I'm back in Oregon for a few weeks to be away from post-earthquake madness and radiation. I live in Tochigi prefecture, which is far and away from the ocean, so we did not suffer from any tsunami. On the other hand, we are just south of Fukushima prefecture with the nuclear power plants in question. Most people in Tochigi are continuing on with their daily lives as usual (thank goodness we *can* do that), but some people who have family elsewhere have chosen to take refuge, just in case. I came back mostly due to a lot of pressure from family and other older people in my surroundings. My heart aches for Japan, as with the rest of the world. I wish I could be there to help, but it seems all I can do right now is to not get in the way, to not be another person consuming food, gas and electricity there, and to pray for their recovery from afar...