There was a large earthquake here last night. I was upstairs messing around on the computer when there was a large jolt. Now, we get wobbles every now and then, but this felt much bigger. I rushed downstairs and opened the front door, and when the quake did not subside, Megumi and I both stood outside for a few minutes and watched our house shudder and shake.
We were supposed to be going to visit some friends who live on the 22nd floor of an apartment building, so we put that idea on hold for a while. As we watched the news for more details and made sure we had our torch and some money, there was a series of large aftershocks, some almost as big as the first earthquake. Again, we rushed outside just in case (normally when a quake hits we just wait for it to stop). What was scary was that you could feel the ground moving. When other earthquakes have hit, I think I have always been inside buildings. This was the first time I was actually on 'firm' land, and felt it move.
The earthquake's epicenter was in Niigata, a fair way from here, and it has caused quite a bit of devastation. There are stories in all the Japanese press, eg this one from the Mainichi(LINK).
The news mentioned last night that over the course of a few hours there were an estimated 152 earthquakes that humans could feel. Scary...
UPDATE - Death toll is now at 13, with almost 300 people injured.
UPDATE 2 - Over 20 people died, and many are still missing. This has been a sad week or two for Japan, with 85 dying in the typhoon last week, and now this.
There was another quake this morning - an aftershock, I suppose.
I thought people were advised to stay inside near the door (opened) during an earthquake and for sometime after. If it's big and you're outside aren't you opening yourself to glass shards, debris and the like. In a 2 storey place like yours I'd be inclined to stay inside.
Posted by: Andrew at October 24, 2004 12:44 PMHi Gary,
I run a non-profit news site on Japan and am looking for people who can leave some short comments about their experience of the quake, just like the comment on your blog.
Even a copy of that comment would be fine. Anything more detailed would be fantastic.
Perhaps you know other people who could also tell about their experience?
I would appreciate it a lot, as it would give a more human voice to the reports about the quake.
My site: http://www.iKjeld.com
The page for comments: http://www.ikjeld.com/japannews/00000061.php
Speak to you soon,
Kjeld Duits
Journalist, Photographer, Producer
kd at ikjeld dot com
Your right man! I was on in MatsuKiyo with the GF (which is on the ground floor) and things started moving.. first time for me to feel it on the base level too.. freaky!
Posted by: Rob at October 26, 2004 06:21 PM