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Courtesy of the Anderson family
Teacher Taylor Anderson, left, of Richmond, Va., was last seen in Ishinomaki, Japan, on March 11, shortly after a 9.0 earthquake struck off the Japanese coast but before a massive tsunami swept ashore.
American teacher Taylor Anderson helped her students get home after last Friday’s powerful earthquake rumbled through Japan and then left the school on her bike.
That was the last time the 24-year-old from Richmond, Va., who has lived in Japan since August 2008 and was a lifelong student of Japanese culture, has been seen or heard from.
“We’re just in shock, you go into a state of where you don’t think about it,” her sister, Julia, 22, said Friday in a telephone interview from Richmond. “We don’t sleep. We just work constantly. We think positive thoughts, have the occasional breakdown, but then we keep going.”
The Andersons stepped up their efforts to find Taylor, who was teaching in Ishinomaki in northeastern Miyagi prefecture, after a false report earlier in the week that she was spotted at a junior high school.
“I think the worst part was Tuesday, when we heard that she was found and then 12 hours later we found out that was false,” she said. “It was terrible. It was bad. That was a really rough night for all of us. It just hit us in the face. We were like, ‘We haven’t done enough.’ … after that we got the ball moving.”
The Andersons have used the Internet to step up their search for Taylor, have contacted the U.S. Embassy in Japan and local officials, and have been in touch with her friends and colleagues to learn details about her routines, and the routes she would take home since she rotated between eight schools.
U.S. consular officials went Thursday to the school where she was teaching when the quake hit on March 11 and interviewed teachers there. They said she left school after the children went home, said her father Andy Anderson, a 53-year-old real estate developer.
“Shortly thereafter, the tsunami warning sirens started to sound. She probably had 10, 15 minutes of bike riding before the water hit. The question is, where was she?” he said.
Anderson said he had learned from the consular officials that her case has been turned over to local police. He said he was upset by the move, and felt U.S. resources should be used to find Taylor and any other Americans reported missing.
Courtesy of the Anderson family
Taylor Anderson, center, with her parents, Andy and Jean, at their home in Richmond, Va., in an undated file photo.
“She could be holed up somewhere, she could be dead, I don’t know but we need to find out,” he said.
It’s unclear how many Americans are missing in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami. So far, none of the estimated 50,000-plus Americans living in or visiting Japan when the quake hit have been confirmed killed.
Leslie Phillips, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman, said the government was “aware of several Americans that are unaccounted for at this point” but that the department does not “have an accurate, up-to-date number every moment of the day.”
James D. Pettit, deputy assistant secretary for Overseas Citizens Services, said that task forces “have been … receiving inquiries on missing U.S. citizens, tabulating those, sending that information out to our consular field teams. …. At present, we have consular field teams at both airports in the Tokyo area, as well as in the north in the affected areas.”
“As time goes by, and we learn that there are individuals from whom no one has heard, we focus more on those individuals. And in fact, our teams on the ground are going to specific addresses to see if the buildings are still standing or if anyone knows the whereabouts of the missing individuals.”
Most of Taylor’s friends and colleagues in the JET Programme (the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme), stayed at their schools overnight after the quake, Julia Anderson said. Two of Taylor’s neighbors went back to their apartments three days after the quake.
“She lived right on the coast you could see the ocean from her apartment,” she said. “Her apartment is still standing and still OK, but she wasn’t there.”
Taylor started learning Japanese when she was in middle school, and eventually got a minor in Asian Studies at college. When she left for Japan, the departure was emotional but the family was proud of her.
“She was living the life that she always wanted and she was getting to know a culture she was always fascinated with,” Julia Anderson said. “Her students loved her.”
Andy Anderson said the family was focused on finding Taylor and did not sit around and “doom and gloom it."
“If that means that I got to go to Japan and hitch onto some truck or whatever, I’m going to do it,” he said. “We just want to find her.”
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I hope that the family is able to get good news about their loved one. They are in my thoughts and prayers.
You can count me in on the positive thinking and much prayer for her and all the other families that have been touched by this sad and unfortunate event. I have a young daughter and I don't know what I would do if anything were to happen to her or her 10 year old brother. Like most parents, I live for my children because once you reach a certain stage in life they are and should be your primary focus. God be with them all and I will keep them in prayer.
I just hope that she is found very soon. This reminds me of the peace corps. So many young and old Americans have found such satisfaction in helping people in other parts of the world. Bless her heart and I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers.
It has been too long, Taylor is certainly not alive.. This is a high tech country & she certainly would have had access to phone/computer, etc. this family is rightly desperate.
Sending my heart of compassion for your sorrows. May she be well. May you be at ease and peace. Please continue her, beautifully. An offering of healing, "Dear Japan, Letter of Love" from a Zen Master's wisdom:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USGlQ_A1Nu0
Untrue, Jesse. If she is still in Miyagi, they have no phone or computer access, and the trains are not running. She may be staying in one of the houses that is still standing rather than gone to a shelter.
Jessie, what an awful thing to post! The family needs good thoughts and prayers at a time like this, not ignorant comments from someone like you. Communication is very scarce in that region right now, so get your facts straight before you make comments. My thoughts and prayers are with Taylor and her family right now.
@ Jessie, why would you say such terrible things about someone's daughter..As it has already been said, most of the region is still without electricity and have no means of communication right now.. I'm sure things are very caotic right now and people are doing their best to reach out to their family's and friends..I do hope that u regret saying such a terrible thing cause I believe in karma!! As for the family, u r in my prayers and everyone elses and I hope that you hear from her soon..
Sending her and her family good thoughts. Her pics show how much she loves Japan.
She was doing what Americans should be doing in other countries. Her family must be so proud of her, and, as an American, I am also proud of her. Words are so inadequate at time like this.
God Bless and guide her family.
