Suzuka, Japan

[SGWilko]

Whatever decision ultimately is taken in respect of the race, with a disaster of this magnitude, the massive loss of life and a very real threat of vast radioactive fallout, I don't care.

The Japanese have a very difficult task, in the backdrop of a very long period of austerity and slow recovery from a deep recession, they needed this like a hole in the head.

Had it just been the earthquake, in all likelyhood, the Japenese would have picked themselves up and dusted themselves down, taken a breath then carried on regardless. Sadly, the force of the Tsunami put paid to that idea.

Thoughts are with them.

[Mark]

I guess a view needs to be taken, will a race taking place help or hinder the recovery? Or will it make no difference. Japan is an advanced and resourceful nation they will sort themselves out in a matter of weeks, not months.

It's not on the same scale but remember the floods Madeira had last year? I visited just a few weeks after the devastation and it was almost like nothing had happened, so quick was the clear up operation.

[Rollo]

Suzuka is in Mie Prefecture which is probably at least 700km away from Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture. The island of Honshu itself is about 1300km long, which is probably about 300km longer than the entire of the island of Great Britain; that doesn't even include Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu or the Ryukyu Islands.

Suzuka would have suffered precisely Diddly Squat from the earthquake.

This is precisely the point:

I live in Tokyo.
Suzuka is about 700km away from the area stricken by disaster.
There are no problem for the F1 GP Oct. 2011.

hear hear

The people of Japan are probably some of the most resourceful people on the planet. They've seen earthquakes and tsunamis before. The thing that impresssed my immensly was that reports on NHK showed people not in a panicked state, but very calm indeed.

http://www.japanlivingarts.com/?p=3086
There were no derailments. There were no collisions. There was no loss of control. The story of Japanese railways during the earthquake and tsunami is the story of an unceasing drumbeat of everything going right.
This was largely the story up and down Honshu. Planes stayed in the sky. Buildings stayed standing. Civil order continued uninterrupted.
...
The overwhelming response of Japanese engineering to the challenge posed by an earthquake larger than any in the last century was to function exactly as designed. Millions of people are alive right now because the system worked and the system worked and the system worked.

I don't wish to take anything away from the people who have suffered, but I do want to congratulate the engineers who designed, planned and had the forethought to account for situations like this. My experiences in Tokyo for a few months showed me that the people of Japan both as a commnunity and a nation will pull together faster and more efficiently than anyone else on the planet.

The GP will go ahead in October because the system will work and the system will work and the system will continue to work, unlike say Britain where everything comes to a grinding halt if 2 inches of snow appears.

[wedge]

Moto GP round is cancelled.

Local roads damaged. The oval/underpass in good shape.

Suzuka will be fine right now as its further south of Tokyo.

[schmenke]

I guess a view needs to be taken, will a race taking place help or hinder the recovery? Or will it make no difference. Japan is an advanced and resourceful nation they will sort themselves out in a matter of weeks, not months.
...

Reconstruction will take years.

[chapchap]

For anyone interested in Japanese culture and who would might want to help the people of Japan at this amazingly sad and worrying time.

A popular Japanese activity day, planned for 2nd April by the local “Kowasabi” group, will still go ahead despite the awful news of the earthquake and Tsunami that hit Japan last week. The Japan Society will help on the day by running a dedicated donation table, 100% of which will go to the British Red Cross to help their country recover from the aftermath of the disaster.
This is the second year that the “Kowasabi” activity day is being held, from 2.00pm until 5.00pm on Saturday, 2nd April at Petersfield Community Centre, Love Lane.
Adults and children alike will be encouraged to try hands-on activities such as the delicate art of calligraphy, under the careful tuition of their Japanese hosts. You can have a go at origami and dress up in authentic Japanese kimono (bring a camera to capture the moment).
Visitors can take part in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Hand-made Sushi, tea and Japanese sweet treats will be available to buy. There will be a shop selling genuine second-hand Japanese language books, comics and all sorts of other things. A percentage of all purchases will be added to the main donation box for Japan.
“Kowasabi” is a kiddies’ Japanese study group, run by Japanese parents married to British partners, as a means of handing on their language and culture to their children. It started in South Harting 13 years ago and moved to Petersfield in 2010. “Kowasabi” was chosen as a name because it is a play on the word “wabi-sabi”, a Japanese phrase about the country’s culture of beauty and simplicity, with Ko referring to little children. http://www.kowasabi.com.

[Garry Walker]

Who gives a *bleep* about a race when hundreds, maybe thousands maybe dead and many homeless!

Yeah, we should all stop living because of this and just spend our days thinking about what happened and crying. That will help the japanese people.