Made in Japan

It's been nearly 3 weeks since the disaster in Japan. In the papers you read less and less about it. In our daily paper, The Denver Post, it's moved to the very back of the A section. People forget too soon.

Yet Japan is still very prominent in my mind. I catch myself looking around. What things do I own that are actually made in Japan?

First of all: We drive a Japanese car. A hybrid of the Toyota brand.
What else? Of course, the adorable fabrics I refer to as Kawaii  fabric.
I wonder if the companies in Japan that make these amazing fabrics are affected by this. How will people react to it? Will customers shy away from anything made in Japan now because they think it's full of radiation?

I went out for lunch with my husband to our favorite Sushi restaurant last week. It was quite empty compared to the usual buzz that went on there in Pre-disaster times. Our waitress told us that people are worried about the fish being contaminated by radiation. She assured us that all the fish and products served came from the US, and there was no need to worry about it.  Ripple effects...One of the servers at Sushi One is from a small fishing town where the Tsunami hit. She still hasn't been able to find all her friends and family.

I talked to my sister in Germany on the phone yesterday. In Germany everybody is on the streets protesting against nuclear energy. The German government recently changed their mind on the subject. Three months ago they had told the public that all was well with a host of ancient nuclear power plants. They had just passed a law to enable the industry to keep them running for another 12 years. Now they were taken off the grid. Guess they were not that safe, after all. In elections in Baden-Wuerthenberg, one of the German States, the conservative party lost their majority. Ripple effects...

I don't see anyone protesting in the US. I wonder why that is. Maybe people have too many other problems - such as finding a job and keeping a roof over their heads - that the fear of getting nuked doesn't loom large in their minds these days.

One thing I noticed, is that the press reports are very different in the US. When I watch German TV a completely different picture is presented to me. I see maps of power plants from all over the world. I get a lot more information, statistics and numbers. I hear experts talk about how unsafe they really are. In the US news it's the other way around. The dangers seem played down. Oh, don't you worry about the radiation levels in the atmosphere. No problem there. It's minuscule. The power plant in California at Devil's Canyon - not a problem. It was built to withstand earthquakes.

Isn't that what they said in Japan?

I want to thank all the people who have bought doll clothing from my shop made of Japanese fabric. I sent a donation to Save the Children thanks to you! I  also want to assure you that doll clothes made from Japanese fabrics in my shop are made from pre-Tsunami fabric purchases. So there is no need to worry about fallout from your cute doll clothing.

Keep praying for Japan! Don't forget too soon! No matter what they tell us, what happened there could happen to us...Any idea what they are doing with those spent fuel rods? Do you know where they keep them around?