Gallery: Disability Japan 2004-02
The initial staging area was Shiba Park in south-central Tokyo. Unfortunately, the protest was scheduled on the same day that Typhoon #23 hit the Kanto area.
We met at noon at the park. There was a light drizzle. The park wasn't the best staging area as the packed gravel began to get muddy as the rain continued and wheelchairs began to get stuck.
Nonetheless, the mood was very strong and positive. Groups had come from all across Japan. Each made very colorful banners and placards. The group to the right came from Hokkaido, the most northern island of Japan.
The Hokkaido group was stuck in Tokyo after the protests becaue the typhoon grounded all of the flights the next day.
The typhoon struck the neighboring prefecture of Shizuoka that hardest. The town of Usami (where my parents coincidentally live) was at the center of the storm. The main street was flooded with mud when all of the rivers overflowed. The school gymnasium had over a meter (36") of standing water in it. Roofs were torn off, windows blown out, and trees knocked down. Across Japan, several people lost their lives in landslides and flooding. Comparatively, Tokyo had it lucky.
