The Flying Japan Island

The Flying Japan Island  

a short story

 

Hiroshi Matsuoka

A Japan Airlines jumbo jet flight number 415 was ready for takeoff on the Narita Airport No. 1 runway.

“Narita Control Tower. JL415. Runway 16L. Ready for takeoff,” the pilot requested the takeoff clearance.

“J415. Runway 16L. Clear for takeoff,” the controller said.

The pilot repeated the controller’s words and slowly pushed the thrust lever forward. The jumbo jet gradually gained speed making a roaring sound. Soon the nose rose off the runway and in 27 seconds the aircraft was aloft.

The passengers saw the runway going down. Now the plane was flying at a 100 meter altitude . . . 200 . . . 300 . . . . The view from the passenger windows changed from the runway to rice fields. They were descending down, but when the jumbo jet rose to a 1000 meter altitude, strangely enough, they stopped descending. Although the jet was climbing higher and higher, the distance between the plane and the rice fields was kept around 1000 meters for 10 seconds or so, but then, the rice fields began to rise toward the jumbo jet, shrinking the distance. It was 2:22 pm on October 1, 2018.

Around 2:00 p.m. on the same day, Mr. Shiro Tojima was teaching Contemporary Social Studies to the 9^th graders at a senior high school.

“As you know,” Tojima said. “The number of refugees has been tremendously increasing in recent years. Last year, the number of Syrian refugees amounted to 4,900,000 followed by 2,700,000 Afgans and 1,100,000 Somalians. Many countries are accepting them. In 2016, Turkey accepted 2,500,000. Pakistan, 1,600,000. In Europe, Germany accepted the most, 800,000. Italy, 120,000. Sweden, 74,000. France…”

“May I ask a question?” Hamada raised his hand.

“Yes,” Tojima said.

“How about Japan? How many refugees did Japan accept?”

“Japan accepted 27 refugees.”

“Only 27? Such a small number?”

“Yes. But Japan provided 480,000,000 yen to assist refugees through the United Nations,” Tojima said.

“Only financially? Does the Japanese government believe money will solve the problem?” Hamada said.

“I don’t think so. But you see, Japan is situated in the far east, far away from Syria and Afghanistan. It cost too large an amount of money to travel to Japan,” Tojima said.

“You mean Japan is lucky to be located far from those countries?” another student said.

“No. This is not a lucky-or-unlucky issue, but a geographical issue. To tell the truth, I myself would like to accept them if Japan were located next to Syria or Afghanistan or Somalia. Actually, when I visited the Palmyra ruins in Syria a few years ago, my tourist guide was a Syrian. He graduated from the Japanese Language Department in Cairo University. He sometimes sends me e-mails. In one of them, he said his family had abandoned their home in Syria and reached as far as Greece. He intends to go to Germany. If Japan were close to Greece, I would like to invite his family to my house to stay with us.”

“Then why don’t you invite his family to your house?” another student said.

“I would like to do so from the bottom of my heart, but it’s impossible. I can’t pay the travel fee for them with such a low salary, you know. But if his family should come to my house, I would be very happy to let them use one of the rooms of my house,” Tojima said.

Since Tojima wanted to impress his students as a cool contemporary social studies teacher that he was a philanthropist and had a deep sense of humanity, he talked big. After all, the Syrian guide would never come to Japan even if the sun rose from the west.

“What if this guide took his friends with him and come to your house? Would you accept them as well?”

“Unfortunately, my house is not so large to accommodate them, but there is an empty lot in the back of my house. So I would gladly let them stay there. Well, let’s get back to the lesson. Ahh…What was I teaching about just now?”

Suddenly, Okada, who sat by the window, shouted.

“Mr. Tojima!”              

“No more questions, Okada. I know you have been looking out of the window all the while.”

“The sun is moving! It’s moving very fast!”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Tojima said.

 

          The Flying Japan Island  　part 2

 

      Suddenly he felt the classroom floating as if he were in an elevator. What has happened, he wondered. He thought it was because of his irregular heart beat which he had been suffering from for the past few years. Actually he sometimes got dizzy. After all, he was close to the retiring age of 60.

   “I’m not telling a joke, Mr. Tojima. Please come here and look at the sun,” Okada said.

   Tojima, half believing what Okada was saying, walked to the window and looked out of the window. Some students stood up and rushed to the windows, and looked at the sky. Oh, lo! The sun was moving back toward east at a high speed. The students shouted:

“Unbelievable!”

“It’s moving!” 

The rest of the students in the classroom swarmed to the windows. Tojima looked at the playground through the window where the P.E class students were supposed to be practicing tennis, but all of them, including the P.E. teacher, were looking up at the sky, stunned.

The announcement over the school P.A. system abruptly intruded into the classroom:

“We are sorry to interrupt your class, but this is an emergency announcement. All teachers, please come to the staff room.”

The students in Tojima’s class shouted with joy; they knew that school would be over whenever an emergency announcement was made during the class.

Tojima hurried to the staffroom. After a while, all the teachers gathered there. The principal stood in front of them and said in a nervous voice:

“I am sorry to have interrupted your classes, but something unbelievable has happened. A TV news bulletin has reported that Honshu, the main island of the Japanese archipelagos, was flying in the sky. At first I couldn’t believe my ears, but it is really happening. The island started to fly at 2:22 this afternoon. Both the Japanese Himawari satellite and an American communications satellite confirmed the flight. Now Honshu Island is flying westward at the speed of around 600 kilometers per hour at the altitude of about 5,000 meters.”

The teachers looked at each other, surprised.

“The Education Board of Aichi Prefecture has sent us the following message,” the principle continued. “All the schools in Honshu Island shall be closed for an indefinite time beginning today. So I would like you to go back to your classrooms and tell this message to your students. Please let them leave school as soon as possible.”

“Are the subways and buses running?” Mr. Yamashita said.

“Yes. All the transportation systems are operating as usual. Please tell the students about this, too,” the principle said.

Tojima went to his classroom and stood on the platform. The students were in chaos, preparing to go back home.

“Queit, everyone. Quiet!” Tojima said in a loud voice.

After the students got quiet, he said, “This may sound unbelievable, but Japan’s main island is flying in the sky. That’s why the sun was moving. And so, school is over. You may go home. School will be closed till further notice. Go back home as soon as possible. You can’t tell what will happen next under the circumstances.”

The students were not so surprised to hear Tojima’s explanation, because they had already got the news from their smartphones.

“And as for the public transportation system, all the trains and buses are moving as usual. But they may stop at any moment. Be careful, everyone,” Tojima said.

Soon all the students left school and the noise subsided. Tojima went back to the staffroom and walked into the TV room. He found about a dozen teachers watching TV. He saw on the TV screen the broken Naruto Bridge, which had connected Honshu Island and Shikoku Island. The announcer was reporting the news:

“The three great bridges that connected Honshu and Shikoku, namely Naruto, Seto, and Shima-nami Bridges have all broken apart. But just before the split, the emergency systems picked up the strong vibration on the bridges, and they shut down all the traffic between the two islands. Therefore, no one has been injured or killed.”

“That was lucky,” one of the teachers said.

“But nothing has changed around here,” another teacher said.

“Right, I don’t feel as if I were flying in the sky.”

 

The Flying Japan Island  　part 3

 

   “I think it should be freezing cold here if we are flying at an altitude of 5000 meters,” Mr. Saito, a math teacher said.

   “Yes, it should be 20 or 30 degrees Centigrade below zero,” Mr. Goto, a history teacher said.

   “Probably, it’s because the atmosphere above the island is moving together with it,” Mr. Yamashita, a science teacher said.

 

   Tojima left school around 4 o’clock. His house is situated in Aratama, about 25 minute-subway-ride from his school. Luckily the subway trains were running, but he thought they might stop at any moment. What’s worse, he thought, Honshu Island might break into two at its central part, in Gifu Prefecture, or the cliff edges around the island might crumble and eventually Honshu Island might disappear.

