Fluctuation sinking in the darkness of the city, around 2011

Fluctuation sinking in the darkness of the city, around 2011

Tokyo, which was shaken by an earthquake measuring 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, was hit by a chain of invisible disasters that quietly severed the thin threads that support urban life, although not to the extent that buildings collapsed. Elevators were shut down, depriving the elderly and residents of high-rise residences of their means of transportation, while the gas supply was cut off, crippling the dietary habits of families. Urban life was invisibly worn away by the loss of places where people could recover physically and mentally.

As the city lights were partially extinguished by the rolling blackouts and the nightscape of the city darkened, there was widespread anxiety that everyday life would be shaken. The highly symbolic scene of supermarket shelves being emptied as logistics were disrupted revealed the fragility of the city. Tokyo was ostensibly safe and sound, but in reality it was a quiet disaster that was slowly chipping away at the foundations of people's lives.

In addition, images of the tsunami and nuclear accident in Tohoku continued to be reported daily, leaving Tokyo residents in a quandary as to whether they were victims or supporters of the disaster. The combination of guilt over the fact that the damage was less severe than in Tohoku and the reality that their own lives were also crumbling left the entire society feeling anxious and inexpressible. The records of the time, including those of the elderly who were unable to leave the house due to the chaos of buying and transportation, leave behind many of these invisible victims.

Tokyo's seismic intensity of 5 on the Japanese scale showed us not the magnitude of the disaster, but the fear of the quiet collapse of the city as an entity.