So after a weekend of going stir crazy, I was back to work today. It seems that the Japanese are a pretty tough bunch. The events of the weekend will linger in the minds of the Japanese for a long time, but the feeling here seems to be not to dwell too much on things. There was supposed to be a planned power cut for 3 hours this afternoon in my area, something that hasn’t yet materialised. After doing an A-level and part of a degree in media studies, it is very confusing and frustrating to watch, listen and try to make sense of the sheer volume of apocryphal, contrasting and sensationalist information that is on continuous loop on the TV and the internet.

Things up north are bad. The quake was the biggest to hit Japan since records began, and the tsunami brought devastation not seen here for a long long time, probably beyond living memory.

The whole world has offered their condolences, financial and humanitarian support to the affected areas. This includes countries that have had a patchy history with Japan, which combined with the general attitude all over the country, is a testament to the strength of character and sense of unity in times of crisis that the human race IS capable of.

The country will take a long time to heal- physically, emotionally and financially, but, New Zealand last month and many other examples over the last few years- people are keen to not their spirit be defeated.