   When Tojima arrived at his house and opened the front door, his daughter, Yuka, rushed to him.

   “Dad, I’m scared. Japan is flying in the sky,” she said.

   “I know. So, you’ve returned home early,” he said.

   “Yes, school is closed. I don’t have to go to school from tomorrow on.”

   Yuka was a fourth grader. His wife, Naomi came to them, followed by Ken, his son, a first-grader.

   “Oh, you’ve come home. An incredible thing has happened, hasn’t it?” she said.

   “Yes, incredible.”

   “Dad, what does it mean Japan is flying in the sky? Nothing has changed around me,” Ken said.

   Ken was right. Nothing had changed on his way from school to his house. The houses, the roads, the subway trains, the way the water ran at the station toilet he had dropped in at—everything was as normal as before. The only thing he perceived was the movement of the sun. It was moving toward the east in the evening sky.

   Tojima went to the living room and watched TV. He saw several Japanese Air Self-Defense Force jets flying above Honshu Island at the same speed with it. He thought the cameras set in the jets were shooting Honshu Island. The NHK (Japan Broad Casting Corporation) announcer reported:

   “I am on board a SDF jet. It is now flying above Yaizu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Can you see Mt. Fuji on your TV screen? It’s on the right side, way back in the picture.”

   Katsushika Hokusai, a 16^th century Japanese painter, drew a picture in which a tiny Mt. Fuji seen in the background was contrasted with a giant wave in the foreground. Mt. Fuji on the TV screen looked like the tiny Mt. Fuji. Then the TV camera zoomed in on the mountain. It was really Mt. Fuji; its top was covered with snow.

   The announcer said, “We will soon bring you the images captured by the U.S. Defense Meteorological Satellite.”

   The next instance, the blue round earth was seen on the TV screen. The satellite camera was shooting the tiny Honshu Island flying over the surface of the earth. The island was zoomed in on. It was flying toward China, crossing the East China Sea. The way it was flying was just like a boat sailing in the sea: the bow of the ship was Yamaguchi, the southernmost prefecture in Honshu, while the stern was Aomori, the northernmost prefecture.

   The announcer said:

   “The next images are from the U.S. NASA Landsat 9.”

   The picture on the screen changed. It showed a graceful blue arch of the earth, extending from the left side of the screen to the right side. The space above the arch was black. A tiny moon was seen at the upper right corner of the space.

   The announcer began to explain the picture:

   “Please look at the central part of the arch. Can you see a tiny, tiny object buzzing the arch? That object is Honshu Island.”

   The object was zoomed in on. It was really Honshu Island. It was floating just above the arch of the blue earth. Tojima felt like he was watching an SF space film. He felt strange; he was standing on that flying object.

   The TV screen changed from the space shot to the NHK studio. A woman announcer was interviewing an old man with glasses on.

 

The Flying Japan Island 　　part 4

 

   “I would like to introduce Dr. Kitamura, a world-famous geophysicist to you,” she said. “Dr. Kitamura, thank you for sparing your time for us. Well, as you know, Honshu Island is flying. We are afraid that it will soon break into pieces in the sky. What do you think?”

   “As far as I have analyzed the pictures and footages sent from the satellites, I don’t think it will break into pieces soon because it is flying in a perfectly stable condition in terms of geology, meteorology, and physics. No part of the island has collapsed or is missing.”

   “Is that so? I’m relieved to hear that. So, we don’t have to worry about the collapse.”

   “No, you don’t.”

“Then, I’d like to ask the next question. I know that Honshu Island is about 1,500 kilometers long and 300 kilometers wide at the widest point. I wonder how thick it is. I mean, what is the shape of the bottom of the island? Can you tell us?”

“Yes, judging from what I have studied, Honshu Island is attached on a slab of 2000-meter-thick earth crust. In other words, the Island is riding on a 1,500-kilometer-long slab. Its bottom is horizontally flat. The thickest part of the island is, of course, Mt. Fuji. It’s about 5800 meters thick since Mt. Fuji is 3776 meters high. The thinnest part is the seashore. It is, as you can see, 2000 meters thick.”

“I see. The island is so thick that the subways are running and the groundwater is flowing normally. Am I right?” the announcer said.

“Yes, you are. The deepest subway station in Japan is Roppongi Station in Tokyo. Its depth is 42 meters underground. And the deepest groundwater is stored around 180 meters below the earth surface.”

Dr. Kitamura continued to say that the island was flying westward at 600 kilometers per hour at the altitude of 5,000 meters. If it kept flying in this manner, the island would collide against the Himalayan mountain range in six hours and 40 minutes. He did not give the cause of the unprecedented phenomenon of the flying Japan Island. However, he referred to the unusual gravity of the solar system caused by a rare alignment of the planets. Actually, all the planets were positioned in a straight line on October 1 this year. He also mentioned the probability of the horizontal slip of a fault of the island, but he was not sure.

The announcer concluded by saying, “The government is now discussing measures against the collision.”

“Really? Is Japan going to crash into the mountains?” Yuka said, worried.

Tojima did not know how to answer her, because he himself was shocked to hear about the collision.

“I don’t think so. The government will surely take effective measures. There are a lot of excellent scientists in our country, you know? You don’t have to worry, Yuka,” he said trying to be as calm as possible.

“But I’m scared.”

“Don’t worry,” he said, but how could anyone change the course or altitude of the flight? Honshu Island was not a boat or an airplane.

“Now, the Japanese prime minister is going to address the nation in five minutes,” the announcer said.

Soon, the TV screen showed Prime Minster Isobe sitting at the desk in the prime minister’s office.

“My fellow Japanese citizens, as you know, Honshu is facing an unprecedented critical condition that it has ever experienced. You may have already heard that Honshu Island is flying westward. According to a group of specialists on geophysics, our Island is flying in a stable manner, but you cannot predict what will happen next. If Honshu, the largest island of Japan which plays a vital role in the Japanese politics, economics, industry, and in other fields, should suffer a disastrous damage, like breaking into pieces during the flight, the main part of Japan will literally perish from the earth. At present, it is flying above Shanghai. If it continues to fly in the present manner, it will collide against the Himalaya Mountains in six hours or so. This is not a joke but is the conclusion of the scientists who have analyzed the data. Then, how could we avoid the collision? We have reached the conclusion. The solution is to shift the center of gravity of Honshu toward the northernmost part of Honshu Island, Aomori Prefecture. By so doing, we will slant the island. Honshu is flying like a boat in the sea. The bow of the boat is Yamaguchi Prefecture and the stern is Aomori Prefecture. If we can raise the bow and lower the stern, Honshu Boat will, aerodynamically speaking, climb in the sky. Then what should be done? Here Yamagishi Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transportation will talk about the concrete plan. So, please listen to him.”

 

 The Flying Japan Island 　　part 5

 

   Tsutomu Yamagishi was standing in front of a large map of Japan projected on the screen.

   “I’d like to explain how to shift the center of gravity of Honshu Island toward Aomori Prefecture,” he said.

   He pointed Aomori Prefecture in the map. It showed all the Japan Railways and private railroad lines.

   “We will shift the center of the gravity,” he continued. “By moving all the trains, freight trains, and shinkansen to Aomori Prefecture. There are approximately 45,000 train cars in Japan. We are planning to move as many cars as possible to Aomori prefecture. Of course, without your cooperation, our plan will be useless. Therefore, I would like to ask every one of you to cooperate with us. People now riding on trains or shinkansen, please get off them within 30 minutes. We are going to run as many extra buses as possible at the main stations. 30 minutes later, all the empty trains will run to Aomori Prefecture one after another according to the special train diagrams. The first train will stop at Minmaya Station, northernmost terminal on the Tsugaru Line in Tsugaru Peninsula. The other trains will follow the first train and stop behind them. Thus all the trains will make a long line bumper to bumper from the terminal down toward south.

   “I don’t think the plan will work,” Naomi said.

