Tuesday 15th March

The Bouquet :

Sean O'Connor in Okayama and Neil Day in Tokyo tell Joe that as the situation worsens in Japan people are beginning to panic. Ex-pats and foreign embassy staff are starting to leave. Neil tells Joe that people are coming to his pub - Paddy Foley's bar - looking for moral support during the crisis.

Kathleen's 82-year-old mother was the victim of a robbery in her home last Friday. The thief broke a back window and came into her kitchen where he spoke to her mother and stole her bag. Although she wasn't physically harmed she's very shocked and refuses to go home.

Peter from livingshamrock.com supplies the shamrock presented to President Obama on St Patrick's day. He tells Joe that although embassies have cut back shamrock we should be proud to wear it. In the photo you can see a bouquet to celebrate St Patrick's Day in the US featuring potatoes.

The most famous Irishman ever to have lived in Japan is the writer Lafcadio Hearn. He travelled there in 1890 and became famous for his works on local legends and folk stories. Nowadays one million people each year travel in pilgrimage to his home. Noel Carroll who lived in Japan for 9 years tells Joe more about him and offers solidarity to Japanese people living in Ireland by sending them a message in Japanese.