cleaning eggs in a typhoon

Shigeo was out before breakfast today, taking down the cucumber plants ahead of typhoon Vongfong, expected in the afternoon. Everyone was concerned about possible damage to crops and the TV was on most of the day, both in the living and veg-packing rooms. It seems they have a channel dedicated to weather? Scenes of stalled airplane passengers and deserted stations, the rail network closed down. It's coincided with a national sports day holiday. Bad luck all competitors.

Fridays and Mondays particularly busy here: the day the veg and veg boxes are taken away. Distributed as far as Tokyo. Consumers, particularly young families, worried about contamination from Fukushima. Many have moved away to e.g. Osaka and Onomichi. I hadn't realised the area around Fukushima had been a centre for organic farming - it had clean water, beautiful mountains. The younger organic farmers have cleared out; older ones don't want to leave their lives and livelihoods. Instead, according to Shigeo, trying to minimise the radiation in their produce. Taking readings and only selling if below a threshold. Sounds unbelievable, self-imposed control. What about consumer confidence? No Soil Association to arbitrate. Government giving bland assurances while children's health suffers in radiation hotspots as far away as Tokyo: nose bleeds, cancer etc. And now a conservative backlash with the latest government rescinding on the plan to move away from nuclear.

Talking of nuclear, all this is very poignant, given my location just east of Hiroshima. Yesterday Keiko's sister (who I forgot to mention, also staying here) went to a discussion of the all-important Article 9 of the Japanese constitution. It came about post WW2 and represented the Japanese desire to learn form the past and avoid future conflict. So the current role of the Japanese army is defence only. But the world has changed, fear is rife and the conservative faction, backed up by the US, wants to beef up army capabilities. Perhaps this explains the unpopularity of the US, and its bases in Kyushu.

Meanwhile, while the government may be giving false information on the radiation risk, in Shigeo and Keiko's business I could see the twin effect of packaging legislation and consumer demand for clean and tidy: all veg cellophane wrapped; eggs tenderly washed (we don't do this in Europe, surely? - I'm sure I've bought dirty dirty dirty eggs from local farms in France). Yes, egg washing began today. Around 400 (two days' worth) carefully wiped or - if necessary - scrubbed under a tap, and boxed up. While the wind blew, the rain poured and TV updates suggested the end may not be nigh, after all, I bagged up okra and "tidied up" onions. Nice therapeutic work.