"The big earthquake is coming, get ready. "On January 1st, I was on a sightseeing tour with a friend who was coming to Tokyo for New Year's Eve, when I suddenly received a message from an employee. Immediately after that, I received a call from the branch manager: "I am ready to go to the site of the Noto Peninsula earthquake, and I am ready to go to the scene at any time." After saying goodbye to my friends in a hurry, I hurried back to pack my luggage.
As a journalist, I always have to be prepared for "uncertain events", so I always have a Xi of charging and maintaining all my electronic devices after every interview. At the same time, because of the New Year, some gas stations in Japan will also be closed, so I also refueled my car a year ago, which can save me a lot of time.
For photojournalists, time is as precious as life, and even the time to change lenses needs to be saved for the fleeting moment. One of the employees happened to be in Toyama Prefecture, which was affected by the disaster, so I was thinking about what equipment I would need to go to the disaster area, and while contacting the employee to shoot a press release, I arranged for another employee to find a feasible transportation plan to get to the disaster area. Teamwork helps me gain time to the greatest extent and provides strong support for seizing the timeliness of the report.
↑On January 1, the highway in Koyabe City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan, was closed due to an earthquake, and a sign indicated that the expressway would be left here. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Sun Jialin)
In the face of many "uncertainties", the three days of nearly 60 hours of work began.
We landed at the airport closest to the disaster area and can land flights, and from here we plan to drive into the disaster area. As soon as the plane landed, we ran into a hurdle because it was the New Year holiday in Japan and all the car rental shops at the airport were closed. Luckily, I was able to do a car-sharing business in Japan and finally get a car.
However, our reporting team underestimated the impact of the earthquake - they did not carry daily necessities such as water and food, and when we met the first convenience store from the airport, we still thought about it after walking, and even when we saw that the convenience store on the road had already posted a notice saying "closed for evacuation", we wondered: Why are we so nervous that there are still more than 100 kilometers left?
Passing by the first large supermarket, we decided to buy something anyway, but as soon as we walked in, we were dumbfounded: there was no food and mineral water. It was only then that we realized the seriousness of the matter. We had to buy a lot of energy drinks, coffee, etc., and at the same time, with the illusion that we could still buy food in front of us, we continued on the road. A lot of the difficulties in the next three days stem from this carelessness. In the face of reports of sudden disasters, the preparation of supplies is never excessive.
↑A food shelf photographed at a large supermarket in Haza-gun, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, on January 2. There is a shortage of some supplies in the supermarket. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
From 50 kilometers from Wajima City, the hardest-hit city, there are already a lot of cracks in the ground, and whether or not you can enter the disaster area has become the biggest question mark.
At this time, although there is still a signal and you can check the map on your mobile phone, you can no longer provide accurate road information. The first attempt to enter the disaster area ended with a mudslide breaking the road, and we had to return to the intersection to try the second road. This process took a lot of time, firstly because the way back was very long, and secondly, because the ground was full of cracks, and the slightest mistake would trap the car, in addition to personal safety issues, if the car broke down, then all our previous efforts could be in vain.
↑On January 2, in Haza County, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, a road was damaged by an earthquake. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑On January 2, an earthquake caused a landslide in Haza-gun, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑On January 2, in Haza County, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, a road was damaged by an earthquake. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
However, the more worried we are, the more likely it is that the chassis of our car is scratched by the raised road surface. Because it was a rented car, even if there was such a big earthquake, I had to go through the procedure. What is even more unexpected is that the police who came to assess the damage actually came to the scene of the accident after walking for an hour on a mountain road.
Although we were not able to clear this "uncertain incident", we also gained something: if it weren't for this accident, we wouldn't have stopped and made a mirror report first, so that there would be a manuscript that could be sent back to China today, and we wouldn't have seen the only elementary school with lights on when it was about to get dark, and photographed this temporary shelter. Sometimes you can't get to the news scene smoothly, don't be too anxious, because there is news everywhere, and it is more important to have a good attitude, fight as a team, and maintain a good state of cooperation.
↑On January 2, at Shiga Town Fulai Elementary School in Shiga Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, residents parked their cars in the elementary school playground and took refuge in the elementary school.
