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English teachers witness Japan disaster

by guardian.co.uk

The earthquake in Japan on 11 March, which triggered a series of devastating events across the east of the country, has left tens of thousands dead or missing, huge swaths of the population anxious about nuclear energy and had an economic impact that remains opaque. For the English language teachers, that means an uncertain future, not that those remaining are thinking ahead too far. The earthquake came at both the best and the worst time for the region's English language teachers. During an exam period and close to Japanese spring break, many teachers were not at work when the tsunami struck, and have had time to think about their ongoing residence in the country. (guardian.co.uk)

Tokyo Disneyland to open Friday after being shut by quake

by staradvertiser.com

Tokyo Disneyland will open April 15, its operator Oriental Land Co. said, after the amusement park was shut by Japan's March 11 earthquake, which damaged power plants and caused disruptions to electricity supply. The theme park will run on shortened hours until 6 p.m. daily, Oriental Land said in a statement to Tokyo's stock exchange today. The Tokyo DisneySea theme park will be opened "as soon as possible," it said, without providing a date. The monthlong closure of the two parks may have cut the company's revenue by about 21 billion yen ($249 million), according to Bloomberg calculations using data from the company. Sales at the theme parks, which generate 82 percent of Oriental Land's revenue, may suffer during summer as power supply is regulated to avoid a large-scale blackout. (staradvertiser.com)

Body of man killed in tsunami washes up 500km away

by Sydney Morning Herald

The body of a California man swept out to sea by a surge from Japan's tsunami last month has washed up on the Oregon coast, some 500 kilometres away, US authorities said on Tuesday. The body of Dustin Douglas Weber, 25,who was taking photographs of the tsunami when he was swept away, was found on April 2 by someone walking on the beach near Warrenton, Oregon, at the mouth of the Columbia River. "The body had been in the water for several weeks," Dr Christopher Young, Oregon deputy state medical examiner, said. (Sydney Morning Herald)