“It will. The JR men are professional. Don’t worry,” Tojima said, but he was doubtful about it, too. It was childish, he thought. How could the weight of all the trains move the center of Honshu Island gravity?

   The minister was still explaining.

   “As for Shinkansen trains, they will form a line from the northernmost terminal, Okutugaru-imabetsu Station, on the Hokkaido Shinkansen Line down to south. We are sorry for causing troubles, but this is Japan’s life-or-death problem. We appreciate your prompt cooperation. Thank you.”

   “I sympathize with those who are now traveling in the trains. And the buses will be jam-packed and most of them have to walk home,” Naomi said.

   “Right, some of them must be in urgent business.”

   Tojima thought it was lucky for him that he or any of his family members was at that time not riding in the train.

   The TV showed BBC news with simultaneous translation in Japanese.

   “This is the BBC world news,” the announcer said. “An urgent meeting of the United Nation Security Council was held about 15 minutes ago. Charles F. Bolden, the administrator of NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, has just begun to report about the flying Japan Island.”

   The TV screen showed the conference room of the UN Security Council. A huge picture of the Northern European Legend was on the front wall. The 14 ambassadors from the UN Security Council countries sat at the U-shaped table.

The chairperson sat in the center of the table with the UN secretary-general next to him. The administrator of NASA stood in front of a large screen and indicated the Japan Island, which was flying over the eastern part of China. A straight white line from the island extended in the flight direction and the end of the line reached the Himalayas.

   “As you see here,” the administrator Bolden said. “The Japan Island is heading for the Himalaya mountain range. It is flying at 600 kilometers per hour at the altitude of 5,000 meters. If the island keeps flying in this direction, it will crash the mountain range, probably Mt. Everest, in five hours. We will have to take an urgent measure. This is the present situation of Japan Island.”

   “Thank you Mr. Bolden,” the chairman said. “We will now proceed to an open discussion. If you have questions or opinions concerning the problem, please go ahead.”

   “I cannot believe what you’ve just explained. Is Japan Island really flying? Aren’t the pictures sent from the satellites fakes or some mistakes?” the French UN ambassador said.

   “No, they are not fake. Japan Island is really flying. Many people in Shanghai witnessed a tremendously huge object flying over them ten minutes ago. And according to Kishida Foreign Minster of Japan, who I contacted on the phone 10 minutes ago, Japan was flying over Shanghai,” the NASA administrator said pointing Shanghai in the map.

   “Why has such an extraordinary thing happened?” the Costa Rica UN ambassador said.

 

The Flying Japan Island 　　part 6

 

   “That’s a good question. We are analyzing the cause of Japan’s flight now, but most probably, the planetary alignment, in which Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and the moon are aligned, is responsible for the phenomenon. As for why only the Japan main island is flying, our scientists say that a large amount of magma went under the Japanese archipelago in accordance with the movement of the Pacific Plate toward the Asian Continent, and this magma….”

   “Chairman!” the Kazakhstan UN ambassador said sharply.

   “Yes?” the chairman said.

   “It is waste of time to discuss whether the Japan Island is actually flying or why it is flying. Our problem is the fact that Japan Island is flying. If it crashes into Mt. Everest, what do you think will happen? Japan has the world's third largest gross national product. The crash will give a tremendous influence on the world economy. This is the problem we should discuss first.”

   “That is quite right,” the British UN ambassador said. “When our country withdrew from the EU in 2016, the pound hit a record low since 1985, and the world stock markets declined across the board. Brexit was a minor change, but influenced the world economy a great deal. Now this time, the issue is not a minor one: it’s a world-wide devastating problem.”

   “Yes. I agree with you. Japan is one of the major trade partners for China. If Japan disappears, it will be a big blow to our country, too,” the Chinese ambassador said.

   “Our country does not trade with Japan very much, so we won’t suffer severely. However…,” the Cameroon ambassador’s words were cut short by the Russian ambassador.

   “All of you talk about your own country’s economy. The problem is not your country’s economy or the world’s economy. Japan is going to crash into Mt. Everest soon. How many people do you think live in the Japan Island? One hundred million or roughly 80 percent of Japan’s population. They are destined to die in a few hours. We should discuss how to save them.”

   “The victims won’t be only a hundred million,” the NASA administrator said. “I guess half of the world’s population, that is, at least 36 hundred million people, will perish from the earth.”

   “What do you mean? You mean the crash against Mt. Everest will obliterate the people living in Nepal and its neighboring countries? Nepal’s population is 30 million, Bhutan has 800,000 and Bangladesh has 170 million. The total does not amount to 36 hundred million. Isn’t your figure wrong?” the Bhutan ambassador said.

   The administrator replied, “No, it isn’t. The collision might cause an unexpected geological change deep in the Himalayan range and trigger the eruption of magma. The eruption would be a global disaster, incomparable to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Even if the eruption does not happen, the collision will smash the Japan Island and innumerous rocks and debris will spread in all directions. I know the speed of the island is 600 kilometers per hour, so you can’t compare it with meteors, which fall toward the earth at a speed of tens of thousands of kilometers per hour. However, the size of the Japan Island is enormous. If it crashes against Mt. Everest, the earth will be covered with the smashed rocks and soil. An extraordinary climate change like the one in which dinosaurs became extinct will surely take place.”

   “Oh, my god! That’s the end of our planet,” the UN ambassador from Malaysia said.

   “Isn’t there any method to stop its flight?” the ambassador from France said.

   “How about cutting off the top of Mt. Everest?” Donald Toremp, the UN ambassador from the US said.

   “Stop talking nonsense!” the Japanese ambassador said irritated.

   “This is not nonsense! I am serious. I am thinking of dropping atomic bombs on Mt. Everest. The bombs will blow up the top of the mountain, won’t it?”

   “That will bring about another disaster like Chernobyl and Fukushima,” the Russian ambassador said.

   Silence prevailed for a while.

   “At any rate, the priority should be given to how to prevent the collision. There should be a way to change the course of its flight, or to raise the island higher. What measures is the Japanese government taking?” the Saudi Arabia’s ambassador said.

 

The Flying Japan Island 　　part 7

“The Japanese government has already implementing measures. They are moving all the trains and planes in Japan to the northernmost part of Japan to prevent its collision with Mt. Everest. Their plan is to move the center of the gravity of Japan to the farthest north and thereby raise the southern edge. Since the bottom of the flying Japan is flat, they think the island will climb aerodynamically. This plan is, if you will forgive me for being rude, a total absurdity. It is childish and will never be successful. We will have to　take a different measure….” the NASA administrator said.

“So, do you have any other measure instead?” the UN ambassador from Kazakhstan said.

“No, I don’t. That’s why we are gathering here,” the administrator said embarrassed.

“We have been discussing this issue long enough,” Kazakhstan’s ambassador retorted sharply. “And we have understood the unprecedented disaster that will take place soon, but we haven’t come up to any solution. The NASA administrator said Japan’s plan is absurd, but we should not look down on the Japanese people. I believe they have excellent brains. Therefore, it is worth cooperating with them. It is better than doing nothing. Let’s help them to move the center of Japan’s gravity.”

“Does anyone have any objection to his proposal?” the chairman said.

“This is not an objection, but plans to enhance the movement of Japan’s gravity,” China’s ambassador said. “They are, first, to land as many carrier helicopters as possible on the northernmost edge, and secondly, to pull up the southernmost part of Japan Island with hot-air balloons.”

In the end, the proposal to use helicopters and balloons was unanimously approved. The UN secretary-general made the proposal to the Japanese government, which accepted it immediately.

Within 30 minutes, 2100 carrier helicopters, including Russia’s 200 Mi-26 carrier helicopters which were the largest in the world, flew to Honshu Island from the US, Russia, China, Korea, and India. They flew to two northernmost peninsulas: Shimokita Peninsula and Tsugaru Peninsula. There are 157 elementary, junior, and senior high schools in the areas. Ten to twenty helicopters were assigned to land on each school’s playground.