Looks like a beautiful family. I hope it is made whole. Isn't it nice that there is not a single negative comment here? (Well, I guess it is early.)
prayers for this family positive taughts, faith its the word, never give up the lord believe in us.my prayers for you and your family
No negatives? What about ol' Jessie 1513106? "Taylor is certainly not alive." I'm sure the family didn't appreciate that. Since they've just pulled an 80-year-old woman and her grandson out of the wreckage, there's still hope that a younger, stronger person could be found alive.
Hang on, family, and know my prayers are with you.
I understand the Andersons's concern, but they should bear in mind that their daughter is one of many thousands of daughters unaccounted for. Expecting special treatment because Anderson is an American is insensitive. Either someone survived the tsunami or they didn't. Frantic activity won't help Taylor, it will just serve to make her parents feel better, a luxury Japan just cannot afford right now. Take a lesson from the Japanese and wait patiently, while offering prayers and support to the emergency workers. And, yes, I do know other JETs in country. It is my sincere hope that all parents receive good news regarding their children in peril.
tell that to her family, i feel for the rest of them...but she is the concern of her family why should they worry about others, i know if my daughter was missing my one and only focus would be her.... Not the thousands of others...
Natalie, in my opinion, your comments are the definition of insensitive. The fact that you felt the need to post is insane. Suggesting the Andersons should be focused on the big picture and wait patiently for information is ridiculous. The Andersons should be focused exclusively on finding their daughter. They should be allowed to go through the various emotions in the grieving process without criticism. What bothers me most is that you felt it appropriate and necessary that you post at all. If you can't find it in yourself to offer support to grieving parents that may have lost their daughter, then why not just move on to the next article without commenting?
Michael, very well put. I agree with you wholeheartedly. I actually had to read Natalie's post twice to make sure I read it correctly. Sometimes people are just unbelievably insensitive, rude and ignorant! My heart and prayers go out to all affected by this tragedy.
Natalie, some things are better left unsaid. Just because you have the right to say them doesn't mean you should exercise that right - how about some common sense?
As a parent, I would move heaven and earth for my child if I could---and yes I would expect everyone else to move heaven and earth if he was in harms way! Every single parent out their wondering where their child is while caring about all, want THEIR child found - I guarantee you, it has nothing to do with the patience of the Japanese! They just don't have many options. I as and AMERICAN citizen would expect my AMERICAN support network in Japan to do more than just "hand it over".
Just wondering if you are a parent, because it seems you do not comprehend the depth of emotion and fear that comes to a parent when something is wrong with their child.
Actually for Michael, Shelly and Stacy. You are what's wrong with society, not Natalie. She is stating the obvious, there are thousands upon thousands of people missing and tens of thousands working to find them . The family is being insensitive that they are focusing on one child versus thinking of the families that lost generations of fellow family members. I am a parent and I can feel their pain, but they are asking for special attention by telling the US personnel over there to ignore helping the Japanese and instead help THEM. Really? They are fighting one of the biggest trajedies in Japanese history and we should focus on 1 american. That attitude and belief of entitlement is why people in New Orleans looted and why we could never dream of reacting to a situation as the Japanese have? Have you seen one video of looting? rioting? self pity? Nope, they are working to find any and all people missing regardless of race, sex, religion or color. You guys are the insensitive ones and emobody all that is wrong with the selfish people today. Take a step back and look at the fireman who lost 3 generations of his family and is still volunteering to find others. You guys would probably begin lawsuits agains the government with your attitudes.
Well stated Will. The thing that makes it insensitive is expecting special treatment simply because she is an American. Not that this family is focused on finding their daughter - of course they are. However, the point that there are "thousands of daughters missing" is valid and expecting special treatment is the part that makes it unfair and insensitive, not that they are solely focused on their daughter.
Will, you miss the point entirely. There is horrible loss and the Andersons are just one of thousands of families. I'm not suggesting that all the governments of the world drop everything to help the Andersons. I'm not suggesting that the U.S. government do anything to help the Andersons. My issue is that someone, like you or Natalie, feels the need to critique grieving parents. Can't we cut some slack to parents that wish the world would stop until their daughter is found. I'll ask you the same question I asked Natalie, why not just move on to the next article? Why the need to criticize? I'm sure they realize they're not the only ones grieving.
No Michael, you miss the point. So how insensitive is it to have a huge article on MSNBC talking about 1 daughter when there are thousands upon thousands of others still missing, and there are 50 putting their lives on the line to put out the fire at the Nuclear plant. What you don't realize is that this story is just as if not more insensitive then anything I can comment on. I'm sure you have also commented on articles that you could have simply passed over, however you felt it right to make a point. Natalie stated an opinion that though you find insensitive is probably more realistic than your response to her was.
Although I would give the family a break because of what they are going through I too believe they need to open their hearts to the Japanese daughters who are missing. I also, don't think it makes sense to ask that only American authorities search for her instead of the locals. If a Japanese woman went missing in the states wouldn't Americans be insulted if the family insisted that only Japanese officials search for her and not Americans? It has a feel to me that Americans are seen as more important than the Japanese but again because of fear and the horror at possible outcomes I give them this one.
I hope she is found alive as well as the many hundreds of other missing daughters.
This is a false sentiment. It is the responsibility of the American embassy to ensure American civilians in Japan are accounted for or located if at all possible.
Local authorities in the area should search for survivors - not specific survivors. The American embassy and military in the area should pay special attention to searching for American civilians missing.
Sadly, though, it has been a week since the earthquake/tsunami. It's safe to say that if their daughter hasn't surfaced given the cold weather in the region, she did not survive. The American Embassy response and the establishment of methods of communication and food distribution for survivors is pretty solid.
It sucks. It's heart wrenching and could have happened to anyone. Hell, my boyfriend was in Japan at the time east of Tokyo. My fear when I heard "tsunami" was that it did happen to him until he was able to sign on a few hours later once power returned.
