About
Wow!
The annual spring winds were extra severe today. On the way home we encountered several intersections without signals. The police were guiding traffic. In addition, power was out in a neighboring town. When we got home, we discovered that the door to our shed had been completely blown off! Wow. That must have been quite the gust of wind. In the back some roofing all was blown off the rear shed.
Hm… how are we going to fix this? I’m too busy this week!
Update (one month later): Good news! We got word that our home insurance will not only cover the cost of the repairs, but also take care of the whole fix-it job. Great! One less thing to worry about…
A shaky day at work
I’m on the “shink” to Nagoya, where I’ll be teaching tomorrow at Chukyo University. Although I have two more Fridays there, my classes at Togaku end on Monday, January 16th. It has been a very busy week, mainly because I’ve had to wrap up classes, mark papers, and get my grades in. Basic end-of-term teacher stuff. Things are going well over all.
The only shake-up came today during the afternoon when I suddenly heard my cell-phone shrieking. It was that unmistakable earthquake warning sound. My co-worker Clair and I were in the TK office, but nothing was happening. Then slowly the building started to rumble and then sway a bit. We were on pins and needles for a few seconds, wondering if the shaking would build up or wind down. Fortunately it soon subsided, and life went back to normal. That’s life in the big city! Turns out the quake was a 5.7 and didn’t do any damage. I’m grateful for that! This kind of occurrence has become a part of life these days.
Earthquake aftermath update
I has been six days since the big earthquake/tsunami crushed northeast Japan. As I stated earlier, we are all fine and have been fine, but I’ve also had requests for updates on our condition, so here is our boring, unremarkable story.
Looking out our window right now, the ground is covered with about 10 cm of new snow. Looks and feels like winter’s last gasp- nearly all the huge amounts of snow we had this year had already melted. Now it’s like a final curtain call for this season. Our daily routines have been the same- wake up around 6:45, get Luke off to school, relax with a cup of coffee until 8:00, then take Max to school. After that it’s chore time- doing laundry, sweeping/vacuuming the living room floor, washing the dishes, and taking out the garbage/recyclables. Shinobu then heads off to work, and I’m at home alone, doing what I do. These days I’ve been working on an article for a book with a professor in England about creating online communities of practice. I’m also helping manage the production of the May-June issue of The Language Teacher (I’m in charge of organizing the team of proofreaders). This stuff as well as email correspondence keeps me busy through through the day. On swimming days, I pick up Luke at school and we head off to the pool where Shinobu works for a two-hour practice. On soccer days, I greet Luke at home in the afternoon and we hang out, sharing a snack, doing homework, playing Magic the Gathering. Ji-chan (Luke’s grandpa) then comes by with Max from school. I make him a cup of coffee, we stare out at the mountains and chat about this or that. He then takes Luke off to soccer practice. On Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, kids come to our home for English lessons. I’m in charge of these, of course, so I take care of this chore. In the evenings it’s just dinner and hanging out time with the family. The TV is always on, but not always watched- it’s more like a radio. I’m often at my computer, reading the news, doing email, whatever. At about 10, Shinobu and I help the kids get ready for bed. We have a routine here, too: I have to take Max to the bathroom and then help her brush her teeth. Looks like it won’t be long before she can do these herself! Luke has to go through a stretching routine, which he hates. He often does so while watching videos on the iPad. Lights go out around 10:30, and that’s the day. If this all sounds rather mundane, it is! This is our regular routine, our daily life. The funny thing is that it hasn’t really changed in this past week. The only difference is that news about the quake is on all the channels, all the time. News of intense suffering, images of devastation, and the scary unfolding drama of the nuke plant crisis has brought a sad heaviness to everything. The kids seem to be fine. They don’t really watch the TV; Max prefers playing or drawing, and Luke loves watching comedy videos on YouTube on Mama’s iPad or playing cards with me. The only thing we’ve noticed around these parts is that buying a few key items, such as batteries, toilet paper, and ramen noodles has become hard to do! No big deal… Still, it’s quite the contrast. One other change is that we cancelled a planned family trip down to Disneyland at the end of this month. Usually at this time of year we head down to our Chiba apartment for a few days of sightseeing and shopping in the Tokyo area, but obviously that won’t happen this year. Too bad, but still, no big deal. I’ll be heading down on the 25th because work for me starts on the 26th. I haven’t heard anything to prevent this plan, so for now I’m going ahead with it. Friends and colleagues in Tokyo say things are a bit hectic, especially with transportation. I’m hoping that will be a bit smoother by the time I get there! So that’s about it for now. Just regular life. Please keep this in mind when you’re watching the news and thinking of us!
