... And Tremors

On Monday following the typhoon, a Japanese national holiday, an earthquake struck at about 10:15 am off the coast of Niigata prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. Pictures in the media showed families sitting outside observing the wreckage of their collapsed wooden houses, and news reports told of a nuclear power plant that shut down as planned, but still somehow leaked radioactive water into the sea of Japan. I don't know of any damage in Tokyo. When I got to work and one of my co-workers asked - did you feel that earthquake?? But I hadn't! I was on the train, or in the station, or something. But apparently everyone who wasn't felt it. I read in the news about an aftershock sometime between 3 and 4 pm, but I didn't feel that one either. Later that night I was chatting with one of my housemates in our kitchen and he looked at me and said - did you feel that? And guess what? I didn't.

There was one memorable earthquake that happened between 1 and 2 months ago. It didn't do any damage nor did it make the news but I was sitting outside when it happened, and I think that made all the difference. It was an absolutely gorgeous day outside (before the rainy season) so I brought a chair out the the back garden to enjoy it. All of a sudden the ground started shaking! I clung to the chair or else I could fallen off. I hardly noticed though, because I was so in awe of what I heard: I heard the earthquake! It was so incredible to hear the ground move. I can remember the sound in my head but I don't know what words could describe it.
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For more information on the Niigata earthquake:
Earthquakes in Japan Kill 8 and Injure Hundreds - NYT, the basic information.
Earthquake Shakes Japan's Northwest Coast - NYT, includes info on the nuclear waste.