A sliver of hope can still exist for the next few days. We can trust to hope, but the reality still remains: their daughter was either a victim or is in a medical facility somewhere in a state where she is a Jane Doe, incapable of communication. Those are the only two options right now :-(
Will-1284524:
Huh? Are you seriously equating the efforts of a family trying to find their daughter with people who looted and ransacked New Orleans? I mean, really?
RJ, I am sure you are correct that they tried. But they were also coordinating the planes to get all non-essential family members out of Japan on private charters if they needed to leave. It's not like this was a country with whom we don't have close ties with, the japanese have been one of our closest allies for the last 50 years. If you've ever been to Japan you would realize they treat us with more respect than we probably get in other US Cities. The embassy can only try to account for US personnel, but it would be ludicrous to state that the US military is only going to look for US civilians. They will help with all efforts and if a lead appears and it's focused on an american they will look into it. But they will not avoid or ignore helping the Japanese so they can find americans and only americans.
Mike319171, can you read or are you just a rapid poster? The comparison is the sense of entitlement that we should only worry about ourselves and our own and not the whole. It was focused on the previous comments in this story that state we should understand why the family is selfish is only caring about their daughter and not understand the trajedy that just occured. So yes its the same as those in NO or any other trajedy here who believe the government and everyone else should care about them and them alone versus looking at the big picture. So to answer you. YES REALLY!
Natalie, Will and Kaily - you have said it right. The rest of you are part of the reason that Americans are - correctly - viewed by the rest of the world as immature and self-centered.
The Andersons have a right to grieve the loss of their daughter.
However, the Andersons are not right in believing they should be entitiled to demand that authorities - American and/or Japanese - focus their attention on finding THEIR lost loved one.
Or perhaps you believe that the families of each and every one of the THOUSANDS of missing persons are ALL entitled to demand that the authoritied specifically focus their attention on finding THEIR (each of the several thousand) lost family member ??? Do you see how absurd it becomes, when you realize that you cannot single out ONE victim as more important than any and all other victims?? Or do you really believe that AMERICANs are so very more important than anyone else??
As with any tragedy, an article like this is just representative of many sad stories. While it isn't fair, we all know that most of those stories will never be heard. That doesn't mean we shouldn't hear the ones that are told. My concern, like your's, is for all families who lost loved ones. However, it does not offend me that parents desperate for news regarding their daughter basically said she is the most important person in the world. I give them some latitude. I believe it's called grieving.
The workers at the nuclear plant will have their stories told. Their names and faces will become public in time and their heroic work will be recognized.
Amazed - I do believe that those thousands of families have the right to demand heaven and earth be moved to find their loved ones. I believe every family involved, Japanese, American, German, French, etc... has the right to be pretty self-centered right now. That does not mean that those who speak loudest, or most, or English, should be given any preferential treatment. Just letting grieving souls mourn.
Will:
"The embassy can only try to account for US personnel, but it would be ludicrous to state that the US military is only going to look for US civilians."
I didn't say that they should ignore aiding Japanese men and women. US Embassy focus and US military searches, however, should have in mind a list and last known location of US civilians there and focus on tailoring the search for them. It's kind of what we pay taxes to the US government to do...
Of course, facts would show that if they search where American civilians went missing, they may find and aid Japanese civilians in the process. You needn't lecture me on Japanese culture and Japanese/American relations. My boyfriend just left Kashima yesterday. He is an ESL teacher there whose contract is up in November.
I was worried about him because I heard from him after the earthquake, but not until a day after the tsunami. If someone on a forum said "the American military and American Embassy needs to focus on anyone despite nationality", I would be absolutely infuriated. Part of the reason our taxes go towards establishing embassies abroad is that, in case something should happen, we have a resource there to find OUR civilians and get them home safely.
You took a fact that I wrote and responded with hyperbole.
The American Embassy resources and US military presence in the rescue operation should focus on areas where American civilians were last known to be, rescuing and aiding everyone they can, despite nationality, along the way. That's exactly what our embassy abroad is doing and should be doing.
I am a widowed parent, my kids are the most important thing in my life, they have been spread out from Belise to Poland, one Grand Daughter in Poland soon to be a medical doctor. however, had this happened in Poland, I too would be going crazy, but I am sure my Grand Daughter would make every effort known to man to call and say she was ok, if this girl is injured or god forbid something else, all my prayers are with the family, however, if she is working over there and hasnt called home, and it is possible even in this crisis to phone, if she hasnt, and is causing such misery to her family she should have her butt kicked in plain ordinary english.
These comments are based on what has been reported in a single news article focusing on these parent's search for their daughter. It was not a complete reporting of the parent's thoughts, feelings and motives. The comments are based on the assumption that the fact the parents are wanting to do all in their power to find their daughter somehow must mean that they do not feel and care for the countless Japanese families that are in the same situation. There is no evidence in the article to support such an assumption.
"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." Mother Teresa
Please try to understand what this family is going through. It isn't any different from what EVERY family with missing members is going through. When we hear reports of 10,000 people missing, it's horrifying -- and overwhelming. We can't even imagine. But when there's an article about a particular person or family, it's personal and helps us empathize with the other families and know what they are all going through. It doesn't mean we should focus on only the ONE family, but we should realize that there are 10,000 others just like them.
(And shame on the person who spoke about New Orleans in such a derogatory way.)
from my deep heart I hope she is safe and will come back to her parents soon.I will keep praying till then. Please Michel bear her parents shoes and you will appreciate their feelings and reaction. You ae on the see shore and not invoved in their trajedi thats why you very simple talking NONESENSE.Instead pray for those parents to find their daughter and pray for every missing ones to be found safe
I pray with this family that their precious, beautiful daughter is found soon. This whole tradegie has made me shed tears many times, seeing news items of the damage, the loss, the people suffering. But I know that if that was my sweet daughter missing, I would be thinking mainly of her, I would not be able to get her out my head. Please don't criticise these parents, pray for them and with them.
