Amazing Japanese

I have always admired the Japanese. Never been to their country before but I've always found something admirable about them - their culture, country, food, movies, technology, royal family, even little stuff like origami and bento boxes. My father knows and will always hand me the quarterly Nippon magazine he receives from the Japanese Embassy for the past (more than) 30 years, ever since his visit there when I was in my primary school. And I would be engrossed reading the magazine, just a very thin magazine, yet serves as the window to their amazing culture.

When the tsunami struck, I watched the video in horror. For the first time in history, a disaster of this magnitude is being documented and watched live by the world to see. Such advancement in technology and communication. And to see the beautifully lined farming areas being swept away by black sea water as fast as a jet plane... houses and buildings being ripped apart... vehicles thrown around like toys... One would feel such things only happen in the movies.

And with such catastrophe comes double disasters - volcanic eruption and potential nuclear meltdown. But I was amazed with how the people face the disaster - with calmness, spirit of togetherness, discipline and most importantly with spirit of humanity. This tweet really touched my heart:

#tweetone: It was cold and I was getting very weary waiting forever for the train to come. Some homeless people saw me, gave me some of their own cardboard boxes and saying “you’ll be warmer if you sit on these!” I have always walked by homeless people pretending I didn’t see them, and yet here they were offering me warmth.

I salute such a cultured nation and I pray for its people.