There were only four hours before the crash. The television showed a three-story Aomori Prefectural Ominato High School building with Mt. Kamafuse in the distance. The sky above it was covered with a dozen or so helicopters. About 20 members of the Air Self-Defense Force sent from Ominato Base were ready to guide the helicopters to land on the playground. The people in the vicinity of the school had gathered around it to watch the landing spectacles.

“Loot at the sky. I’ve never seen so many helicopters hovering,” Yuka said.

“I admire the pilots. They are skillful enough to avoid crashing,” Tojima said.

“I want to see the helicopters up close,” she said.

“I want to ride on it,” Ken said.

“I want to ride on it, too,” Naomi said.

“How dare you say such a childish thing in a state of Japan’s crisis?” Tojima said to Naomi wryly.

“The first one is landing,” Yuka said.

The helicopters began to descend one after another with thunderous noise lead by the hand signals by the SFD members.

Meanwhile, as for the plan to raise the southernmost part of Japan, Yamaguhi Prefecture, 500 hot-balloons and 1000 pilots were sent to the prefecture from the Japan Hot-air Balloon Association. Furthermore, approximately 2000 hot-air balloons and 4000 pilots from Nepal, China, India, and Pakistan were transported to Ube Airport, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The balloons were deployed to 285 schools in the major cities in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Besides them, about 300 public buildings such as city halls, libraries, museums, and police stations in the cities were used to raise the hot-balloons. Consequently, 4 or 5 hot-balloons were raised from each building.

Although Honshu Island was flying at the speed of 600 kilometers per hour, the weather in these cities were fine with no wind and was suitable for flying the hot-air balloons.

 

The Flying Japan Island 　　part 8

 

On the roof of Fujiyama Junior High School in Ube City, the hot-air balloon crew members blew cold air into a folded balloon to open its mouth. When it opened, they aimed the flame into the balloon to heat the air inside. Soon it swelled and gradually rose and left the roof into the sky. It was a 20-meter diameter balloon. Four ropes, which hung down from the balloon basket, entered a classroom on the top floor through the windows, went through it, came out, and reached the basket. Thus, four balloons rose one after another from the roof.

   “I want to ride one,” Ken said watching television.     

   “Are they trying to pull up the school buildings? Don’t you think the whole idea is foolish?” Naomi said.

   “I don’t think so,” Tojima negated her so that Yuka would not worry too much. Actually, he doubted the government’s plan. He said to himself, “How childish the idea is!”

   The television showed hundreds of hot-air balloons floating over Shimonoseki City. They were colorful. Some had stripe designs, others spiral patterns. All the hot-air balloons looked as if they were celebrating a big occasion.

 

   Only one hour and a half was left before Honshu Island crashed into Mt. Everest. In this situation, thanks to “the Raising Honshu Island Strategy,” the island began to climb at an elevation angle of 3.4 degrees. As the island flew, it climbed higher and higher. Soon it was flying at an altitude of 6000 meters, and then 7000, and finally 8000. If Shimokita Peninsula rose more than 8,848 meters above the sea level, it would clear the highest mountain in the world.

   “This is a news bulletin,” the TV announcer said. “The Raising Honshu Island Strategy has been proven successful. If Honshu Island continues to climb in the present manner, Shimokita Peninsula will be flying at an altitude of 9,000 meters by the time it reaches Mt. Everest, according to the Hitachi Super Computer’s calculation.”

   “Oh! We are saved!” Yuka said.

   “Great!” Tojima said.

   “I can’t believe it!” Naomi said holding Ken in her arms.

   The television showed the flying Honshu Island caught by a Himawari Satellite camera. It was flying toward the snow-capped Mt. Everest. The countdown clock indicating the remaining time before the island reached Mt. Everest was shown at the bottom right corner of the television. 20 minutes more . . . 19 . . . 18 . . . 17 . . . .

   Tojima looked at the digital clock as if he were looking at the New Year Eve countdown.

   “Now Prime Minister Shozo Yokomizo will give a message,” the NHK television announcer said, and the premier appeared on the screen.

   “My fellow Japanese people, I am very glad to announce that Honshu Island will not crash against Mt. Everest. It will reach the mountain in about 15 minutes, but by the time it reaches the mountain, it will be flying at an altitude of more than 10,000 meters. It will clear Mt. Everest easily. I thank you all for your hearty cooperation. My special thanks go to the Japan Railways, the private railway companies, the Japan Hot-air Balloon Association, and the Self-Defense Forces for their dedicated work. I also would like to extend my gratitude for the countries that helped us with helicopters and hot-air balloons. Honshu Island may encounter yet another….”

   Suddenly his speech was interrupted by Chief Cabinet Secretary Sanpo Edogawa, who handed a piece of paper to the prime minister.

   “Is this true?” the premier said bewildered.

   “Yes, it is,” Edogawa said.

   “Did you confirm it?”

   “Yes, I did.”

The newspaper reporters’ voices were heard, “What’s the matter, Prime Minster?”  

“So, this is not a mistake,” Yokomizo said to Edogawa with a strained face.

   “No, not a mistake. Both the administrator of NASA, Charles Bolden, and the director of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Eita Tsuburaya telephoned the headquarters almost simultaneously telling about the critical condition. And a minute later, The Russian Federal Space Agency director, Vladimir Makarov called them saying the same thing.”

   Prime Minister stood stunned and shocked.  

 

The Flying Japan Island 　　part 9

 

    “What’s wrong, Prime Minister?” the news reporters said.

    Suddenly the TV screen blurred and an announcer appeared:

   “This is a special news bulletin. Honshu Island began to descend a few minutes ago. If it continues to fly downward in this manner, it will crash into Mt. Everest in ten minutes. I repeat. Honshu Island began….”

   After he repeated the news bulletin three times, The Prime Minister’s speech resumed. He looked pained.

   “As you have just heard, Honshu Island cannot evade Mt. Everest. It will crash against it soon. I cannot believe it. Now, I don’t know what to say to you at this moment. You and I and all the people, young and old, will have to die with this island. I regret the young people, who are the bearers of Japan’s future, must perish soon.”

   He paused as if to search for the suitable words for his speech.

   “People of the world, I want to say thank you for everything on behalf of Japan. I sincerely hope that you will realize the world of co-existence. People of Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu, and the other parts of Japan, I am now handing the torch to you. It is up to you whether Japan will build a nation that will contribute to the world. Now I must say good-bye to you all. Good-bye, everyone.”

   When the prime minister retired, the TV screen projected full-bloom cherry trees against the snow-capped Mt. Fuji. The melody of “Sakura” (cherry blossoms) began to be played.

 

Sakura sakura

Yayoino sorawa

Miwatasu kagiri….

(Cherry blossoms are in full bloom against the blue sky as far as I can see….)

 

   “Let’s turn off the television. This is not the time to watch television,” Naomi said.

   “Yes,” Tojima turned it off.

   “Dad, will Japan really disappear?” Yuka said.

   “Yes, it will.”

   “What do you mean Japan will disappear? Why?” Ken said.

   No one could answer his question. Tojima and Naomi looked at each other. They were married only for eleven years. Yuka was nine years old and Ken was only four. What a destiny! It was a bad dream, Tojima thought. He was looking forward to the days when his children would grow up. He took Naomi’s hand. She clasped his.

   “My dear kids, we will be together in heaven,” Tojima said. The parents embraced their children tightly.

   “Let’s sing a song, shall we?” Naomi said.

   “Good. How about ‘Furusato’?” Yuka said.

   “All right.”

  

   Usagi oishi

   Kano yama

   Kobuna tsurishi

   Kano Kawa….

   (That mountain where we used to catch rabbits, and that river where we used to catch fish….)

 

   After they sang the song, Ken proposed that they sing ‘Donguri korokoro.’

 

   Donguri korokoro

   Donburiko

   Oikeni hamate

   Sah taihen….

