ALFRED — Julia Dochtermann beamed with pleasure as she played with a small toy, grinning at her parents, Jim and Junko. She looked uncertainly at two newcomers in the room, and then after a bit, burst into tears ”“ the signal for a much-needed nap, her father said.

Her mother, Junko, bundled the 18-month-old off to bed, snug in a room at the little girl’s grandparents home in Alfred, far, far away from Sendai, Japan where the family lives.

Alfred is far from the earthquake zone and far from the uncertainty that lingers there three weeks after the 9.0 earthquake rocked the northern city, a massive tidal  wave wreaked damage of Biblical proportions, and the damaged Fukushima nuclear  power plant 55 miles south of Sendai silently leaked dangerous and worrisome radiation.

Jim, Junko and Julia Dochtermann have been at home with his parents, Glenn and Judy, for a week after leaving Sendai, worried about the radiation and wondering what lies ahead.

They hope to return soon ”“ Sendai is their home, Jim Dochtermann said ”“ but uncertainties remain.

Their apartment building was not affected by the tidal wave or tsunami. It did sway as the earthquake rocked the city, which is wedged between the ocean and the mountains, he said.

The couple eventually made their way through the city to the home of Junko’s parents, where they stayed until they made a decision to come to the United States a week ago.

They spoke with reporter about their experiences Wednesday.

Dochtermann, who worked several years at the Wells Reserve at Laudholm Farm,  first lived in Japan from 2004 to 2006, where he taught English. He met Junko, and the two married and then moved to the United States.

Then came the recession. And then came a job offer from Japan. So the couple moved to Sendai in February 2010, where he teaches middle and high school English and science.

A few days before the major earthquake, there was a smaller quake, jarring enough to interrupt middle school graduation ceremonies at school. It was worrisome enough for Junko to gather the family’s documents in one place ”“ just in case.

On March 11, Dochtermann taught classes in the morning, but the afternoon was free, so he was home with Junko and Julia.

Everything started to shake, so much so that the cabinets popped open and everything inside came tumbling out.

Dochtermann said he looked out the window of their ninth-floor apartment and saw the building next door swaying.

“I was pretty stunned,” he said. “The trees were vibrating.”

The earthquake lasted three very long minutes.

While their home was relatively unscathed, there was no electricity or other utilities.

“I felt we had to get out of the building,” said Dochtermann, so the two packed up their little girl and some of their belongings and headed for her parent’s home. It was snowing.

“Everyone was walking out of the city. We saw windows blown out of buildings, cracks in bridges, and there were many tremors and aftershocks,” said Dochtermann.

There was one saving grace: They were inland from the ocean, and there were no effects from the tsunami.

At the home of Junko’s parents, there was running water, but no other utilities were working. Part of the roof was destroyed, and tremors shook the area every 15 minutes or so.

A couple of days later, the utilities began to be restored, and Dochtermann went to the apartment to check if the Internet was working so he could contact relatives at home in the U.S. There were many e-mails, from many people, wondering if the family had been affected by the disaster. He grabbed more supplies, and then headed back to his in-law’s home.

Some of Junko’s extended family were in an area where the tsunami had hit and they managed to check on one of her aunts who was staying in a shelter. An uncle’s home was okay, but there was damage and debris everywhere, Dochtermann said.

Some of the sights they saw, especially where the tsunami had hit, were very disturbing.

“I can’t describe it,” said Dochtermann. “It looked like the end of the world. People were huddled in shelters. Everything was gone or thrown into rubble heaps. A kitchen table was slammed against a guardrail, along with a futon. It was heart-breaking. I couldn’t take pictures.”

The family began hearing reports about explosions at the nuclear power plants. Dochtermann said Japanese government and media reports were understated and muted. Western news agencies told a different tale. Family and friends urged them to think about leaving, the Japanese government was saying “hang on,” but Junko’s sisters and his in-laws urged the family to evacuate.

“We felt we had to get out,” he said.

They took a bus south, stopping in another city for a few days, and then made their way to Tokyo and a flight to the United States.

One man on the bus put matters in perspective, said Dochtermann. The man said he could cope with the earthquake and the tsunami, but not the radiation.

The radiation worries are also what’s keeping the Dochtermann family away from home.

“There was such a charm to the area and that might be tainted for a very long time. It felt almost heavenly there,” he said. But he’s getting conflicting messages about whether he’ll have a job. One of the two school buildings was damaged and that might mean a consolidation and less need for an oral communications English teacher.

They have tickets to go back, but are taking it day by day, keeping up with news reports.

“If your family is safe and healthy, that is the most important thing,” he said. And while their lives have been interrupted, compared to so many others, the Dochtermanns are fine.

Much is needed in Japan, and Dochtermann said he realizes times are tough here. But those who want to help can make donations through agencies like the International Red Cross. His sister, April Rossignol, has set up a fund to provide transportation for the family to leave Japan if need be, said Dochtermann, with information available at: survivingsendai@yahoo.com. As well, Maine Emergency Management Agency suggests logging onto www.interaction.org.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 or twells@journaltribune.com.