Japanese students risk life for audition
Officials of the Asian Youth Orchestra were holding auditions in Tokyo when the quake hit.
The orchestra's general manager Keith Lau said: 'We were in our room on the 27th floor of the Tokyo Hilton when the quake struck, followed an hour later by a terrifying aftershock. The hotel swayed as much as three feet left to right, then continued to sway through more than 200 aftershocks'.
Eventually when they walked down 27 floors they found the hotel reception in chaos. People checking out found they couldn't get to airports or train stations, and many wanting to check in were told their rooms were not yet ready. 'Somehow we managed to sleep through most of the night. It was eerily quiet by Saturday morning, a beautiful day, sparkling clear, snow-capped Mt Fuji standing majestic in the distance, as though all was right with the world,' said Lau.
Unbelievably, auditions were pretty much on schedule, starting a bit late on Saturday morning, but with almost full attendance. Many brave young Japanese students found ways to get to Tokyo Opera City for their audition.
Although many trains are not yet running north of Tokyo, Lau and his team were able to take the bullet train to Osaka where they held more auditions. 'This has been a frightening experience, horrible, of course, for those impacted by the tsunami,' he said.
