4F Day 7: Latest News Regarding the Fukushima Nuclear Calamity

My Marriott Tokyo breakfast was fine:

One advantage of the Marriott over the Westin in Tokyo is that they have a free shuttle to Shinagawa Station, essentially leaving every 20 minutes:

For some dumb reason, though, they drop you off across the street from the station, and it is a pain to get across with your suitcase.  There is a second option, walk up an overpass with a bunch of steps, then down.  The pick-up is right next to the entrance.  Why they don't drop off and pick up at the same place is something I complained about.  After all, at the hotel the pick-up/drop off location is the same.

In the Shinkansen I took to Sendai, two trains are linked together:

Mine is the red one.  At Morioka the green goes to Hokkaido, while the red train heads for Akita.

The Westin Sendai has joined my list of very favorite hotels.  At one time, soon after the March 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Cataclysm, the cost dropped to $45/night.

Here are the latest radiation data (Sendai is 60 miles from the Fukushima nuclear reactors):

Well, the dose rate today in Sendai at 0.039 microsieverts/hour is lower than Sapporo (0.040), New York (0.045), London (0.114) and Seoul (0.118).  Hmmm....why is the radiation in London and Seoul so high?  Don't sweat it.  A commercial flight exposes passengers to about 10.0 microsieverts/hour.  The maximum recommended dose/year is 1000 microsieverts.

In any case, though, all is not well in Japan.  According to Forbes:

• The 11 March 2011 9.0 Moment Magnitude earthquake sent 50-foot waves, flooding 500 square miles, killing almost 20,000 people, destroying a million homes/business and making 300,000 people homeless.

• The direct cost of just clean-up will be about $15 billion and last for up to 40 years.  (See the latest data below, though, that $100 billion might be closer to the truth.)
• Refugee compensation will be over $60 billion.
• Importing fossil fuels to replace those nuclear power plants still largely not being used has already cost Japan over $200 billion.  This will double by 2020, but ONLY if most of the nuclear plants are restarted by 2020.

• Of the 50 nuclear power plants, only 15 are at any risk of tsunami damage.  
• Not sure if 1, 2 or 3 are on-line at this writing because they keep starting and shutting them down.
• The earthquake and tsunami recovery costs will top $250 billion.
• Since 2011, Japan's trade deficit has been their worst in history.
• Japan is now the second largest net importer of fossil fuels.  Who is #1?  CHINA!

• From all reports, Fukushima-grown food has no detectable radiation, same for fishing stocks.
• However, Fukushima is continuing to leak radioactive fluids constantly into the Pacific Ocean.
• There has been no radiation-induced cancer cases, nor deaths.  None of the 20,000 workers in the recovery process got seriously sick.

The Japanese nuclear industry has kept testifying that the recovery process will cost less than $1 billion/year....for 30 to 40 years.  However, a report just out this week showed that this cost will rise to several billion dollars/year.

The bottom line is that Japan will be saddled with these financial demands for many decades to come.  The real cost, though, keeps going up, inching closer to what France determined three years ago:  $1 trillion to $6 trillion, if Fukushima occurred in their country.  To quote from that article:

These incidents have almost no probability of occurring, we’re told. So there are currently 437 active nuclear power reactors and 144 “permanent shutdown reactors” in 31 countries, according to the IAEA, for a total of 581 active and inactive reactors. Of these, four melted down so far—one at Chernobyl and three at Fukushima. Hence, the probability for a meltdown is not infinitesimal. Based on six decades of history, it’s 4 out of 581, or 0.7%. One out of every 145 reactors. Another 67 are under construction, and more are to come....

Amen to nuclear fission.

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4F Day 6: What's Happening in Japan?

Still, no fall foliage, thus, still 4F.  Today, I went to pick up my Japan Rail Pass and finalize train travel reservations.  I got all my desired times and dates.  The price of just one Green Car trip, from Sendai to Hiroshima, costs about $380.  The price of my Japan Rail Pass (which has to be purchased before you arrive in Japan) was just about $380.  Tomorrow, I'm off for Sendai.

Five of my six meals since Seoul has been free, courtesy of United and Starwood.  I had a gigantic breakfast this morning at the Tokyo Westin:

Counterclockwise:

• two eggs over easy with a hash brown and two pieces of freshly cut and thick bacon
• bouillon and miso soup
• natto
• cold water, hot green tea and freshly crushed orange juice
• salad
• japanese pickles, including tofu
• penne pasta, arabico, salmon and nishime, with rice

Then for lunch I picked up a minor feast at Mistsukoshi to have in my room:

If not for the clouds, Mount Fuji would be in the background.  This is the only meal I'll pay for in two days because tonight the Marriott Tokyo has an executive lounge.  