   (An acorn is rolling down. It fell into a small pond. Splash! Oh, my goodness….)

 

   While Tojima was singing, he thought the crash would happen at any moment.

Suddenly the house shook violently. Tojima hugged his wife and children firmly, closing his eyes.

  Several seconds passed, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes and looked at the clock. More than 15 minutes had passed since the Prime Minister’s speech. He relaxed his hold and turned on the television. The announcer was saying:

   “I will repeat. Honshu will not crash against Mt. Everest.”

   “My goodness!” Naomi said with her eyes wide open.

   “Great!” Yuka said shining.

   They became dazed.

   The announcer continued to report:

   “Honshu Island changed its course toward northwest immediately before the collision. At present, it is flying along the north side of the Himalayan mountain range at an altitude of 6000 meters. It is heading for Islamabad, Pakistan. Now we are going to broadcast the live video shot by the US Defense Meteorological Satellite.

   The television showed a tiny object moving above the blue globe. On its left side was the wave-like snow-capped Himalayan range. The announcer told where Honshu Island was flying over the range.

   “Shiono Cape has just passed the 8200 meter-high Mt. Cho Oyu. Now Mt. Manasulu and Mt. Annapurna have come into sight. They are more than 8000 meters high.”

   Tojima’s long tension was relaxed. His family and all the people in Honshu survived the near death experience.

   Honshu flew steadily, passing the northern part of Pakistan. Then it flew over Afganistan.

   In the meantime, the foreign helicopters left Aomori Prefecture for their countries. The Japan Railways trains began to go back to their original railways. The planes that had carried hot-air balloons also returned to their home countries.

   Two hours later, the island flew toward north-northwest, crossed over the Tigris and the Euphrates, and approached Lake Quadisha in Iraq. The lake was dry because it had not rained since 2015. No crop or fish was available for four years. More than 2000 people died of the famine.

To be continued

 

The Flying Japan Island 　　part 10

 

   The people in Quadisha knew that Honshu Island was heading for their district and were looking forward to seeing it.

   Suddenly, around 5 o’clock in the evening a tremendously huge flying object appeared in the southeastern sky.

   “Look! Japan Island! Japan has come!”

   The residents all looked up at the sky. Honshu Island was flying above the thin clouds in the blue sky. Soon it covered the whole sky above them. It blocked out the sunlight. It became as dark as night. The darkness continued more than for four minutes.

   About 15 minutes before Honshu flew over Quadisha, it rained cats and dogs in the Kansai region. When the island was flying over Quadisha, the rain fell on the district like waterfalls.

   “Thank God! Rain! Rain! Rain!”

   “Thank you, Japan!”

   The people kept their faces up, opened their mouths wide to receive the rain. Drenched in rain, they washed their faces with their hands, danced happily, and laughed as if they were mad.

   The Iraq National Television broadcasted the people’s exultance. Watching television, Tojima said, “I’m surprised. The torrential rain can be beneficial.”

   “I’m hungry,” Ken said.

   “OK. I’ll go shopping,” Naomi said and went out.

   Tojima was afraid that little food was being sold in supermarkets. Especially imported food such as meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit might be scarce. If the island continues flying this way, the people on the island must be self-sufficient like those during Edo era. Of course, it was lucky that the island avoided the crash against Mt. Everest, but what would become of food, he wondered.

   After Honshu Island saved the Quadisha people, it passed through Iraq, flew over Syria and approached the Mediterranean Sea. Now it was flying over Crete.

   All of a sudden, the island began to sway and headed for the southern edge of Italy, the so-called the heel of the boot. It began to descend gradually. Now, it was flying at an altitude of 5,000 meters above the sea…4,000…3,000….

   The TV camera set at the top of Shimonoseki Strait Dream Tower broadcasted the pictures it took as Honshu Island was descending toward the sea. What looked like dots gradually became larger and larger until they turned out to be ships and fishing boats. Here and there the waves were shining brightly in the sunlight.

   Naomi came back from shopping.

   “No fish at all. Vegetables are 20 times as expensive as before. I don’t know what to eat from now on. I hope the island will soon land on some place or other as soon as possible.”

   “You’re happy-go-lucky, aren’t you? Our island has just begun to descend. It might plunge into the sea at any moment.”

   “My god! Is it true?” she said.

   “Yes, most probably.”

   “I don’t mind. I can swim,” Ken said.

   When Honshu Island descended to 1,000 meters above the sea, the TV showed Taranto City on the Gulf of Taranto in the southern part of Italy. It showed the coast lines and highways. Tiny cars were running. Honshu Island descended to 500 meters above sea level. The television showed the drivers in the cars and the windows of the buildings in the city. It then showed the ships berthing in Taranto Port. Now you could see the faces of the fishermen in the fishing boats. The surface of the sea was very close. It would plunge into the sea, Tojima thought.

“Come closer to me, everyone. We will be always together,” he said in a determined way.

   Unexpectedly, Honshu Island stopped descending and hovered at about 100 meters above the sea level for some time. And then, it began to descend vertically toward the sea slowly and quietly like a helicopter. The bottom of Honshu Island touched the surface of the sea with splash causing tsunami, sank gradually and stopped sinking halfway. The highest tsunami waves were seven meters at maximum. Honshu Island landed safely in the center of the Mediterranean Sea, in the waters surrounded by Italy, Libya, and Greece. It was a miraculous landing on the waters.

 

The Flying Japan Island 　　part 11

 

   “Dad, Honshu Island won’t sink, will it?” Yuka said.

   “Probably, not.”

   “Then, a new island has been formed in the Mediterranean Sea, hasn’t it?”

   “Yes, you can say so.”

   Tojima couldn’t believe that Honshu Island was staying firmly in the sea. He was afraid that it would start to fly again or to sink in the sea at any moment.

   The television showed a bird’s-eye view of Honshu Island in the sea. Three seashores in Honshu Island were respectively connected to three coasts on the land surrounding the Mediterranean Sea： the Hikone Coast in Shimonoseki was connected to the Taranto Coast in the southern end of Italy; the Koishi-hama Coast in Noto Peninsula was connected to the Yerolimin Coast in Peloponnesos Peninsula in Greece; and the Inubozaki Coast in Choshi City in Boso Peninsula was connected to the Al Bayda Coast in the northern part of Libya.

Broadcasting stations all over the world reported that Honshu Island had safely landed in the Mediterranean Sea. The US weather satellite showed the picture of the whole Honshu Island stationed in the Mediterranean Sea. The Greek National Television Station showed how the Yerolimin Coast was connected to a coast in Honshu Island. The two coasts were so naturally connected to each other that you could walk to Honshu Island. The news announcer said,

   “The next is Japan Island news. The largest island in Japan or Japan Island landed in the Mediterranean Sea at 6:58 in the afternoon after it flew for about 21 hours from the Far East. Coincidentally, the tip of the peninsula in the central part of Japan Island was connected to a coast in Peloponnesos, but it is dangerous to venture to go to Japan Island because it may fly again. Furthermore, some parts of the Mediterranean Sea are deeper than the Japan Island’ height. So it has a possibility to sink in the sea. Concerning this, some 20 scientists in geoscience will meet in Tokyo three days later to investigate the stability of Japan Island. The world is looking forward to the results.”

 Two days passed. Nothing unusual happened. Japan Island did not move even an inch. The weather in Tohoku district became similar to the climate of the Mediterranean Sea. The temperature of Aomori was 13.5 degrees centigrade before Honshu Island started to fly, but now it was around 19 degrees. Also the humidity of the district decreased drastically. The Tohoku people were glad to have a mild, pleasant climate.

   Three days later, distinguished geologists, geoscientists, meteorologists, seismologists, astronautical engineers, and oceanographers met in Tokyo and started the investigation.

   Meanwhile, refugees staying in Italy, Greece, and Libya, were eager to go to Japan Island, but they were afraid of the danger the news mentioned. They were eagerly waiting for the announcement of the result of the investigation.

