We are hoping to have a new operations base by Wednesday night. If so we won’t have to share space with CRASH. Some days they have a full house (later tonight there may be as many as 40 people in the cabin, although some just for one night). Also the dojo that Chihiro’s father is looking into is much closer to Ishinomaki. This morning we cleaned out all the clothing and other relief supplies from the temporary location at the
upper bunkhouse and loaded everything except the wheelbarrows, gas cans and tents into the blue van and the K truck. We covered the outdoor stuff up with a tarp until we can return and retrieve it.
Late tonight, we expect Chad in the large truck and Dave Hinson, a 30-yr missionary minister, to arrive with more food (fresh vegetables especially) and supplies to hand out. Dave is driving his van all the way from Wakayama (south of Tokyo in the “Florida” tip of Japan), and it’s full of donated stuff from other churches.
Not looking forward to losing Paul. He stepped right up and provided wise and prayerful leadership. A few tips:
1. Yellow means speed up so the three cars behind you can get through too.
2. Of course the right turns are tricky. Coming out of a side street or a parking lot, you have check to your right for traffic you’ll have to cross, and to your left for the traffic you’ll have to merge into.
At a traffic light, if you’re waiting behind a big vehicle, you never know if there’s any oncoming traffic until the big vehicle turns.
3. If you’re first in line turning right against oncoming traffic without a protected turn arrow and with a light that’s just turned green, if you think you can beat the first opposing car, go for it but be quick. Now you won’t be holding up all the cars that would be waiting behind you.
4. A favorite sport is taking 17 back alleys to get around all the slow traffic on the main street. Of course if you miss your turn you may be forced to do this anyway. In most cities there are more of these alleys than there are regular streets. Most of the alleys (they’re really two way streets, but I call them alleys) zig and zag and have tight blind uncontrolled 4 way intersections that bicycles or other cars may come shooting out of. Giant convex mirrors on the poles make this a perfectly safe operation.
5. On one of these two way streets that is really only wide enough for one car, when two opposing vehicles meet, someone will find the first wide place to pull over, then it is your job to squeeze past them; never try to motion them to go instead.
6. In a rare situation you can fold in your side view mirrors, but really all you need is a centimeter from the power pole on the left and the same from their side view mirror on the right.
7. At a minor side street or driveway, if you want to let someone out that’s been waiting, flash your lights to signal them to go.
8. If you need to stop on the side of the road anywhere in town, just pull over and turn on your flashers. Of course there is no shoulder or parking lane, so you are basically blocking the lane, but that’s all right—no one will mind.
9. The right turn lanes are not really wide enough for a car to fit in, but no worries—you won’t be in them for very long anyway.
10. After a tsunami you may find a house in your lane. Yield to the house. It has the right of way. Sorry, that was “gallows humor.” In the midst of such tragedy, you have to find it when you can.
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