This morning’s brunch was interrupted by the building gently quietly swaying, without any warning. It started gently enough, and because I’ve been on enough trains recently, I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the room doing that. At first. Then I wondered maybe it was a train/truck driving by, until I remembered that despite all the nearby traffic in this large busy city, I’ve never felt any vibrations/rattles in the hotel at all.
Oh, that’s right. They get earthquakes here too.
Um. Wait. I’m on the 12th floor. In a city where I don’t speak the language. For lack of any better plan, I quickly finish getting dressed and put on my shoes. By then its all over. So I sit back down and finish my coffee.
(ps: usgs.gov reports it as 6.6, while the Washington Post reports it as 6.9, which would make it equal to the 6.9 earthquake that hit Loma Prieta in 1989.)
But far enough that its JMA intensity is reported at 3 in Tokyo:
http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/images/japan/20101130123729391-301225.png
Not a big one.
A small one as glandium mentioned. http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/00000000091.html
It is still a strange feeling when it is your first time in Japan. But you get used to them. I have been almost missing them. The bigger the number is not necessary a good indicator. The depth, the movement, the distance are all factors which enter into play.
The “after-shock” is funny. We all have a moment of “What if”, and we suddenly feel very vulnerable. 🙂
Shaken not stirred eh? Enjoying your travel blog, hope all well your end, John K.