Life Just Isn't "Normal" Anymore ...

Since the 9.0 earthquake hit north of us on March 11th, life as we once knew it, is no longer the same.

Yokota is the hub for rescue and relief efforts which means there are lots of international people walking around the base.

There is the constant noise of aircraft taking off and landing 24/7 (no more quiet hours). Which means Neal's schedule is totally irratic and calls come at anytime of the day or night.

Rolling black-outs are scheduled throughout the week for off and on base. Luckily for us the base black-outs are often cancelled. The problem with black-outs off-base is it becomes dangerous driving without street lights, trains stop running, and many of our favorite stores and restaurants close at odd hours due to no electricity.

I feel guilty buying products off base because many of the shelves are empty, and I mean empty! Convenience stores and grocery stores are without onigiri, cup o'

noodles, bread, diapers, water and bottles of tea, etc.. It's just shocking to see. And the worst is the lines of traffic waiting for gas off base. It often creates a traffic jam getting out of the base.