↑On January 2, people evacuated at an elementary school in Shiga Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑On January 2, people evacuated at an elementary school in Shiga Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑On January 2, people evacuated at an elementary school in Shiga Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
With the experience of the previous day, the next day, we chose the bottom guarantee tactic and went to Nanao City, which had the third largest number of victims at the time and had already been confirmed to be reachable.
↑On January 3, a citizen walks past a house damaged by an earthquake in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑A house that collapsed due to an earthquake was photographed on January 3 in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
After the Nanao City interview, we learned through the police that a road to Wajima had been opened, and although we were still uncertain about what to eat or where to stay in the disaster area, we didn't have time to think about it and set off immediately. Due to congestion, it was nearly dark when I arrived. When arriving in a severely affected area, the first priority is to rush to cover the time limit.
At this time, it began to rain heavily. As a native of Sichuan, I knew that I had to be prepared for the heavy rain after the Wenchuan earthquake, so I was able to ensure that my shooting equipment was not damaged in the heavy rain and I could continue to work.
↑On January 3, in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, citizens lined up outside a supermarket to purchase daily necessities. Supplies such as drinking water, instant noodles and instant rice are available in limited quantities. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑Damaged house photographed on January 3 in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑On January 3, in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, firefighters try to rescue trapped people. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑On January 3, an elderly man reads a newspaper report on the earthquake in a temporary shelter for more than 700 people in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑On January 3, people rest in a temporary shelter for more than 700 people in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑On January 3, people rested on the floor in a temporary shelter for more than 700 people in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
After only eating some breakfast bread and getting drenched in a heavy rain, we finished filming for the day. At this time, we found out that we didn't know where to stay at night. It was already 10 o'clock, and if we drove to the nearest place where we could stay, it was dangerous and time-consuming due to the road conditions, so we chose to spend the night in an evacuation shelter with the victims. It was a difficult night, and we were hungry and cold. With the sound of snoring one after another, I fell asleep on the cold floor, but only for three hours.
↑On January 3, reporter Zhang Xiaoyu took a break at a shelter in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.
On the morning of the 3rd, a magnitude 5.5 aftershock caused a serious fire at the Wajima Morning Market, a famous tourist spot in Wajima City, and more than 200 houses were burned down. With a history of more than 1,200 years, Wajima Morning Market is one of the three largest morning markets in Japan.
On the 4th, facing the slowly rising morning sun, we stood in front of the ruins of the fire. Japan bans drones, local media can shoot panoramas with helicopters, and where can we find a high point to shoot? Eventually, the videographer and I chose a charred but still structurally existing building to explore whether we could go to the roof. The decision was challenging – the aftershocks were still lingering in the affected area. The journalist's sense of responsibility gave us courage, and we climbed to the top floor in the rubble to finish the story.
↑On January 4, in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, police entered the ruins after the fire at the "Wajima Morning Market". Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑The ruins of the "Wajima Morning Market" photographed on January 4 in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑The ruins of the "Wajima Morning Market" photographed on January 4 in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑The ruins of the "Wajima Morning Market" photographed on January 4 in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑On January 4, a citizen inspects the ruins of the "Wajima Morning Market" in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑On January 4, the "Wajima Morning Market" in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, was burned to ruins. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Xiaoyu
↑On January 4, the reporter climbed to the top floor of the burned building photographed at the "Wajima Morning Market" in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.
We started to evacuate after 2 p.m., although the navigation showed that it took 4 hours to drive for 98 kilometers, but we drove for 4 hours for the first 7 kilometers of the roads in the disaster area. By the time we arrived at the hotel, it was late at night.
Journalism is a profession that often involves dealing with "uncertain events". After being honed again and again, they will become more and more comfortable in the face of "uncertain events". However, experience did not help me cope with one major problem – aftershocks. This earthquake is a swarm earthquake, and the aftershocks from time to time seem to "shake people numb". When the aftershocks struck, the loud noises in the mountains, the sudden sound of alarms, the shaking houses of the shelters, all made me instinctively scared......
But the more scared I was, the more excited I became. Maybe I'm too adventurous and I love this profession too much.
↑On January 4, reporter Zhang Xiaoyu photographed in the burned building at the "Wajima Morning Market" in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.
Curator: Lan Hongguang
统筹：费茂华、周大庆、刘金海
Reporter: Zhang Xiaoyu
Editors: Lin Liping, Cai Xiangxin, Yin Dongxun, Xu Jiayi