Shaky grounds, shaky plans

Last night, around 9:45 pst, an 8.9 earthquake hit the northern part of Honsu, the largest and most populous island of Japan, and the home of Tokyo. We watched the news last night with horror and disbelief as a tsunami swept over the land with the understanding that the area was devastated.

In a week we are supposed to be in Tokyo, finally taking the long-postponed trip to one of our favorite cities. At this point we don't know if we are still going. We have the tickets and the hotel is paid for, but now we wait and assess the risks. Having traveled in areas around the world previously affected by disasters, human or man-made, we understand that while one area can be destroyed, other parts can be business as usual.

Time, distance and magnitude all play a part in whether an area is still dangerous. But, we'll be cautious and hopefully smart. We'll look to see how the infrastructure is faring, if there is sewage, water, and transportation still working. Of course if all flights are cancelled, we can't ignore that, but a lot can happen in a week.

In the meantime, our hearts go out to those in Japan and elsewhere affected by this quake. I don't know about you, but things like this make the world feel very small and fragile.

Namaste