A study session at Tokyo Electric Power Company’s Reactors Decommissioning Museum.
…Many questions were to be asked. What have gone wrong and what could we have done better? Why were we so arrogant. while we were in fact so vulnerable? And how will we explain to our children why they h...
2023-12-20 13:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
Suddenly, a big dark shadow swept through Chihaya’s watery vision.
Completely taken by surprise, Chihaya inadvertently let out a stream of bubbles from her mouth. The shadow twisted and turned, glimmering in the opaque light from the entrance to reveal its smooth silvery surface. It was a...
2023-12-19 13:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
A small hill (40+ meters above sea level) overlooks a prairie that was once a bustling fishing town in Namie, Fukushima, east toward the coast where the tsunami came.
Those who made it to the hilltop in time survived. Those who didn’t, perished, their fates sealed by difference of only a...
2023-12-18 13:00:11 +0000 UTC View Post
Going inside, Chihaya noted some folding chairs scattered around a large table. The cabin seemed to have been used as a mess or a break room., It was dark, and she needed to focus to remember which was up. Chihaya squinted and looked around, locating in her head the hatch door she had just entere...
2023-12-17 13:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
A public dosimeter stands in Futaba Township, Fukushima Prefecture - five kilometers north of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Twelve years later, new buildings, parking lot, and sidewalks are starting to be seen in a community once leveled by tsunami.
(Photo by Aster)
2023-12-16 13:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
The stern deck had a large square to allow for fishery work out in the sea. It was a sizable fishing vessel. It seemed like she hadn’t been down for a very long time, as there wasn’t a layer of mollusks that would typically cover a sunken ruin, and her mast was still intact. Aya passed by its...
2023-12-15 13:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Jane and Tiki entered the cockit to verify. Surprisingly, it was rather well preserved, with the small knobs and gribs almost still operable. Centuries ago, these small tools would each have had purposes in getting this gigantic ship afloat in the air. But now, everything is still under a thin la...
2023-12-14 13:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Chihaya pinched her nose and equalized her ears – once, twice. The water around her body started to feel cooler, and gradually Chihaya was able to make out the vague whiteness of a sunken ship’s hull beneath her.
Captain Aya being completely at home inside her ship Yaeyama-maru…but not necessarily catering to her guest's needs. :-)
2023-12-12 13:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Down, down.
Chihaya was on course with her beautiful breaststrokes. In fact she was once a serious swimmer and was on a swim team during middle school. However, even with her powerful kicks and strokes, she was not able to catch up with Aya who seemed to be gliding down flexing her whole bo...
2023-12-11 13:00:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Jane&Tiki: (The Orb!!)
The door squeaked open - and what the pair saw was beyond belief.
What did Jane and Tiki see?
2023-12-10 13:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post
A 12-hour voyage on the country's first LNG-powered ferry! :-)
2023-12-09 13:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Jane: (…Let’s go., Tiki. Once and for all, let’s decide who’s in charge here.)
Tiki: (Jane, back off! We need to find the Orb!)
2023-12-08 13:00:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Aya closed her eyes and spread out her arms, Then she began to breathe in, her throat sounding like a faint whistle Her swimsuit chest swelled, as her rib frame showed and her lean stomach curved and caved.
At least, it seemed like Chihaya’s buoy had no use.
"Get ready? You mean tak...
2023-12-07 13:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
(You won't beat me!!)
(No, you won't beat me!!)
The deep depth duel between the equals continues. And, where was the Orb?
2023-12-06 13:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
"Hey, how far are we going?"
Chihaya asked. The rubber boat with the two girls on board has come out far offshore, and waves swaying the boat have become much larger than when they were in the cove. Isuzu Inn was now a tiny speck in the distance, and the lighthouse on the cape also grew sma...
2023-12-05 13:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
It turned out to be a great day.
The sun was scorching the ground from the morning. The shrubs were close by, and the chirping of cicadas were raining down on Chihaya’s ears. She felt as if she was in the woods and not in an inn house on a beach.
"Chihaya, hurry up!"
Aya waved...
2023-12-03 13:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
(What's inside this?…see for yourself!!)
2023-12-02 13:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
The dock was on a somewhat rocky terrain with a good view of the sea, adjacent to the inn’s main building and below Chihaya’s room window. Clotheslines fluttered in the evening breeze, and the moon, just rising above the horizon, shone down on the calm ripples of the sea. Moonlight shone like...
2023-12-01 13:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
Jane: (How’re your ears, them starting to pop?)
Tiki: (No, it’s too shallow. Wait is this a puddle?)
2023-11-30 13:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
After the guests were done with their meals, Auntie prepared supper for the family. She had told Chihaya not to expect too much of a cuisine, but even so her stew and miso soup with broiled fillets were all delicious. Auntie talked about the upcoming Pa’antu Festival, and hosted a live...
2023-11-29 13:00:08 +0000 UTC View Post
An old relic from the Passed Century…tales say there were once fleets of these tubular metal ships, that carried hundreds of souls mid-air with fire and gusts of wind. Its silvery body was a favorite material for gear and utensils as it was lightweight and very durable.
2023-11-28 13:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
"I'm home!"
Chihaya woke up to the rattle of footsteps downstairs. Apparently, she had fallen asleep with her arms and face down on the desk by the window. It was already dusk outside the window, and the sea and the cove were contrasting silhouettes of black and white. As Chihaya rose she n...
2023-11-27 13:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post
Chihaya's parents were in divorce proceedings.
She did't know exactly why her dad and mom decided to divorce. One morning close to summer break, Chihaya woke from bed in her pajamas and saw mom with swollen red eyes and sitting with dad at the kitchen table. Dad looked disturbed, and mom lo...
2023-11-25 14:21:39 +0000 UTC View Post
"Kaisui Yokujo mae…Kaisui Yokujo mae…"
Chihaya Natori got off the steep ramp of the bus, leaving the unanimated voice of a recorded man behind her. The asphalt on the village road glistens white with the summer sun.
Chihaya was so used to the darkness during the ride that...
2023-11-23 13:00:04 +0000 UTC View Post
It seems like train girls (鉄道むすめ) will have a new comer on board, joining her 100+ piers that represent local railways that operate across the country.
Although some railroads show very solid financials, her host (Hokuhoku Line -Hokuestu Express) has been hit particularly hard by ...
2023-11-21 13:00:07 +0000 UTC View Post