It was pouring rain, so I caught a cab to the Marriott.   JR,?  Would have been almost free.  Taxi?  $18.  Not as upscale as the Tokyo Westin, but good enough, and, apparently, the company has linked my Platinum status with theirs.  As you know, Marriott bought Starwood.

This hotel is only 3 years old, but it looks well used.  Here is my bathroom and this is how I now dress (I brought no sport coat nor tie).

So what's happening in Japan?  For the first time since the census began in 1920,* the Japanese population declined, by just about a million:

• as of a year ago, the population was 127 million (the U.S. is at 319 million)
• Japan remains as the 10th most populated country
• Japan was the only one, of the top 20 countries, to decline
• 1.4% of the population is alien
• 62 million males and 65 million females

* Well, not exactly accurate, for the population declined during World War II:

The eldest of the royal family, brother of former Emperor Hirohito, Prince Mikasa, just passed away at the age of 100:

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is at it again.  The Liberal Democratic Party declared that the maximum tenure for president has been raised from 6 years to 9 years.  They just went out and did it, with no input from the populace.  The primary excuse is that there needs to be continuity for the 2020 Summer Olympics.  He will then in 2019 almost surely take the blame for increasing the long delayed consumption tax from 8% to 10%.

The outgoing Japanese prime minister has now and then committed political suicide for an unpopular act needed to stabilize the country.  However, the Japanese transition is smooth.  In the USA, Donald Trump has threatened to place Hillary Clinton in jail.  About a quarter century ago I had a dinner in Seoul with Chun Doo Hwan, a former president of of the country.  A few years later he was sentenced to death...but survived.  The South Korean changeover has been unpredictable.

Okay, tomorrow I begin my Japan train ride to view Fall colors.  Let's see if I can entitle it 5F for Fabulous Fall Food and Foliage Fantasy.

The Executive Lounge of the Marriott Tokyo is smaller and not as elegant as that of the Tokyo Westin.  The various hors d'oeuvres did not mesmerize me, so I just had a touch of red wine and a spot of scotch, with the intention of having dinner at the restaurant here, for I was given free drink and 20% off coupons.  The drink variety was above average, plus they featured a different cocktail each night:

However, when I went up to the restaurant, I was told, sorry, there is tonight a private party.  I should have turned around and returned to the Executive Lounge.  However, every so often you need to assert yourself, so I huffed, "this is unecceptable, I'm staying here and this is how you treat a customer?  Let me see the manager."  All said in an imperious tone.  I did, though, back off a bit by suggesting that I could do take-out.  A few minutes later, the person I was talking to walked me to a table pretty much in the hallway where tourists just walk by, and sat me there.  I ordered a fish & chips with a glass of champagne.  Tasted like catfish.  I paid around $11.

On the way back to the elevator, I thought I would have a free dessert in the Executive Lounge.  I went in and my choice corner table was open.  The place was otherwise filled:

The Marriott Tokyo could well be a decent future hotel if I return to this city, for price is lower than the Tokyo Westin.

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4F Day 5: Seoul to Tokyo

I show a photo of my final breakfast at Feast because of two reasons:  the croissant is as good as in France and that crispy hash brown was the best I ever tasted.

Before I leave South Korea, let me report on a few high and low lights:

• As Jungsik (scroll down to the next posting, which reports on problems with this soaring restaurant), South Korea, too, appears to be fraying.  At the top, President Park Geun-hye is being besieged with resignation and impeachment notices, all because of Choi-gate.  You can read the details, but, to me, this is sounding somewhat similar to Hillary-gate:  foundation influence, national security leaks, etc.  While her term doesn't expire until February of 2018, she might well be in serious trouble.  My prediction as next president?  Ban Ki-moon, who will end his secretary generalship of the UN at the end of this year.  However, he is 72, two years older than Donald Trump.

• The shipbuilding industry is in a deep crisis.  Daewoo, Hyundai Heavy and Samsung Heavy all suffered huge losses last year, and this has continued this year.  Worse, there is a major accounting scandal.  Mind you, South Korea remains #1:

World shipbuilding market share by countries (Q1 2015)[26]
Rank	Country	Compensated GT	%
1	South Korea	2,310,000	41.0%
2	Japan	1,620,000	28.9%
3	China	1,350,000	24.0%
	Rest of the world	340,000	6.1%

• You having any problems?  Nothing compared to Samsung.  Not only shipbuilding, but their Galaxy Note 7 is killing them.  This Android phablet smartphone was unveiled early in August.  Battery explosions forced a recall on September 2.  In October, their replacements also caught on fire.  All 2.5 million were recalled, and it appears that the company will suffer at least a loss of $17 billion.  The problem is the lithium battery, the same type that almost scuttled the Boeing Dreamliner.  The future of even electric cars is now in doubt, for putting their best minds to work, Samsung has not been able to determine what is the problem with this battery.  Mind you, the iPhone 7 has also suffered from heat and fires, but Apple has thus far been able to keep most of this under wraps.  Who said 7 was a good luck number?

