"I am deeply hurt by the grievous situation in the affected areas. The number of deceased and missing increases by the day. We cannot know how many victims there will be. My hope is that as many people possible are found safe. I hope from the bottom of my heart that the people will, hand in hand, treat each other with compassion and overcome these difficult times." He also urged survivors not to "abandon hope." -Emperor Akihito of Japan addressing the people of Japan

Okay, first thing’s first. If you would like to donate, many websites are setting up portals and links to donate. There has been some controversy as to how much of the money will reach it’s intended recipients. Grouchy authors who swim upstream against the current outpouring of sympathy and individuals with a Haitian guilt complex will cast doubt as to your choice of charity. It is true that donations get earmarked and not-for-profit organizations sometimes ends up being quite profitable. But I do know this. I have been doing quite a bit of reading up, and the two most consistent charities that are out there are the Red Cross Society (which donates 91 cents of every dollar it receives) and Save the Children. The New York Times has reported that the Japanese Red Cross initially said it doesn’t want any help…but goes on to mention they accepted and were grateful for the 10 million they received. This is what this entry is about. The Japanese Way – or Kata.

There are no words to describe the sadness I’ve felt since Friday, watching the developments of all those poor people, children, workers, volunteers, nuclear plant workers, and soldiers dealing with the catastrophe in Japan. In addition, for all the individuals (locals and international aid workers and military personnel) combing through the detritus of the flood, our thoughts are with you and we thank you. It must be heartbreaking to go through all the wreckage. I have donated, tried to share links, and advised family members to hold on to their Japanese stocks and Web Index Funds (EWJ). If you can’t be sure where your donations will go, you can be sure that Japan needs their economy to be up and on their feet again.

Having said that, in the past five days, any student or observer of Japanese culture was offered a once-in-a-lifetime window into the many unique qualities that make up the Japanese Way. These are the very traits that make Japanese people distinct from say, the Chinese, Koreans, or Pacific Islanders.

First, there is the calm, polite "face" of order; no one looted; no loud, high-maintenance demands for preferential treatment were made; there was a sense that everyone, as fellow citizens, was in it together. Maintaining harmony (or Wa ) is an important bond that keeps society together in times of crisis. Retreating into ceremony is another.

In one of the youtube clips, as the river flowed over the embankment and carried empty cars and boats away, a man among stunned watchers was overheard to say “it’s getting cold.” A few of his colleagues chuckled. Needless to say, international viewers were horrified at the reaction. It sounded to me like a Zen koan straight out of Haikuin’s book: Comment on what is practical, because you can’t comment on what is beyond your reach.

I was frankly surprised that news channels like CNN and Fox spent time interviewing American-Japanese celebrities (Yoko Ono, George Takei) when they could be bringing in cultural anthropologists or folks like Boye Lafayette De Mente to comment on the Fukushima Daiichi situation. As Davis Barranger was quoted as saying in De Mente’s book Kata: "Many common Japanese words convey superficial meanings that mask reality. You must let communication with the Japanese run its course until something concrete emerges and then deal with it. Americans…summarily deal with new situations, instinctively want to shift quickly through the chaff and go straight to the wheat….usually that does not work in Japan, even when the Japanese want something as soon as possible. Generally you must let the chaff shift at its own pace." Phrases such as “ambiguity,” “vagueness,” “lack of transparency,” and “reluctance to commit to an answer” were revisited time and again in American news reporting on the Japanese official reports.

It doesn’t help that asking for assistance will be regarded as some sort of compromise on abstract ideas like pride and honor, shame at not having done a job the correct way… all very Japanese ideas. Of course, this is all conjecture. I honestly believe the prime minister and the Japanese officials want what’s best for the Japanese population. Tepco, I’m not so sure. The fury Prime Minister Kan was overheard to privately unleash on Tepco heads is a sign that he himself had been kept in the dark about the gravity of the situation.

The geometry of the reactors itself is a Japanese aesthetic. The cubical space provides the maximum use of space (think Fiji Water bottles that needed to be imported from overseas). When The reactors, like the World Trade Center (designed by Minoru Yamasaki ) used up every cubic meter of foot space. Unfortunately, that also meant they had to store the spent fuel rods in a pool right up against the reactor chamber, which accounted for the fire on No.4 on Tuesday.

I, my family and friends continue to cross our fingers, say a little prayer and hope the best for everyone in Japan in these trying times.