Bless Taylor, I hope she is found safe.
She has the true spirit of most Americans I know. She obviously loved the Japanese culture as do I, and she helped all of the children get to safety before she thought of herself. I hope and pray that she is found to be alright as I do for all of the Japanese people that still have a chance to survive this calamity. Godspeed.
My heart and prayers go out to this family. My father and his wife were among the missing in an earthquake in Turkey several years ago. The waiting for information was brutal. I would cling on every newscast, for days, hoping to see something, hear something that about my father. I hope you receive good news about your daughter very soon.
Natalie,
If this girl was YOUR daughter that was missing I'm bettin' the farm that you'd be singing a different tune. I did not read anywhere that this family asked for or expected special treatment, just that they were upset over the case being turned over to local police instead of other US resources available. Walk a mile in the shoes of parents missing their daughter before you open that gaping hole under your nose. And thanks Captain Obvious for pointing out that either someone survived the tsunami or they didn't. What in the hell does that comment have to do with anything? So much for "Buffaloes Roam" statement that nobody has made negative comments yet; you put that one to rest. I hope your son or daughter (should you ever have either) doesn't go missing but if they should then I hope you remember your remarks and apply them to your own situation. I'm guessing you won't.
They did ask for special treatment, they asked that the american people over there, drop the work they are doing to help the government and focus on their child (essentially). So you are also what is wrong with society, let's use our emotions to dictate one person is more important that the fact that there are nuclear crisis, starving and hurt people, and thousands of others still missing. But it's okay because they are grieving right? BS.
I wonder if Will would be so adament about this if he or someone he loved was missing. Quite frankly, if I had my child missing in any situation, you can bet I would be doing the exact same thing. And yes, that includes contacting news sources to put an article out...etc...etc...etc...Does that make me insensitive? Judge all you want. All I know is, if my child is missing, I do what I have to. I feel for anyone who is missing family and friends. I truly do. And I can't begin to understand how that feels. But if in that situation, I do everything I can...that's it. Sorry Will.
well "silly People": your screen name is apt.
I consider you to be one of the many silly people posting here who - for some unfathomable reason - seem to think that finding ONE specific AMERICAN victim is so important that the authorities (American and/or Japanese) should reallocate their time and resources from looking for THOUSANDS of other victims and caring for hundreds of thousands of survivors - and instead, focus their efforts on finding ONE specific victim, because her family, here in the US is grieving.
Are you serious?? Do you really think the Andersons' grief is greater and more important than the grief of the hundreds of thousands of Japanese people whose entire towns, families, and lives have been destroyed??
Yes, The Andersons are entitiled to grieve, and I feel deeply sorry for their loss, But: their grief does not entitle them to expect
special attention to be focused on finding THEIR daughter.
Amazed Reader - Never said that. Never said anything like that. All I said is that if my child was missing, I would be doing exactly what they are...and I don't judge them for doing so. If you are so noble that you can sit back and just pray that your loved one is OK without doing everything, and that means everything, to find him or her, then you are truly special. I feel for every family touched by this tragedy. Never the less, if it was my child, I would do all I could, and that goes beyond sitting patiently and praying...but go on and reduce their efforts and anguish to seeking special attention. Hope I am never in this families position, but also hope I never live life with a chip on my shoulder like you and some others here...taking time out of your day to find an opportunity to be high and mighty at the expense of victims in a tragedy...good for you. good for you.
AmazingReader,
Do you count yourself among those who lost contact with loved ones during this event? No? Then you might never have had the benefit of working with an American Embassy abroad. Again, this is exactly why we have embassies abroad. The American Embassy and US military forces involved in the search operation should MOST DEFINITELY gear their searches for the last known coordinates of missing American civilians.
Still, my heart breaks because I know the chances of finding any missing Americans at this point in time still alive is slim to none. It's been a week in extremely cold conditions. I would say it makes absolutely perfect sense for US military helicopters, rather than blindly flying to villages isolated by water and debris in hopes of finding someone, to make an educated guess and head towards potential safe havens where American civilians were last known to be, get them out, get any Japanese survivors out, and get them to somewhere with warmth, food, water, and medicine.
No one is ignoring discovered Japanese survivors.
These parents wanted the American embassy and American military presence to focus on their daughter and other missing American civilians. That is not an outrageous request to make.
No chip on my shoulder at all. And I pray they will find their daughter. But I think that the idea that the search for one person should supercede efforts by the authorities, to help ALL victims is - regretable.
The Andersons have a right to grieve the loss of their daughter. However, the Andersons are not right in believing they should be entitled to demand special focus by authorities - American and/or Japanese - on finding THEIR lost loved one. You cannot single out ONE victim as more important than any and all other victims, just because their family here in the US is grieving.
The Andersons’ grief can be understood – but Mr. Anderson’s intent to go to Japan, himself, to search for his daughter is ill-considered. A person who is unfamiliar with Japan and its language will only add to the burden of the recovery efforts. Where does he expect to stay? The survivors are living in evacuation centers. What does he expect to eat? There is not enough water and food for the survivors who are already there, in the evacuation shelters. How does he expect to travel? Many roads are washed away, and it appears that the Japanese who still have cars have waited in line for days to buy gas – if it is available at all. How will he find his way, and communicate, and know where to search for his daughter?
Will he assume that, as a grieving foreign visitor, he should get special assistance? Help in getting to where he wants to go? Entitled to an interpreter to assist him? Entitled to help in finding a warm bed and wholesome meals because: he is A Grieving American Father Searching For His Daughter and not just one-of-the-locals-who-has-lost-everything (home, family, an entire lifetime) due to the biggest earthquake and tsunami in their history.
