A plea to my Japanese friends

I have been watching the devastating tsunami on TV and have been religiously checking the BBC's live feed. I am shocked by what happened. The destruction is so scary. It is as if it came right out of a film. The loss of life is so sad. My brother-in-law had a message sent to him by a Japanese friend saying he wasn't safe and there was a fire. As far as I know, we don't have any news about this person.

I have quite a few online Japanese friends who I have not heard from since the disaster struck. I just want to say I am so worried about you. If you are safe then a quick message to confirm you are safe would be great. I appreciate you must have a lot more important stuff on your mind and your safety is number 1 top priority. Just look after yourselves and hopefully I will be able to talk to you soon. I am sure you will contact us in your own time.

Also, I have been a bit alarmed by a few individuals who seem more concerned about how this will affect lolita shops and celebrities. You are entitled to your opinions but please respect all the 100's and possibly 1000's of people who have lost their lives. Thank you.