   Ten days later, the result was announced. The bottom of Japan Island was firmly connected with the rock grounds of the Mediterranean Sea and that there was no possibility for Japan Island to fly again. The report ended with the conclusion that Japan Island was literally the same with a new island formed in the Mediterranean Sea. The news immediately spread all over the world.

   Within 30 minutes after the report, tens of thousands of refugees from Europe and Africa flooded into Japan Island via the coasts of Shimonoseki, Wajima, and Choshi. The policemen and the Self-Defense Forces personnel who had been deployed at the coasts to stop the illegal intruders were powerless. They stopped only one-tenths of the refugees at the initial stage, but after a few hours had passed, no police or SDF personnel could stop the crazy flood any more. They just looked on as they rushed into the territory of Japan.

   An old Greek couple said happily, “We wanted to go to Japan once in our lives, but miraculously Japan has flown here. This is God’s deed. Nothing could make us happier. Thank God!”

The couple walked into Japan hand in hand as if they were going on a picnic to Japan Island.

 

The Flying Japan Island 　　part 12

 

   The Japanese government could not take effective measures to cope with the people rushing into Japan Island like a flood, neglecting the disembarkation procedures. The government threw its hands up. It did not know what to do with them. It was at the mercy of the refugees.

   Ten days passed after Japan Island reached the Mediterranean Sea, when the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology announced that all the schools in Japan Island from elementary schools to universities should resume.

   A few days later, the school which Tojima worked for resumed. He went to school after a long while. After the teachers’ morning meeting, he went to his classroom, opened the door, and looked at the students after a long absence.

   “Stand up!” the class chief shouted. All the students stood up.

   “Bow!” he said.

   Tojima and the students bowed to each other. When the students sat down on their chairs, Tojima said,

   “Hello, It’s been a long time since I saw you last. Are you all right, everyone?”

He began to take a roll call. Each student responded in the same manner and voice before flying to the Mediterranean Sea.

   “All are present. I’m happy to see you all. None of you fell from the island while it was flying. How lucky we are!” he said.

   “Mr. Tojima, you said you would help refugees if they come to your house. Now that we are in the middle of Europe, are you still going to accept them?” Yota Hattori said.

   Tojima was bewildered. He had never dreamed that Japan Island would fly to Europe. So he had boasted that he would accept them in such a case. He could not call back what he had said.

   “Of course, I am willing to help them if I had a chance to contact them,” he said against his will, trying to look as natural as possible.

   “How cool!” Sumire Tachibana said admiringly.

   That night, he checked the e-mails and found a message from the tourist guide, Ali. It read:

   “Mr. Tojima, how are you? I am Muhamad Ali. Do you remember me?  I guided you around the Palmyra site. I am now staying in Greece. I intended to go to Germany, but now that Japan Island flew to the Mediterranean Sea, I changed my destination. Germany is far away and it will cost time and money to go there, but your country is just next door to Greece. So I want to go to Japan and work there. Now, I have a favor to ask of you. Could you kindly let us stay at your house until I find a job? It is perfectly all right with my family if you co

uld spare a part of your back yard or shed or any place where we could be sheltered from the elements.”

   Tojima was bewildered. Was his family really going to come to his house? It was all right with him to spare one of the rooms for them, but was it possible to live with them under the same roof? Could Ali’s wife, unable to speak Japanese nor English, go shopping? Did Ali have enough money for food and necessities? What about the food his family were going to eat. What were they going to do with clothes? They were, after all, totally new to Japanese culture.

   Tojima thought of refusing them saying that his mother was seriously ill and so he was unable to accept them. But on the other hand, he blamed himself. What a coward of a man he was! He had declared to his students that he would accept refugees. Could he betray them? They should help each other when they were in times of need. Ali said he would stay at his house until he found a job. Tojima thought he could be patient until that time. They wouldn’t stay at his house for good. He talked to his wife and children about Ali’s request. They agreed to accept Ali’s family. He replied to Ali:

   “Ali, I don’t mind your staying at my house. You’re welcome at any time.”

   He let him know his address and phone number.

   Several days later Ali came to his house with his wife and son. He wore a long-sleeve shirt and brown jeans carrying a large bag on his shoulder. His wife wore a long black ankle-length one-piece carrying a bulgy bag diagonally from her shoulder, her hair covered with a green scarf. Their boy wore a cap, a red jumper, and jeans. Tojima let them use Yuka’s room. Consequently, Yuka and Ken had to use the same room, but the kids did not complain about it. Rather, they had an interest in the new family. Ali said to Tojima, “Thank you very much” many times.

   A few days later, one of Tojima’s students asked him about Ali during his class.

   “Oh, his family is staying in my house now. He and his wife and son are all good people. They give me the first-hand information about the Syrian refugees. I’ll let you know about it soon,” he said.

 

The Flying Japan Island 　　part 13

 

   Actually, he hoped Ali’s family would leave his house as soon as possible. Tojima and his wife were always worried about how his family lived in Nagoya. Their minds were occupied with things concerning with Ali’s family while they were eating meals, taking a bath, or watching television and so forth.

   The next morning, Ali started looking for a job. He often went to the Nagoya Foreigners’ Employment Service Center. Also, he used his smartphone to find a job. He accessed the Internet Hello Work for Foreigners and other similar sites. However, he failed to find any job at all.

   Some days later, Tojima said to him, “Have you found a job?” although he knew that a foreigner without a working visa had few opportunities to find a job.

   “No, I haven’t,” Ali said disappointedly.

   “Don’t be discouraged. I’ll ask my friend to hire you,” Tojima said. He wanted to regain his former life, which had not been bothered by people from other countries.

   Fortunately, Tojima’s friend from his elementary school days was the president of a condominium coating and waterproof company and was recruiting apprentices. Applicants did not have to have experience for the job. Tojima went to his company and asked him to employ Ali.

   “He speaks Japanese fluently. He will work diligently. I will be a bond for him,” Tojima said.

   “All right. It can’t be helped. I’ll employ him on the condition that he will get only 4,000 yen a day since he doesn’t have a working visa. That’s half of the daily wage for an apprentice.”

   The next day Ali began to work at his company.

   A few days later Ali said to Tojima, “Thank you for your help. My family will leave here tomorrow. I’ll never forget your kindness.”

   Tojima was happy to hear that, but at the same time he was afraid that his students might think that he kicked out the Ali family.

   “But you may stay at my house if you want,” he said pretending to be a kind man.

   “Thank you, but while a lot of my friends from Syria are living on the roads or in parks, only my family cannot stay in such a nice house like this.”

   “Then, where are you going to stay? Do you have a specific place you are going to stay?”

   “Not particularly, but I am planning to stay at Tsurumai Park, where many refugees are residing.”

   “I see, it may be a good idea, but I have a better plan. I own a patch of open ground next to my house. You friends may come and stay there.”

   The vacant ground was once a construction material yard, but the company went bankruptcy and now it was an open space.

   Two days later, 12 families, including the Ali’s, came to the open ground, hoisted tents, and began to stay there.

   Early the next morning at the sunrise, they prayed for Muslim. They chanted in a loud chorus that resonated around Tojima’s neighborhood. The prayer broke the early morning silence. The neighbors were annoyed.

  Sam'i Allahu liman hamidah,

 Rabbana wa lakal hamd,

  Allahu Akbar,

  Subhana Rabbiyal A'ala……

 

　One prayer lasted about ten minutes. They prayed five times a day. During the prayers, the strange melody-like Islamic chants were heard in the neighborhood.