Sadly, there really is nothing that he, personally, can do, to help his daughter. The best thing Mr. Anderson can do for his family, is stay home, and endure and share the grief of loss.
The Japanese people are reeling from a disaster. They don’t need even MORE helpless, needy, grieving people to care for!
Dear RJ-31###,
Have you ever dealt with the U.S. Embassy in Minato district, Tokyo? They can barely remember where they laid down my wife's immigration paper work 5 minutes before hand, when it is sitting right in front of them at their desk. I wouldn't be so quick to think the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, which has been closed due to the Tohoku Nippon DaiJishin, would really be able to help out that much. U.S. citizen's are partially their responsibility in certain situations, but not completely their responsibility in ALL situations.
The parents definitely could do more by being on the ground and putting in their own effort. I went to look for my friend last week in Fukushima. Unfortunately I found she was on the list of deceased, 亡くなられた人…警察など発表（１４日判明分）, already published by the local municipality. I too am an English teacher in Japan and I can tell you that the common person has a lot of power to improve the situation, for themselves, and for their loved ones. I have already located 3 of my fellow coworkers and am assisting them by letting them live in my apartment in Sakurakawa, Ibaraki which is inland enough not to be affected by the tsunami.
On the other hand, I have been going through legal loop D loos with the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo to get my wife a green card for 3 years, and we are just now about to get it, except for the fact the U.S. Embassy is closed for all but "high" priority business, which basically just means, it is closed until their personal are called back to work to start working!
Amazed - nobody said one person should supercede the others. The father was "upset" about the decision and believes american resources should be used towards finding american individuals...he never said halt the search for all survivors but my daughter...he never said forget about the nuclear threat and find my daughter....
quite honestly, I would never judge anyone's decision in any of this because I have never been in this situation. But if God forbid my son goes missing in any way, I can promise you I would do all I can and make every request I could at every level, and nobody has the right to judge that. Doesn't mean I feel entitled. Doesn't mean I believe my situation is worth anymore than anyone elses...just means I would exhaust all of my options to find my son. You and Will and others want to look down on me for that? You want to tell me I am selfish or arrogant or my decisions are "regrettable"...I can live with that. If my efforts brings my son home to me, then I can live with you or anyone else telling me I am whats "wrong" with americans...etc...I guess I love my four year old too much...and that makes me what is wrong with a country...so be it.
Reread the article, folks. This family does NOT ask for special treatment, but for equal treatment for all missing Americans. They asked that the US Consulate keep looking for their daughter and other missing Americans. I can entirely understand their frustration that the search was turned over to local Japanese police. It should be the job of the US Embassy to search for missing Americans.
Exhausting all one's options to find their missing daughter/son/friend/mother/father in such a situation is the only thing they can do to help prove to themselves that they've done all they could.
My prayers go out to this family and all those who are missing loved ones--Japanese, Americans, British, French, Ungandan, Russian, and ALL folks from the world around!
Kirigami gets it. Imagine you are missing your child in one of the biggest tragedies the world has seen. It is in a country where you have limited knowledge of the culture/language...etc...and you find out it was turned over to that country's authorities. Wouldn't you be scared that now you have lost that much more control? Who is now your point of contact? Will you be able to understand what they are doing? Why they are doing it? Are they going to put your child aside and focus more attention on their own people (not true or rational maybe, but certainly a fear someone would have)?
Aside from that, the point is, when you are searching for a loved one, you will do everything in your power to find them. Ask and push for help anywhere you can. For us to sit in the safety of our homes, without having a direct connection to anyone who is lost, and judge the actions of those who have lost in this is ignorant. If your child is murdered by some lunatic, are you not going to push the authorities to every degree possible to bring the killer to justice? Or are you going to sit back and say my murdered child doesn't deserve additional attention? This is no different. You do what you have to do to get help and answers...
It always bothers me a little bit when parents ask for special treatment too. Doesn't everyone deserve the same treatment not special treatment. Everyone needs to realize that their child is important to THEM. So is everyone elses child. So if everyone gets special treatment they are all getting the same treatment. We need to stop this thinking of my child is more important than yours so look for her not the other child. And besides we need to prevent a nuclear disaster which not only will affect Japan but all of us. I have 4 children and they are important too and they live right here in the USA. So please protect them and everyone's children by securing the nuclear plant and find the surviving citizens in places noone has even gone yet. All of them! And Americans quit being so selfish and self centered! That is what is wrong with our country. Everything is about me, me, me!
ktlin - I wouldn't believe I deserve special treatment. But if it is my kid, I will push as much as I can. Why? Because that may be my kids only chance...I would encourage anyone else to do the same. It may not get you anywhere, but maybe it does. Why is that selfish and self centered? To want to try and save your child...And how can you pass comments about someone being selfish if they want to exhaust options to save their child, and in that argument state: "I have 4 children and they are important too and they live right here in the USA. So please protect them and everyone's children...". Kind of sounds like you're looking out for your own interests....your kids are here in America - focus your attention on the nuclear crisis to keep them safe, even if that means someone elses child gets put on the back burner for awhile...You see, you...me...everyone wants what is best for their own interests when it comes to kids. So why judge others doing what you just did? At least I will come out and say it - I want my kids safe. I want to exhaust every avenue to find my kid...sorry if that comes off as selfish, but so is exactly what you said...
ktlin, thanks for sharing your ideas. I really think, however, that perhaps you and others have misread this article. Nowhere does it state that anyone has asked for special treatment, only for equal treatment for all Americans. ALL Americans should be the focus of the US Embassies/Consulates in Japan.
The woman who is the focus of this article went to Japan to share what she could with the Japanese people, whom she loved. It seems unlikely to me that it was her intent to lose her life there--she just wanted to share her knowledge! She also wanted to learn from them.
