Struggling Areas Welcome American Food Deliveries

I’ve been looking for some stories to write about that relay the seriousness of the situation while not being the same sensational images of houses and cars floating away or houses reduced to splinters.

On the topic of international cooperation following the Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami in North-eastern Japan, there are several Japan bulletin board threads dedicated specifically to thanking different countries for what they’ve done.

One of the most emotional threads is about American helicopters that have gone unannounced into some of the difficult to reach areas with deliveries of water and various foods including instant ramen, Bumblebee canned tuna, Nature Valley granola bars, and Progresso soup.

Whereas the Japanese bulleting boards and 2CH are usually critical of the United States and other countries, seeing the helicopters come into the area has sparked some uncharacteristically friendly comments.

Some of my favorite comments about this story are things like:

• A few people said they’re ready for Japan to become one of America’s states.
• Someone else compared the American forces and the Global Hawk to Gundam.
• Another said, “Those Americans think they are SO cool.” Then in small letters below added, “Thanks.”

It’s not just America but there are a whole lot of countries that are gradually being allowed to help out and contribute to taking care of people on the ground. Japan’s self-defense forces have also been deployed in various areas.