There is no-one who cannot be aware of the tragedy that has unfolded in front of our eyes in Japan over the past week.

The scale of the disaster, from earthquake, to tsunami and the ongoing nuclear peril are hard to comprehend. Consider some of the facts; that the earth’s very axis has shifted 10 cms, and that the main island of Japan has moved 4 meters. And then there is the human cost. A death toll of 4,300 and rising, whole towns simply washed away.

I have spent a decent amount of time in Tokyo and I have to say it is a remarkable and fascinating place that I love. A contradiction of calm and chaos, tradition and creativity. I have no doubt that the country and the people of Japan will recover, and, as the saying goes, grow stronger in time. But for now, the hits just keep coming.

I’m relieved to be able to report that as of now, all of Yoko’s (my running partner) family appear to be OK,  as are my other friends and colleagues based in Japan. May that long continue to be the case.

If you haven’t already, you can donate to one of many great operations all doing good work in region by visiting the Causes website where you can select a charity of your choice. Do it NOW while the thought is in your mind.

As I’m not really in the mood for a playlist song of the week, I thought I’d share this brilliant video made by Trey Ratcliff that shows some really beautiful and interesting images that, I think, provide a welcome counterpoint to the destruction that has filled our screens in recent days.

Until the next time. Keep running folks.

Japan – Heartbeats of Time from Trey Ratcliff on Vimeo.