I have lived in a another country where another language was spoken. It is so hard to communicate if you don't know the language! It is my experience that the US Embassies/Consulates are to stand up for the American people. That should include looking for missing Americans. Having it turned over to the local police does not seem right to me. We're not talking about a criminal matter, whereby it would be appropriate for the local police to be involved; rather, this is a PERSONal matter. Focus of the US Embassy should be on searching for the American persons/people who are missing.
It seems to me that articles like this are intended to humanize the tragedy(ies). They aren't so much about the "me, me, me" you referred to, but about helping those of us not on the scene understand how it is for others who have families there are coping. To me, this type of humanizing article is very helpful.
I live in a tiny town of 2,500 people, and yesterday when I picked up our weekly newspaper on the front page there was information about three different families in our little town who have children in Japan, and how they are coping. That's humanizing it down to a very small level.
Very few of the posts on this thread are Americans being "so selfish and self-centered" as you stated in your article. As I read them, most of them are very caring, concerned, and trying to figure out how to help. I have met Americans of the type you describe; but then, I've also met, French, Italian, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Australian . . . the list goes on and on . . . who are also selfish and self-centered. It is my experience, however, that people are thoughtful, considerate, and caring. People react in large measure as they are treated, so if they are treated rudely, the instinct is to reply in the same vein. While I try not to do this, but to respond considerately, it's very hard sometimes! So a lot of times we create our own negative situations with others. Let's try to be nicer! It can't hurt, and it just might help.
As I often think, "Peace on Earth" isn't just for Christmas. It's for every day.
I can only imagine their concern. It makes all the idiots overdosing on radiation-protection pills look even more foolish. I hope your daughter comes back to you. I'd like to think that she's assisting in relief efforts somewhere and has simply been overlooked amidst the many faces devastated by this disaster.
The brutal part is the not knowing. Anyone who has had a family member who has come up missing, will be able to empathize with this family. My prayers and blessings are with them and I hope they can get information soon.
Don't give up hope!
Someone with her spirit does not give up easily.
Our daughter returned home from Japan last year after her 5 year teaching contract was up with the JET programme. As a mother, I can certainly sympathize with this family. My daughter and I witnessed the tsunami footage as it was happening and afterwards, all I could say to her was "I am so glad you're back home." We both cried because we knew that people were dying as the helicopter footage was filmed from above...and you could tell that her heart was still there in Japan. I'll certainly be praying for this family that they find their daughter--as well as for the many others who are still searching.
My daughter is also a JET. She was in an area that experienced some quake damage but was too far inland to be affected by the tsunami. Not knowing what has happened to your child in this kind of calamity has to be devastating. I am amazed that they are able to hold it together at all. My prayers are with them.
Thinking positive thoughts. I cannot imagine the anguish. I also agree about not posting anything negative. Let's all stick together and keep negativity out of it. If you don't have something supportive and NICE to say, move on and don't forget about your "inside voice."
.....If she hasn't called home by now........
I hope that she is found, and found in good health. A co-worker of mine just heard today from a cousin that was over there. There is still hope. Do not despair.
OMG....really Sonya in Tx...really????
Karen,
In other words, unless she is in a hospital under anesthesia....you would think that she would have found her way to a phone by now. I hope for the best, but if I were in that situation, and conscious, I'd call home first......
Hi,
I was also an assistant English Teacher in Ibaraki, Japan, which was also hit by the tsunami and quake. Just north of me, in Fukushima the body of my best friend, Miho, was just found. She was the best co-worker and friend I had in the country. I have no idea why she would die and someone rotten like me would live. I'd trade places with her in a second if I could. I am sure there are a lot of people on the ground in Fukushima who would be willing to lay down their lives to help you find your daughter. If the Andersons are reading this, I'll give you just some random ideas from an ALT's prespective.
Go to Japan.
I've checked the
The train lines are in operation as far north on the Sea of Japan side as Aomori. You need to get to the Pacific side though, so, go from Chiba (Narita Airport) to Sakura City, Chiba, then catch the train for Utsunomiya City in Tochigi, north of Chiba, from there board a commuter express train for Akita. When you get to Akita you will be directly west of Miyagi. You will have to secure transport over the Japanese Alps to get to Miyagi prefecture, but this is doable. Whether it is with rescue workers or by hitch hiking, or stealing a bike at a local train stop, just get there, it shouldn't take more than a day no matter how bad it gets. While you are in Akita contact a local JET ALT counselor or find someone at a local Eikaiwa or branch ALT dispatch company, because these individuals can serve as EXCELLENT translators for you. Bring them with you to Miyagi, you will need them, and knowing the spirit of ALT teachers in Japan, they'd do it for you for free without even a hint of wanting anything. The point is, go DO IT! You have the power... To change your daughter's life, and many others' lives. If I wasn't such a wuss I'd have gone to Fukushima to search for Miho earlier than I did. I wish I had. And in Japan, the closer you get to Ishinomaki, the more useful a bike will be. Get a mamachari, mama's bike with basket to carry supplies, and keep a good pack on your back. If all else falls, come get me, I'd be happy to help and I speak both languages pretty darn good. I am praying with my whole heart for your daughter and for you, and all my friends who are missing to this very day!
Sloppy Joe: Are you really seriously recommending that someone STEAL a bike ??
Yeah, condone the "me first" attitude all the way, huh? and the h*ll with what anyone else (like the OWNER of the bike) needs.
nice.
You must be so proud of yourself for being so clever.
To the rest of the world: Sloppy Joe does NOT represent the feelings of all Americans (although, unfortunately, he represents the attitude of far too many of them.)
Amazedreader: WOW you are not someone I want as a friend! Because I can bet ya you would be the first one out of the blocks to do just that and whatever else you needed to do to save yourself and who ever else you wanted.
You would be the "me first" person before all others to save your own butt!
