When I came back to Tokyo last Saturday, many things were different than before. The most obvious changes were the lights after dark. All of Kanto is required to save electricity (節電), because the failures in Fukushima have caused a major electricity shortcuts. Another obvious change was the supply of goods in stores. In both convenience stores and supermarkets, dairy products, fresh meet, bread, and rice were extremely scarce because people were hoarding goods. After the government announced that Tokyo tapwater is not safe for infants to drink anymore due to an increase in radiation, the same thing happened to bottled water.
But there were also more subtle changes. Some of them are the advertisements on television and in local trains. When taking the Yamanote line, Tokyo's loop line, back home, I realized that ALL of the advertisements were missing. Instead, they were replaced with a promotional ad for JR's own commuter ticket cards.
A similar thing happened on TV, where nobody seemed to buy ad space during the week following the earthquake. Instead, ad time was filled with public service announcement for the Advertising Council of Japan (ACジャパン) - the most annoying one, a commercial that asked women to do breast cancer service checks and later on this apology from TepCo, the company that owns the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Thank god TV in Japan is finally back to normal. At least for the most part. :)
But there were also more subtle changes. Some of them are the advertisements on television and in local trains. When taking the Yamanote line, Tokyo's loop line, back home, I realized that ALL of the advertisements were missing. Instead, they were replaced with a promotional ad for JR's own commuter ticket cards.
A similar thing happened on TV, where nobody seemed to buy ad space during the week following the earthquake. Instead, ad time was filled with public service announcement for the Advertising Council of Japan (ACジャパン) - the most annoying one, a commercial that asked women to do breast cancer service checks and later on this apology from TepCo, the company that owns the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Thank god TV in Japan is finally back to normal. At least for the most part. :)
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