• China announced that ultra low cost tours to South Korea will be reduced by 20%, negatively effecting the KOSPI (stock market here).  China is ticked off at South Korea for a thing or two, and said the Philippines will gain from the shift.  I guess Duterte is not as dumb as most of us thought.

• Wait a minute, all bad news so far.  Ah, but Mamamoo is preparing to return.  Who?  Mamamoo is a South Korea girl group.  According to the Korea Joongang Daily, Mamamoo is known for strong vocals and catchy tunes.  Wikipedia indicates they are recognized for their retro, jazz and R&B concepts.   They kind of remind me of Michael Jackson.  I love their name, and they all look desirable:

• To segue into Japan, let me tell you about a new SONY camera.  I have been using SONYs now for two decades, but the company recently began selling an anti-tremble camera rated at 42.4 megapixels, capable of taking 12 photos/second, which is not a big deal, because there is another that takes 24 photos/second.    You can get an excellent 8x10 enlargement with this camera...8 feet by 10 feet.  And it only costs more than $3,000.

On the bus ride to the airport, I noticed a large number of persimmon trees providing this fruit to anyone who might want them:

So here I am at the #2 airport in the world, Incheon International.  My satisfying brunch at the Asiana Lounge:

That mushy bowl is abalone porridge.  Takeoff:

The flight was immemorable, the best kind.  The audio-visual system in United Air planes is just awful.  Today, nothing worked.  But I'm now back home, also known as the Tokyo Westin.  Their Executive Club is nothing special, but a comfort to me:

I could see from my table the 53-floor Tokyo Midtown (in middle with red lights at the top), with the Ritz Carlton at the top.  I'll be there in a few days:

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I should mention that Hurricane Seymour is a Category 2 storm at 115 MPH:

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4F Day 4: Seoul Jungsik

Note that during my first three days I had only three F's:  Fabulous Fall Fantasy.  Today, I'm up to four F's because I have added Food.  Thus:

     4F = Fabulous Fall Food Fantasy

According to my concierge, who checked this out with tour operators, Fall Colors have not yet come to South Korea.  Why?  Global Warming, of course.  Thus, I can only hope that when I get to Japan, I can adjust my title above to:

     5F = Fabulous Fall Food and Foliage Fantasy

I have added Food because of Feast and Pierre Gagnaire.  Scroll down to both reviews.  Today for lunch I add Jungsik.  I go to lunch because I get too sleepy at night.  Plus lunches are much cheaper and safer (muggings, etc.--although South Korea and Japan are much safer than Hawaii) than dinners.

While PG nor J is on any Michelin list, Jungsik is #22 on Pellegrino's Asia group, but you got to wonder what has happened, for it was #10 last year.  Michelin has not yet come to this country.  When it does, and this could well this be later this year or next, there are signs that both will gain star status.  There are around 100 Michelin 3-Star restaurants, and, there is the Pellegrino 100 Best.  For several years now Japan has had more Michelin 3's than France.  There is no such thing as Michelin 4-Star. I might conclude this discussion by indicating that the best Pellegrino Asian restaurants are #1 Gaggan (Bangkok), #2 Narisawa (Tokyo) and #3 Andre (Singapore).  I've been to all three.

So off I went to Jungsik.  The place was mostly filled for lunch and I ordered their chef special with wine.

I asked if they could provide a copy of what I was to have and the wines, and the person serving me said, sure thing.  Well, they reneged.   I got nothing at the end. Hmmm...#10 to #22?  Something is happening, and it's not good.  Thus, the best I can do is show you what I had.

This dish had you placing these items unto the toasted seaweed, except that the seaweed toast was too large and it was hard to eat.

The abalone in seaweed soup was quite good.  Somehow, Junsik was able to coax that half-dried quality into the taste...only a tad, but better than anywhere else.

Also, too, the octopus had that half-dried taste and was excellent.

This was supposed to be the highlight lobster dish, but, as I'm allergic to this crustacean, they replaced it with a nothing swordfish combo, which was a real disappointment.

The crispy skin red snapper might have been the highlight delight, with an arugula-like vegetable with a kim chee essence.

The Korean wagyu in kalbi style was okay, but nothing close to Japanese beef.  Note across the way that lady.

She had nothing alcoholic and kept looking at two smartphones, but this is the kind of fantasy that sometimes escalates into something.  The sherbert and dessert were excellent, with a cappuccino.

The price was just about half that of Pierre Gagnaire, but, frankly, I might never come back.

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Out of nowhere, there is now a 135 MPH Hurricane Seymour in the East Pacific:

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