 

   A tremendous number of refugees who came to Japan via Shimonoseki, Wajima, and Choshi coasts walked to large cities in Japan like Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka to apply for refugee status. In a month, more than 200,000 refugees came to Nagoya. They were living in parks, temples, river banks, subway stations, and roads. They pitched tents and constructed cardboard “houses.” Nagoya residents were annoyed by the chant prayers five times a day. Japanese children were afraid of the strange- looking people while they were going and coming back from school. Many parents began to take their children to school and came back home with them after school

 

The Flying Japan Island 　　part 14

 

   A lot of refugees began to loiter around supermarkets, department stores, bus depots, and railway and subway stations. They seemed to have literally occupied almost all the downtown areas in Nagoya. Litters apparently thrown by them were scattered on the streets; toilet papers in public toilets were stolen; refugee women with buckets in their hands made lines in front of public bathroom for water. They poured water into the buckets and plastic bottles or washed their clothes in front of them. Most of the public toilets were surrounded by refugees.

   One Sunday morning, Tojima was surprised to learn that, according to the government estimate, approximately 150,000 refugees entered Japan Island within a month after Japan Island reached the Mediterranean Sea. Large cities such as Hiroshima, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama, and Tokyo were filled with them.

   An old male Tokyoite said in the NHK television interview, “Wherever I go, in subway trains and on buses, I see refugees and hear Arabic. I sometimes think that I am living in a different country from Japan.”

   A woman in her thirties said, “When I got on the elevator in a supermarket the other day, I was the only Japanese on it. All the rest of the women wore scarfs over their hair. I felt foreign and got off the elevator before it reached my destination floor.”

   The next day, Mika Yamada raised her hand when Tojima’s class was going to finish in five minutes.

   “I have a question, Mr. Tojima,” she said.

   “Yes, Mika,” he said.

   “This is about the refugees. Recently I see a lot of refugees around my house. They hang around the streets and parks. They are unsanitary and look scary. Isn’t there any way to send them away?”

   Tojima thought she said exactly what he himself wanted to say, but since he was a social science teacher and couldn’t express that he was also annoyed by them.

   “I understand what you are saying,” Tojima said, betraying himself. “But, they were not refugees by nature. They must have been leading happy lives like you, but because of the civil war in their country, their houses were burned down, families were killed, properties were lost, they had to flee their home country without food or enough clothes. I am sure they had seen hundreds of their relatives and friends die before they reached here. You should not blame them. Rather, you should give a helping hand to them, don’t you think so?”

   Tojima thought he had said something nice and convincing.

   “But they do not speak Japanese,” another student, Shota Muraoka said. “They loiter around the streets, look for something edible or useful in trash cans, and scatter litters. They should go away as soon as possible.”

   “You can say so because you have things to wear and eat. If you had nothing to eat, you would look for something eatable,” Tojima said remembering some refugees tip the garbage boxes and eat out of them in front of a convenience store. They looked threatening and he hesitated to walk into the store before them.

   Asuka Goshima raised her hand and said in a scared tone:

   “Just the day before yesterday, after sunset, a male refugee was following me on my way home from school. You know, I live in a desolate suburb of Nagoya. I felt scared and started to run to flee from him, but he also began to run after me, caught up with me, and stood in front me. He said something in broken Japanese, which I could not comprehend at all. I can’t stand them anymore.”

   Tojima remembered that a girl had been raped in Koln in Germany a few months before.

   “I don’t think he was going to harm you. He may have just wanted to ask for directions.”

   “He looked like a stalker,” she said.

   “You must have gotten the wrong impression about him,” he said.

   “I have been annoyed by them, too.” Takumi Asaoka said. “They live in the tents in the park near my house. Their babies cry during the night. They are very noisy. I can’t sleep. I’m afraid I am going mad.”

   Tojima thought the babies in his neighborhood cried so loudly at night that he was not able sleep well. Some of the neighbors complained that he had allowed the refugees to use his vacant lot.

   “Probably their mothers are suffering from malnutrition and can’t feed enough milk to them. You should give them something to eat before you complain about them,” he said.

 

The Flying Japan Island 　　part 15

 

   “I don’t understand you, Mr. Tojima,” Daiki Goto said. “Are you on our side or on their side? If you are Japanese, you should think of the ‘Japan first.’”

“I am against the idea.” Tojima said concealing his embarrassment. “I should say, I am on both sides.”

“How dare you say such things? You’re a cat,” Daiki responded sharply.

Some students said Tojima was a hypocrite and a fake philanthropist. He actually wanted to say he stood on the Japanese side 100 percent and that the refugees were troublemakers, but he didn’t, because if he said so, he would be judged as a biased teacher.

After a moment’s silence, he wrote a sentence in large letters on the blackboard.

“Nasake wa hitono tame narazu” (Being kind to others does not benefit them.)

Tojima said to his students, “Do you know this wisdom?” Tojima hated himself for using this saying as a weapon to protect himself. One of the students said:

“It means you should not be kind to others, because your kindness does not do them any good.”

 “Literally it means what you have said, but it means that compassion is not for other people's benefit, but it is for your benefit. In other words, giving is good for the giver, too. I hope you will follow this wisdom.”

He said in an unusually strong voice to conceal his true feelings. While he was talking, he thought he was a coward to present his student something irrefutable.

“I don’t believe in the saying.” Mitsu Yamada said. “When will the good you do return to you? Does it truly reward you? Can you prove it?”

Tojima was at a loss how to answer.

Luckily for Tojima, the chime signaling the end of the class rang. He closed his textbook, picked up his notebook and the roll book, and said, “Well, guys, that’s all for today. We’ll discuss this during the next class, OK?”

The class chief said, “Stand up.”

The students stood up. Following his next command “Bow,” both Tojima and they bowed to each other. When he was walking to the door of the classroom, one of the students said, “Are you running away from us?” but Tojima ignored him.

After coming back to the teachers’ room, he felt he was disoriented. He understood very well that he should help the refugees, but emotionally he was unable to do so. Their culture, religion, life-style are different from the Japanese ones. Tojima thought that it was unlikely that the both parties could live together peacefully like brothers and sisters. He hated being a social science teacher, who had to teach current affairs in the world. He envied the teachers who taught chemistry, mathematics, Japanese classical language or world history.

Around 3 o’clock next Sunday afternoon, he went to Sakae, a downtown area in Nagoya, to meet his friend from his university days. When he was walking near Mitsukoshi Department Store, some 30 demonstrators were advancing toward him, shouting slogans and holding up a variety of placards: “Go Home” “Refugees Not Welcome.” Some protesters were shouting, “Refugees, go back” repeatedly with a handheld microphones. About a dozen policemen were walking at the same pace and surrounding them.

Tojima saw Asaoka and Goto, two of his students, walking among the protesters. They were the top-class students. Students’ participation in demonstrations was prohibited. Tojima approached them and said:

“You must not join demonstrations. It’s a school regulation,” Tojima said.

“Why?” Goto said.

“You are not grown-ups. You can’t take responsibility for your actions since you are minors.”

Suddenly Tojima was pushed by one of the protesters by accident and momentarily looked like he was walking in the front row of the mob. In that instant, a camera flashed on him. It was a newspaper reporter’s camera.

A headline in the next morning paper read, “Mob against Refugees” showing a picture in which Tojima was among the protesters.

Tojima was surprised to see his picture in the paper. What would his students say about it? What would the school principal say to him?  

                                     

The Flying Japan Island 　　part 16

 

   When Tojima came to the school gate, some of his students gathered around him. They seemed to have been waiting for him.

   “Mr. Tojima, I saw your picture in the paper this morning,” one of them said.

   “I’m glad that you are on our side,” another said.

   “You said you were on both sides, but you are on the Japanese side. I don’t understand,” a girl student said. “I am disappointed at you.”

   Tojima had no way out. He wanted to say, “I was not participating in the demonstration. The news reporter took my picture when I happened to walk in the first row of the demonstrators.” He could have summoned Asaoka and Goto to explain the situation, but they were unreliable students and would say something contrary to what he expected them to say. They might say, “We joined the demonstration because Mr. Tojima ordered us to.” That would be a big trouble. Should he tell what he really thought of the refugees? After all, honesty is the best policy. Honest teachers were respected by students. But, he had pretended to be a philanthropist. Many students would be disappointed at him. Being double-faced was not good. It had been stress for him to say something contrary to his opinion. He should stop being a philanthropist. He should stop playing cool. How should he behave in his social science class hereafter? Should he pretend to be neutral to the problems in the world or should he reveal his true opinion?

