March 11, 2011. “Today, something new will happen,” said Kamal, our Nepalese friend. There were five of us heading to the Ikebukuro Station at the time: Shizleen from Maldives, Haque from Bangladesh,  Batzaya from Mongolia, Kamal, and of course, myself. We were on our way for our last training session at the KDDI building. Kamal’s sudden utterance didn’t seem to bother us much. Perhaps we were all looking forward to go back home but little did we realize that his sheer words of “wisdom” was a sign that something ahead was really going to hit us soon.

Participant of the APT Training. Just a few hours before the earthquake (2:46 PM local time) - observe the clock.

Approximately 2:46 PM. I was outside and on the way to a nearby shopping mall when suddenly the ground began to shake. At first, I thought it was just one of those light tremors. Then, I realized that the tremor was becoming even more violent. It was to such extent that I had to find something to hold on to. The rattling sound emitted from the surrounding was terrifying. I was convinced that at some point, windows would break or buildings would collapse. A highway flyover almost above my head can be seen swaying side to side. I looked around to see what people were doing; they were stunned as much as I was. All I could do then was pray and keep constantly alert.

The quake lasted for some minutes after which I reluctantly resumed my last minute shopping. However, all the shops now refused to accept incoming customers. No one even dared to go in since they’re all packed up outside on the streets eagerly waiting for more earthquake alerts on their SMS. After some time, one of the shops opened up so I entered but then the second quake happened. Quickly, I paced my way downstairs and cancelled further plans to shop.

Hotel visitors dared not sleep up in their rooms. We were in constant fear of another quake.

That night, hotel visitors flocked downstairs and slept there for the night. My colleagues and I had went up and immediately packed all our luggage ready to leave the next morning. I could not sleep well. Aftershocks were occurring almost every 15 minutes but they were mild. Those who were in the hotel rooms during the quake recounted that the building swayed several feet away. The shake was even worse as you go higher up the building. All items were shaking so badly that even a TV set fell down from a table.

The next morning, my colleagues and I were all adamant to leave for Narita airport despite news that it had closed the previous day. My flight was scheduled at 10:30 AM. We walked all the way to the Ikebukuro Station, hoping that the railway would be opened. It was tiring but it was the only thing we thought was right to do. Our journey to the airport was not at all smooth. We eventually found out that the railway was still closed and had to take a taxi instead. It took us approximately 10 hours to reach Narita Airport when it could have taken only 1 hour. Apparently the highways were still closed  and traffic jam was extraordinarily heavy! Being cramped in a taxi with 3 people at the back for 10 hours was a mental torture; just imagine yourself driving no more than 1km in just 1 hour!

Nevertheless, we arrived safe and were glad to reach the airport. By now, most of our flights have left us or has postponed to tomorrow. In my case, I had to book another flight. So is my ‘epic’ tale in the land of the rising sun. I’m just glad to be back home. Alhamdulillah.