Oh any you know what I would do whatever I had needed to! and if I had to steal a bike to go find family then so be it!! and you would too!!!
To the Anderson family, I hope and pray you find your daughter. May God be with you and her and all of the persons missing or dead as well as their families.
I am IN JAPAN, IN THIS SITUATION UNLIKE YOU!!!
I have taken 3 American ALT's into my home in Ibaraki Prefecture. What have you done? Where are you? I am on the ground helping out. Walking my ass off for miles and miles to get to the nearest operational train. I have taken food and assistance up the nihon rou-to ichi wangan at my own risk. What have you done? I have gone to the morgue where my friend and coworker, Miho Watanabe, was after she was found on the 14th. Who do you think you are? I have given away more bikes to those in need than you'd ever know. WHO in the HELL do you think you are? While other Gaijins are busy running away from Japan, I have stayed on here and done everything I can to help out. I am not saying I have suffered the most by far, but I am saying I have A REAL STAKE in helping out here b/c I live in Sakurakawa, Nishi-Ibaraki. If you don't know where it is, look it up! Right in the middle of this hellish situation. No one needs your short sighted, uneducated comments....
Nice try Troll... Go Troll SOMEWHERE ELSE
Not to mention, Sloppy Joe, has offered to help the family if he can in any possible way. What have you done AmazedReader? Do you know how many hundreds of thousands of bikes there are in Japan? After the earthquake they were scattered about, half broken, next to every station I have seen. I don't think anyone will miss one bike out of a heap of bikes that is waiting to be picked up by the trash crews. Btw, the train station is where you leave you old cycle in Japan so that it will be picked up by the trash crew. I guess it should have been pointed out for someone like AmazedReader who has very little idea or knowledge about Japan.
Again, I ask the question, Sloppy Joe has offered to help the family IN JAPAN. What can you do Amazed Reader? Read them a night time story?
And another thing Amazed Reader,
Words are cheap. Offer up some action. I see you spouting off a bunch of holier than though words like you are some kind of damn prophet.... Your words do nothing for the family...
Do you have any actual tangible skills, than you can offer up in the form of ACTION TO HELP THEM FIND THEIR DAUGHTER? Sloppy Joe has offered his skills as someone who speak Japanese and English fluently and has a knowledge of the area that has been devastated.... What exactly CAN YOU DO?
I agree with Ryuchan and Sloppy Joe. Amazed Reader is a selfish dirtbag. Go troll somewhere else. Here is full of people actually trying to think of what they can do to help this family.
You know what the really funny thing is:
When I said "steal a bike" I was being SARCASTIC! I was just saying "get to your daughter any way you can!" I wish people would lighten up a touch here. And Ryuchan, yes, my offer still holds... If the Anderson need someone on the ground in Tohouku, whether it be from their arrival at Chiba Narita, all the way through Ibaraki, Tochigi, Saitama, Nagano, Niigata, to Akita, through Miyagi, or over the top through Aomori-ken I will be there. The next semester of school doesn't start until April 5th here in Sakurakawa City anyway. I'd love to help someone out specifically with their needs especially as it relates to a loved one. I've accounted for my coworkers, friends, and family here in Japan and am now doing anything I can do to help others.
I really can't believe Amazed Reader takes everything said "so seriously". I am trying to grieve and show sympathy with the family and offer encouragement. Not encouragement to be unlawful, but just the old notion of "where there is a will there is a way" Is it necessary to harp and hang on everyone's last word? Tell ya what. AmazedReader, if you came here to Japan, I'd give you a place to stay for free so we could go out together and help out. B/c in the end, what Japan needs now, are people to help out, and I am proud to say, here in Ibaraki, people are emptying their own pantries and cupboards of everything they can to give to the poor folks of Fukushima, Miyagi, Higashi Ibaraki, Choshi Chiba, and Iwate. What will you come here and help us do Amazed Reader?
ah yes. People who do good for others at the ready to call others (about whom they know NOTHING) trolls and dirtbags, because they expressed an opinion in an open forum.
That's real class. Real class. And oh yes, after your recommendation that Mr. Anderson should even steal a bicycle at the local train stop, I realy DO believe you were the rightful owner of all of those bicycles you now claim to have, so generously, given away.
By the way Sloppy Joe, I am sorry to hear you lost your friend Miho Watanabe. I can only offer up the best Japanese prayer I know ã»ï½¿ã»ï½¿ã»ï½¿ã»ï½¿ã»ï½¿ã»ï½¿ã»ï½¿ã»ï½¿
色即是空、空即是色
Oh, and Amazed Reader... Has it ever occured to you Sloppy Joe might still be in the middle of greiving? He lost his friend only 1 week ago! For heaven sakes, lay off!
Thank you for your prayer Yumiko... ii yume da.... sore.. shikisokuzekuu. Amitabafu.. Anata no kimochi wa hontou ni arigatou gozaimasu... raishuu, kono tensai yokatta ni narimashou, to raigatsu kon tensai yokatta ni narimashou, sou@!$%#e.. rainen mo.. zenbun no minnasan hontou ni nihon ni naru zenzen piki de piki ii yo...
Also to Ryuchan, thank you for your sentiments. You don't have to help defend me though... I think AmazedReader would probably attack me no matter what I said. He is a professional on here. Best thing is to just communicate with each other and act as though his/her posts do not exist...
sore ja..
minna san. ganbatte kuritamae... isshouyou ni genki nihon no yume wo hajimaru!!
So - I am to believe that in the midst of the Very Sincere Serious Advice given by mr Sloppy Joe, all of which is to be taken seriously, mr Sloppy Joe would toss in just one "sarcastic remark" about stealing a bicycle, which remark was NOT to be taken seriously?
