems to be getting back to their normal weekend activities.

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Due to the ongoing energy savings, stores are half illuminated. Displays, neon lights, and showcases are off, an uncommon view in Tokyo.

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With the strong aftershocks, many people (me included), are feeling dizziness and quake-like effects through the day. I am not sure if the aftershocks are too small for everybody to feel them or the body is getting disorientated after all the continuous shocks and start feeling “phantom” shocks.

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2 comments:

Unknown said...

I was just today explaining to people about the whole jishin-yoi (earthquake sickness) phenomena. But I've yet to hear from someone that is directly affected. Is it psychological or physiological? Who knows - but sounds disturbing. I can imagine the feeling is not unlike sea-sickness...

Is there much on the media there about cause or cure? I am assuming that it's a temporary feeling, and will promptly disappear. Still, for a lot of people, I can also imagine a lot of anxiety triggers that they never knew existed will suddenly be manifest.

Anyhow - thanks for your post. Good to hear that things (even if not your legs) are getting back to some semblance of normal. I'll be in Tokyo in just over a week... feeling a little anxious despite all of the Tokyoites bravado!

islandjp said...

It has been reported in the media as one of the post trauma symptoms, but it is not explored further, as the media seem to focus more on the power plants crisis.
It is strange that some people feel it and others don't, a possible factor is that I work and live on top floors of tall buildings and shocks are different on this kind of constructions (more of a swing that a shock).