   During the lunch time, the school principal summoned Tojima. He went to his room. He said to Tojima, “You should refrain from participating in demonstrations. Teachers are supposed to be neutral. It is a regulation stipulated by the Ministry of Education, you know.”

   “I know, but it so happened that I was involved in the demonstrators,” Tojima said and explained the situation.

   “I see. I thought you were not such a person to participate in demonstrations. Actually, I was surprised to see your picture in the paper. Students say that you are a philanthropist. All right, I understand. I will tell the students to refrain from attending demonstrations during the next students’ meeting. So, Mr. Tojima, try not to be involved in political activities. You know the proverb: a wise man keeps away from danger.”

   “I am sorry to have troubled you,” Tojima said and left the room. He was angry that he had to apologize to the principal. All these troubles stemmed from those refugees. They were trouble makers, he thought. He wanted them to go away from Japan Island immediately.

   There was a knock on the door of Tojima’s class during the fifth period. He stopped his class momentarily, walked to the door, and opened it. Mr. Yamashita was there.

   “Your wife is on the phone. She says it’s urgent.”

   “Urgent?” Tojima said. He looked at the students.

   “Everyone, I have an urgent call. So, the class is over. Study by yourselves. Don’t be noisy. OK?”

He quickly walked to the teachers’ room and picked up the telephone receiver.

   “Hello, Naomi? What’s the matter?”

   “Ken’s in a critical condition. He has had a traffic accident and has been hospitalized,” Naomi said.

   “Which hospital?”

   “The Red Cross Hospital, please come quickly”

   “All right.”

   Tojima arrived at the hospital and went to the intensive-care cubicle. Naomi was waiting in front of the room, her face pale.

   “How’s Ken?”

   “Under treatment,” she said in a husky voice.

   “And will he, will he be saved?”

   She did not answer, but looked at him worried.

   “I see….”

   “A truck collided with the kindergarten bus and….” she said collapsing onto him. He held her in his arms. He heard a child running along the hallway. It was Yuka. Her teacher was hurrying after her.

   “How’s ken?” she said.

   “He’s all right,” Naomi said.

   Ken kept getting better and then worse again, but ten days later, he was moved to an ordinary ward.

 

The Flying Japan Island 　　part 17

 

   Tojima went to the police and asked how the traffic accident happened and read several newspapers about it. He learned that the accident took place in front of Mizuho City Hall around two o’clock in the afternoon. A truck crossed the center line and collided against the kindergarten bus head-on and immediately caught fire. The vehicle running just behind the kindergarten bus rear-ended it and its front part started to burn. Both the front and rear parts of the kindergarten bus caught fire. It instantaneously engulfed the whole bus. The truck driver was killed on the spot; the driver of the vehicle that rear-ended the bus got out of it safely. However, the kindergarten bus driver and the teacher had their heads hit badly and fainted. The fire climbed up to the roof of the bus and black smoke billowed high up in the air. Seven kids were in the bus. Six of them were thrown to the floor violently and heavily injured; one was slightly injured and was seen hitting the window of the bus hard. It was impossible for a child to open it. No on-lookers dared to rescue the children but just kept on looking at the fire. The bus might explode at any moment. Two refugees, who had been working in the construction nearby, happened to walk by the fire. They rushed back to the construction site, grabbed iron bars, ran back, and smashed the windows. They got in the bus through the broken windows and carried the kids and pushed them out of the windows one after another. The on-lookers received the kids, the teacher, and the driver. When the refugees got out of the bus, it exploded and burst into flames. It was that moment when they heard the sirens of the rescue cars.

   Tojima was shocked to learn that those who rescued Ken were refugees and that the Japanese people were just looking at the fire. He did not know whether the Japanese who happened to be at the site were coward or the refugees who happened to be there were brave. But the truth was that refugees saved his son.

   The news of the rescue spread all over Japan immediately. Tojima’s colleagues and his students talked about the incident. They changed their biased view against refugees. Soon none of the students complained about them.

   Tojima also altered his viewpoint. However different their cultures, religions, or creeds, they were the same human-beings. He realized prejudice was the source of hatred, quarrel, and evil. It controlled the way of thinking. He felt ashamed of himself. He was a hypocrite. He was a fake philanthropist. To pretend to look kind to refugees was sordid. Whether one is a good person or not does not depend on one’s appearance but one’s content. He had tried to look refined, intelligent, and sophisticated. He stopped to be pretending. He gave up wearing glasses for show, flashy ties, and thick-soled shoes, and beard.

   The next morning at school, his students talked about his appearance.

   “He’s shaved beard.”

   “He looks shorter. What’s happened to him?”

   “He looks handsome without glasses,” a girl student said.

   Tojima did not care what the students said about him. He realized what he should teach in Modern Social Science class. The students commented on his class.

   “He has taken on a new personality.”

   “He is teaching with passion.”

   “Probably, that’s because his son has recovered.”

“He’s gotten motivation.”

 

The Flying Japan Island 　　the Last Part

 

 Refugees kept entering Japan Island. The number of the refugees that entered Japan Island reached more than 500,000, and kept on rising. Most of the Japanese had a biased view and frowned on them. Superficially they were kind to them but in their hearts discriminated against them.  

  Four months had passed since Japan Island reached the Mediterranean Sea. Not the slightest earthquake or any abnormal movement of the island had been detected during these months. The island seemed to be perfectly stable. It was as if a new country had been born in the sea.

On January 5, 2020, Tojima read a headline “Japan Island to Join the EU.” Now that Britain had withdrawn from EU, many EU members wanted Japan Island to join the organization; Japan was the third largest economy in the world.

The new school term started. Tojima was talking about the US presidential election, which would take place on November 3.

“The leading candidates are,” he said to the students, “the incumbent President Donald Trump, who was nearly impeached for the Russian Gate in 2018. The next comes Michelle Obama, the first lady of the former President Obama. The others include Caroline Kennedy, the former US ambassador to Japan, Robert Iger, president of Walt Disney Company, and Kanye West, a hip hop artist. In my opinion the Democratic Party will elect Michelle Obama, and the Republican Party, Donald Trump.”

“Who do you think will win?” Yuki Hashimoto said.

“Michel Obama, because she is still popular. And, if elected, she will be the first woman president. Are there any other questions?”

“Do you think Japan Island should join the EU?”

“I think it should, because if it joins, the Japanese people can go to other EU nations freely and much more easily. You see, communication with other peoples and cultures will become more and more important. The “My Country First” attitude won’t work in this shrinking global society. Of course, the issue will be put to the referendum, but the most important thing is….”

Suddenly the classroom shook violently and low heavy sound like the that of waves was heard all over the school building.

“Earthquake! Get down under your desk!” Tojima said, but something was strange; the shaking was different from the usual shaking of earthquakes. Several students huddled under the desks, but most of them did not. They instinctively knew that the shaking was caused not by an earthquake but by something else. While Tojima was crouching by the podium, he felt as if the whole classroom was moving upward like an elevator.

The announcement over the school P.A. system abruptly intruded into the classroom:

“We are sorry to interrupt your class, but this is an emergency announcement. All teachers, please come to the staff room.”

The students did not make cheerful noises as before. They looked at each other without a single word, worried.

The principal said when all the teachers gathered in the staff room:

“According to the 10 o’clock news, Honshu Island has risen again and is flying to the west. It is now flying over Sicily. If the island continues to fly….”

Tojima felt both hopeless and hopeful at the same time. The island would soon cease flying and crash into the sea; or it would fly to the Atlantic Ocean. And, with any luck, it would fly over the American Continent and the Pacific Ocean and back to the original position in the Japanese archipelago.

The End