And as for said bycycles at the train station, if mr. Sloppy Joe has, indeed given away bicycles that are abandoned, then i am so very impressed that he would have fixed-up the wrecked ones to give away [because of course one would surely know that a bicycle in GOOD condition at the train station was probably NOT abandoned there, and likely belongs to someone else who expects it to be there, to use in their own efforts to search, survive, etc. when they return.]
I have not attacked anyone here; I have only expressed an opinion that one grieving family cannot, and should not expect and/or demand special assistance in a disaster of this magnitude when many thousands of people need help.
if sloppy joe really means that the Andersons can contact him, I do hope he has sent them a personal, private message, to be sure they know exactly how to reach him, when and if they arrive in Japan.
I wish everyone well in the recovery from this disaster.
Dear Mr. AmazedReader,
Let's just set it all straight. First, I apologize for getting frustrated with your comment earlier. I am under a lot of pressure here and calling names like "troll" was unprofessional and not correct of me. Therefore I apologize on that account wholeheartedly.
At the same time though, this situation is being won and lost on a case by case battle for human life. I have not been to all the ravished communities on the tosei side of tohouku. But at my school, we actually skipped our graduation ceremony to go to Mito Ibaraki and clean up after tsunami damage. I know that sounds small, but my students have worked for 3 years for the right of that very special day of graduation. I watched them sweat and strain and really go out of their way, and yes, I believe they would have done all that for even 1 person. Now, we didn't have any mission other than helping out our community, but, with that said, if we knew of a fellow classmate from Sakurakawa Koko we would have gone there and looked for just that 1 person, b/c that 1 person would be so dear to us. Would we help others along the way? Probably.
The last account. On the bicycle. Japan is my home. It is as dear to me as my own child. My own child has grown up here and lead a good life. I'd die for Japan in an instant. I don't think the issue is about a bicycle. In Japan, my own bicycle has been taken innumerable times. But you know what, it always show back up! The reason is, here in Japan, everyone uses the same bike made by the same manufacturer. Think of it like a school uniform. They all look the same in the same school. Same goes for the bikes. They are all the same. Somedays I have the one with the scratch on the wheel, somedays I have the one with a crooked handle bar. And unlike in America, no one ever locks up their bicycles here. It is a group society with a group mind set. We are all for one, and one for all. You'd have to live here to understand exactly what I am saying, but just know this, I have never stolen a bicycle. I have been teaching in Japan for 18 years and am middle aged. I visit my student's homes to make sure they are doing their homework, I volunteer to clean at the local parks. Sakurakawa is my city and it is my life. I apologize for any judgements I made against you but please do not likewise judge me as some "crazy selfish American" b/c in fact I am not American in the first place. I hope at the very least we can agree to disagree! Let's all cheer up and do our best!!!
I was in Japan (only briefly, a stop-over) only a short time before the earthquake, and was stunned and saddened when I heard of the disaster. Having no disaster training, I would be of no use coming there, in person, to try to help, or search, and would only add to the problems.
The best thing I (like all other persons without training in disaster relief) can do to help, is to NOT come to Japan (and become part of the problem). Instead, I have made donations to search and rescue organizations.
I wish all of you well as you cope with your losses.
I'm sure you'd make a fine disaster relief personal AmazedReader... I am sure people think everyone that is helping out is certified CPR/1000 other qualifications, but a lot of the folks helping out are just putting forth all their heart. I live in Choshi, which is nearly the most eastern point of the Kanto region, and we took the brunt of the tsunami in our area, but fortunately most of our city is elevated up on a cliff which is the reason we are still here... The wave actually went up the Tonegawa river though. It flooded quite a few communities in the Chiba dewa region. I'd say the vast majority of us helping out here in our own region have no training whatsoever. Our training is as humans who love other humans and who love Japan. That is the only thing we need to be qualified. Willingness to get dirty, willingness to share tears, willingness to get some scratches and bruises along the way...
Don't worry.. We will be fine... Japan will be even better and we will learn many lessons from this
You are to be commended! This is one of the most level-headed responses I have read throughout the past week. I hope you have given this family some support and courage to do what needs to be done.
God Bless You and them!
Interesting thread. When I read the article, my impression was that it did seem a bit too much for the family to demand a search for their daughter. The first thing I thought was.. how many people am I hearing were killed by these tragedies... that are still continuing today?
But, then, I know my parents would do exactly the same. As would any parents that truly love their children with all their hearts. I have only compassion and empathy for them. What they are experiencing right now must be unimaginable. I would probably go crazy... literally.
I hope they find Taylor soon!
Also... interesting about the bicycles! I think the world has learned a lot about the positive things in Japanese culture through these sad events.
Hey Sloppy Joe,
I just read your earlier post with what appears to be a very real offer to help this family. You have my total RESPECT! The world needs more people like you!
Whenever I hear about an international incident, I always want to hear that Americans are safe.
THIS GIRL HAS BEEN FOUND. It was all over the news on THURSDAY. Her parents were on a few shows saying that she had called.
No, Taylor has not yet been found. The reports and news stories earlier in the week were false, and she is still missing!!
Sloppy Joe, So sorry for your loss.
Thank you so much Susan. I appreciate the sympathy.
Good news about her being found. Someone needs to tell MSNBC.
Any Americans feel a twinge with reminders of Hiroshima?
I think of the Japanese firefighter working the disaster finding out his entire family is wiped out - ENTIRE FAMILY. I have three adult children - I would feel the same. She was in a country that has just had a huge tsunami, what do you expect? They will not find all victims and no one is dropping the ball. Did someone make this woman go there by force? I love New Zealand and want to live there, but I know that it sits in the Pacific ring of fire and I know they have had serious, deadly earthquakes and tsunamis there too. And - if the last comment is correct from Happy Mom, this young lady has been located. Try Bhuddism and find patience.
Happy Mom's comments are not right. They mistakenly believed they had found her, but it was actually a different young English teacher with similar description. Unfortunately she is not found as of late Friday EST 3/18/2011.