A local college professor who just returned from Japan said

[rainbow4321]

a couple of interesting things. He was interviewed today after he returned.

1) Japanese homes tend to be be very small, not a lot of cupboard space. Because of this, you don't see people normally stocking up on stuff like we do here (buying in bulk, etc..). So the most they would have had in their homes when this hit was maybe a day or two worth of food because that is really all they have room for in their kitchens/cupboards.

2)He said the Japanese media there is "very calm...I didn't hear all the frenzy and panicky reporting until I came back here and watched our cable news".


3)People outside the areas hit by these disasters are having problems finding food/gas, etc.. because the stores "are sending all of their food/goods up to the damaged areas but people are OK with this, they are understanding, saying that they will make do with what they have".



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Now that we hear that people are being told to stay indoors, you have to wonder how many are going to be stuck in their homes with no food/necessities because not only did they not have overfilled cupboards to begin with, they probably have not had much luck going out to try and get what stuff they already went thru that was in those tiny cupboards/storage.

[aquart]

1. Nor can they now eat any fresh food from their own area.

Nothing growing in the garden, for instance.

[Paradoxical]

3. I don't think that's necessarily true. The radiation exposure is intermittent.

[fasttense]

4. some of the radiation was in the form of iodine. It will get into the grass and milk products.

Japan is not big on milk like America is so in that sense their diet will help them. I worry about their mushrooms. Mushrooms tend to absorb everything and the Japanese are very skilled in mushroom growing and drying. The best dried mushrooms came from Japan.

[Paradoxical]

5. I thought most mushrooms were grown indoors?

[aquart]

6. I heard the no fresh food announcement.

Don't even take in the laundry if it's outside on the line.

[northernlights]

8. if they have snow cover

which is what the reports keep saying, then their gardens are not likely to be terribly productive right now.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

2. I've been talking to a family near Sendai

They're more inland and were spared the tsunami, but are cut off from food supplies. There was a run on the stores and no shipments are coming in soon to restock because of bad roads and devastated ports.
Fortunately they still have water and electric - however they have no gas for heating and it's snowing there. The situation is the same for everyone they know. They're basically trying to ration until supplies get through. And are very worried about the radiation leaks.

[aquart]

7. The untouched parts of Japan are donating anything they can give.

The problem is getting it through on the broken roads. (Been reading the running BBC commentary.)