Well, we're all naive, aren't we, to expect that the death toll from the largest recorded earthquake in Japan would be in the 500s. Something that moved Japan eight feet to the left must have demanded more sacrifices.
So I worry about Masahiro, the young consular official who came over the day after the earthquake to photograph a WWII flag (scroll down for that story).
In typical Japanese understatement he said "I'm sure my parents are under some water." I don't know whether some(thing) up there decided to, in a second, involve me in something I don't particularly want to get involved with, but as soon as Masahiro said that, I got involved.
The first estimates of the death toll are understandably laughable. But years from now, when we know the final toll, it will surely number above 20,000 people. But only two of those people matter to me now . . . the parents of a guy whom I talked to for maybe thirty minutes.
If you feel like it, you could write to the Japanese consulate in Montreal and just simply say "We hope Masahiro Abe-san's parents are okay. We are writing through Nicholas Robinson."
The address is general@consuljaponmontreal.org
Done.
ReplyDeleteThanks, mtlcowgirl!
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