Speechless

March 17, 2011 at 7:57 am (Uncategorized)

Fellow Tea Lovers,

This past week, I have done little else than follow the tragic news in Japan. Having just returned from my wonderful trip to that rich, interesting, exotic and welcoming country, I have found myself glued to the New York Times, sending my Japanese friends and suppliers emails, hoping that they will be alright. I am worried, sad, but mostly, speechless.

I think what has affected me most is that while I was in Japan, I saw signs everywhere telling people what to do in case of an earthquake. They were ready for disaster, and yet…this seems to be testing even their level of preparedness. Now, with the meltdown of their power plants a very real possibility, my mind only goes to the poor people who are now evacuating their homes, or worse, staying in their boarded up homes in an attempt to protect themselves from radiation poisoning.

This is the land of Manga, Godzilla and Akira; cartoons about living in a post-apocalyptic future after a nuclear disaster. The possibilities of what is currently occurring has been a part of Japanese pop culture and its national psyche for a very, very long time. And now, people are living in fear of the very thing they have always dreaded.

Most of us never have to face what the Japanese are going through right now.

Look, I know that Japan is a well-developed nation. I know that they will overcome this. I know that they have been through worse, in the last 60 years no less. But I still feel that they need all the help they can get.

So if you’re like me, a lover of Japanese tea and culture, I hope that you will take the time to see if there is anything you can do to help. It’s really the very least we can do.

In the meantime, chin up, pour yourselves a cup of Japanese tea, and remember how lucky you are. I know I am:)