Latest posts by Scilla Alecci
Japan: Tohoku Earthquake as seen through Twitter
A video by Rio Akasaka shows how the news of the earthquake spread on Twitter on March 11.
Japan: “Nuclear Power Mafia”
An anoymous user published on Nichannel (2ch) some pages from the manga titled Hakuryu Legend – Nuclear Power Mafia [ja] (by Tennoji Dai and Watanabe Michio), whose publication was suspended [en] after the earthquake. The story is about a journalist who conducts an investigation on a power company called Toto...
Japan: Living near a nuclear reactor
Photographer and blogger Buddhika Weerasinghe published some pictures of people who live in proximity of a nuclear power plant in Fukui prefecture.
Japan: Quakebook, a book born on Twitter
Journalist and blogger Jake Adelstein presents Quakebook [en], “a compilation of art, stories, and essays to raise money for Japan earthquake survivors” which started with a single tweet. The book, officially titled 2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake, was co-written by popular writers and artists and 100% of revenue...
Japan: A Japanese medical aid worker's diary
Anonymous translator ( @anontrans) translated into English some blog entries posted by “a Japanese nurse who was dispatched to Rikuzentakata, Iwate, Japan as a member of one of the first disaster medical assistance teams to be sent from Tokyo just several days after the earthquake and tsunami that struck the...
Fukushima: Public Criticism and a Rising Anger
Open protests against Tepco as operator and the government as monitor had been relatively muted until recently, but this has now changed. For many foreigners however, used to much bigger numbers of demonstrators in their own countries, doubts remain. Why do Japanese people seem so reluctant to criticize the company and industry responsible for this man made disaster and the government which let it all happen?
Japan: Earthquake catfish prints
Pinktentacle published images from the series of namazu-e (lit. “catfish pictures”) that was realized in the 19th century after the Great Ansei Earthquake. “These prints featured depictions of mythical giant catfish (namazu) who, according to popular legend, caused earthquakes by thrashing about in their underground lairs.”
Japan: The only native Japanese Imam in Tokyo
Uchujin/Adrian Storey realized a photofilm [en] that tells the story of Abdullah Taqy, the only native Japanese Imam in Tokyo – a metropolis of over 13 million people.
Japan: Journalist Takashi Uesugi exposes Tepco and govt lies
Blogger TokyoTom published an interview [en] with Japanese freelance journalist Takashi Uesugi, “a critic of the Japanese news reporting establishment who now is lancing some of the lies and half-truths coming from TEPCO and the Japanese government with respect to the Fukushima nuclear reactors.” The interview appeared on online journal...
Japan: “The Fear of Magnitude 0″
In the wake of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake which hit Japan, changing forever the lives of so many people, popular writer Keiya Mizuno decided to use words as a means to react to the event and reflect on the meaning of life. In a post titled The Fear of Magnitude 0 published on his blog, the author highlights the importance of memory and the value of remembering lessons learnt from such tragedies.
Japan: SOS from a city near Fukushima nuclear plant
The mayor of Minami Soma, a small city next to the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, asked for help through a video [en, ja] posted on Youtube. The mayor launched an appeal to the world saying the people are isolated, there is a lack of supplies and the government is...
Japan: Plutonium, Our Reliable Friend
Professor Yuji Ankei posted on Youtube a rare version of the animated video called Mr. Pluto, our reliable friend – Story of plutonium (頼れる仲間プルト君——プルトニウム物語). The video, that was later withdrawn, was made in the 1990s by the Japanese Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation and “tries to convince younger...
Japan: Machine Civilization
Pinktentacle presented [en] the latest coreographed video by World Order, the performance group led by former martial artist Genki Sudo. The video is called Machine Civilization and is a message of hope for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami. “The unprecedented disasters unfolding in Japan; earthquakes, tsunami, and nuclear...
Japan: JPRI Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund
An Italian student at the University of San Francisco produced a video [ita, en] to help the victims of the Tohoku earthquake. In the video Caterina explains how to make donations through the JPRI Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund.
Japan: The Tsunami, God and Man
A few days after the disaster that killed more than ten thousand people, Italian vice-president of the National Research Council (CNR) Roberto De Mattei and Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara left the Italian and the Japanese blogosphere astounded when they declared that the catastrophe occurred as a manifestation of God’s will. Both in Japan and in Italy bloggers reacted and demanded their resignation.
Japan: Relief Tweets for Refugee Parents
As the situation at the nuclear plant Fukushima Daiichi remains unstable and the government warns about the high levels of radioactive iodine and cesium in vegetables and tap water, infants' parents seek reassurance and advice from experts and fellow parents on the internet.
Japan: Fundraising through art
A group of international artists realized paintings and drawings dedicated to the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. The works are part of an open project called Tsunami, Des Images pour le Japon. You can send your original illustrations here [fr].
Japan: How dangerous is low-level radiation?
Jake Adelstein reprinted parts of the scientific article entitled “The Uranium Widows: Why Would A Community Want To Return To Milling A Radioactive Element?” by Peter Hessler, hoping to give some perspective on the radiation fear spreading in Japan.
Japan: Manga artists draw comics to support Japan
A post at the Italian independent news website Linkiesta shows [it] the comics that several Japanese manga artists drew to express solidarity to their country.
Japan: The Macroeconomic Aftermath of the Earthquake/Tsunami
Ilan Noy, Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Hawai'i, elaborated a theory on the macroeconomic aftermath of the magnitudo 9.0 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11.
Japan: Wondering About the Meaning of Life
Poet Shuntaro Tanikawa's famous poem "To Live", which explores the meaning of life, has been posted by many bloggers who wonder what's the best thing to do now.
