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More Young Japanese Heading Abroad to Study: While there’s been a historic dip in Japanese studying overseas in the last few years, it looks the trend is reversing. The surprising part of this story to me is that Canada is becoming the destination of choice for many of these young Japanese students. Why? Because “people feel greater affinity with Canada, and perhaps stereotypically, people think that English spoken there is more elegant.” I always knew that that those “eh”s and “aboot”s had something graceful to ‘em. [via Reddit][/threecol_two] [threecol_one_last]New Steve Jobs Biography Manga Starts: Steve Job’s biography was a runaway hit when it came out, and the upcoming Steve Jobs movie is already causing a bit of a stir. So why wouldn’t Japan make a Steve Jobs manga? It only makes sense. Plus, think of the tie-ins with other manga! Next issue of One Piece: the whole crew gets the newest iPhone.

200-mph red bullet trains thrill rail-mad Japan: Japan always seems to be pushing the envelope when it comes to cool trains, as evidenced by its latest, a 200 MPH bullet train called the “Super Komachi.” The new train features technologies to make clipping along the Japanese countryside at ridiculous speeds more comfortable. Well, as comfortable as you can be going 200 MPH in a giant metal tube.[/threecol_one_last]

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[threecol_one]Google Street View Captures Ghost Town in Fukushima’s Evacuation Zone: A little over two years after the disastrous 3/11 earthquake and tsunami, the area around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant still largely remains abandoned. Google Street View, however, has made it possible for people across the world to take a tour of the eerily deserted city.

Japan Man ‘Tries to Kill Woman With Poisoned Shoes’: In my life, I’ve heard of a lot of bizarre ways people try to kill each other, but I think that “poison shoes” is a new one to me. I’ll give the would-be murder this: it’s definitely one of the more creative methods of killing somebody I’ve ever heard. And it’s definitely made me much more paranoid about my footwear. I’m on to you, sock! [via News On Japan][/threecol_one] [threecol_two_last]

Japan’s IT Badboy ‘Horiemon’ Released on Parole: Nicknamed because of his resemblance to manga star Doraemon, former tech entrepreneur Takafumi Horie was released from prison this month. After losing over 60 pounds in prison (which will no doubt kick off a new diet craze), Horiemon’s first stop out of prison was McDonald’s. After tasting the sweet, sweet nectar of the Mega Mac, I would probably have done the same.[/threecol_two_last]

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I vividly remember watching the disaster unfold over a live video stream, hardly able to believe what I was seeing. It felt like I was watching footage from a disaster movie.

A lot has changed in the year since the devastation in Japan, but it’s sometimes hard to follow what’s really going on in the country. It seems like nobody can agree on what exactly is the situation in Japan.

On this one year anniversary of the 3/11 disaster, I’d like to try to collect my thoughts about the tragedy, recap what’s happened, and the direction the country is taking.

The Aftermath

When all was said and done,  close to 20,000 people died or went missing from the Tohoku region. Foreigners fled the country; some out of fear, some out of orders from their governments.

Tourism dropped as people became afraid of the dangers in the country, and the economy slumped as the businesses of the Tohoku region were all but wiped out.

And there’s no sugar-coating it: the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is still a dangerous place, even to this day. The nuclear reactors still aren’t fully under control, and a big area around Fukushima isn’t accessible to the public.

In all honesty, the aftermath of 3/11 was pretty bleak; it’s undeniable that the death and destruction of the 3/11 disaster was horrific. But a year later, the lessons learned from the devastation have helped the Japanese prepare for the future.

Lessons Learned

The meltdown at Fukushima has gotten people around the world thinking about nuclear power in a different way. Whether or not that means moving away from nuclear power is still unseen; but if nothing else, people have become much more conscious about where their electricity comes from.

Governments and scientists around the country have no doubt put in plenty of thought about what they can do to prevent a disaster like this from ever happening again.

Already, new walls are being raised and trees are being planted to protect towns from future tsunami. Towns are being reconstructed to place people out of harm’s way.

But probably the most important lesson learned during all of this is the importance of community. People came together like never before during the disaster, not only in local Japanese communities, but around the world.

In fact, contrary to popular belief, things are actually looking up for Japan in a lot of ways.

I’ve Got To Admit It’s Getting Better

Looking at before/after pictures of the disaster (like on The Big Picture), it’s really amazing the progress that’s been made in a year. Towns that were an unrecognizable mess after the earthquake and tsunami are now tidied up.

At the time of the tsunami, it was hard to imagine that a clean up was even possible. But now, many towns are clean and ready for reconstruction.

Before and after pictures courtesy of The Big Picture

The Japanese economy has started to pick up recently too. The Nikkei stock index bottomed out near the end of last year, but has since made a strong rebound and is on its way back up. (And you could argue that the Nikkei’s poor performance lately was because of the European debt crisis, not the 3/11 disaster.)

Tourism has been steadily improving too. People have flocked back to Japan for lunar new year and cherry blossom celebrations, seeing past the destruction to the Japan they once knew and loved.

Looking Ahead

There’s no question that what happened on 3/11 disaster was a watershed event in Japanese history. Its devastation was unprecedented and there’s still a long way to go; but, with any luck, was a level of destruction that won’t be seen again for a very long time.

But it was also a moment when Japan came together and showed its strength. It’s not everyday that we see the kind of humanity, selflessness, and unity that the Japanese showed in the days after 3/11. It just goes to show that underneath the highly-polished veneer of Japanese politeness and civility, there lies a goodwill that rivals any other in the world.