Big earthquake hits Japan- We’re OKAY!
As you probably all know by now, a big earthquake hit Japan this afternoon, off the northeast coast. Long story short: We’re all together and OKAY here in safe Toyama. Details are coming in fast, and it looks like this is the strongest quake ever measured. It has created tsunamis that have really hit the coastal areas hard. I’m now watching the telly as farms, fields, and villages in the Sendai area are being engulfed by the waves. It’s like something out of a Roland Emmerich disaster movie! Unbelievable. Personally, I didn’t feel a thing since I was on a train from Kyoto to Toyama when it hit. I was in Chiba on Wednesday teaching a demo lesson, and I did feel a small quake then. It was a small one that shook the teachers room just a bit; it was barely noticeable. This happens from time to time, and you get used to it, frankly. I didn’t learn about today’s quake until Shinobu picked me up at the station. Friends in Toyama have said they could feel the quake rumble the area, but nothing too drastic. Waves only about 50 cm high lapped up on the shores. Oh! Luke just told me he could feel the shaking at his school. Wow. I wonder if this is the first time he has felt one? People on the east coast were not so lucky! You can see the images all of the tv and Internet now… sheesh. Anyway, we’re okay. You can see from the image where the epicenter was, and where we are. Toyama is one of the safest areas of this country. We are extra happy to be living here today! 
Whoa, I felt that one…
I was teaching an English lesson with Shinobu via Skype this evening from my Chiba apartment when suddenly my room began to shake ever so slightly. I knew instantly it was an earthquake- a very light one, but I could see the tea in my cup ripple.
Anyway, in case you read or hear about this on the news, please don’t worry. I’m fine, and so is our family.
One cool thing about this quake was the speed in which I found out about it. As soon as the mini-tremors subsided (after about 20 seconds), I updated my Facebook and Twitter status. Two minutes later I had a reply from a friend with a link to this desktop earthquake info widget for Macs (Tremor Skimmer 3.0). I downloaded and installed it right away, then saw this pulsing circle near Tokyo.
When I clicked on the circle, I was taken to a website that had complete info on the quake. And this was only part of the info available! I was amazed at how fast all this was put together. As you can see, it was a magnitude 5.2 quake that centered in the Pacific ocean. I haven’t heard the news yet if there was any damage. Accessing the map I could see that the epicenter was about 70 miles from here (Tokyo). No wonder I could feel it!
Anyway, no worries! These things happen all the time. When looking around that website, I could see all sorts of tremors all over the world. It’s just part of life. Most quakes aren’t huge and don’t do much, if any, damage. So I’ll just get on with my life now…
Big typhoon bearing down on Toyama
Hey everyone, I’m usually pretty passe about natural disasters here, but this time a big typhoon is heading straight for Toyama! This is very rare; last time it happened, about 6 years ago, it washed out the park across the street. Anyway, it’s now 11pm Thursday (9am EST), and I’m off to bed. The thing is supposed to pass overhead at around 9 or 10 am tomorrow (7 or 8 pm EST). I’m back in Toyama, having come home a day early since all classes are cancelled at Togaku tomorrow. I suddenly decided to come home this afternoon when it became clear that sticking around the Tokyo area might mean facing delays in coming home. I’ll post updates as I get them, including some video from our home tomorrow. Bottom line: we’re safe, and it’s kind of exciting! Oh, in case you want to monitor the news, the name of the storm is “Melor” in the western press, and “#18” here in Japan.
UPDATE: Friday, October 8th, 9am Well, as you can imagine, it’s raining hard and the wind is blowing very strongly. But it’s not over the top crazy strong. Just a bad storm. Kids are off from school, Shinobu has taken the morning off, and I’m home from work. We’re all together, safe and sound. Just took some video outside… I’ll get something posted later on, when this blows over. For now, the latest report at 9am states that the storm is now passing us by. This is a big relief! Earlier reports had it heading straight for us. Right now the wind and rain are blowing, some leaves are scattered, and puddles are forming in the park across the street. But it’s not that bad! Disaster averted.
Another earthquake? Really?
I woke up yesterday as normal, called my mama in Florida to wish her a happy birthday, then she asked me if we were okay. “From what?” I asked. “The big earthquake near Tokyo!” she said. “What earthquake?” I replied. And so it goes. Yet another instance of me learning about what’s going on in Japan from my family overseas. Obviously we’re okay; the quake’s center was way off in the Pacific, some buildings were rocking in Shizuoka (south of Tokyo a bit), no damage was done, and of course we didn’t feel a thing here in Toyama. If anyone else is worrying about us, sorry for not contacting you about it! Most earthquakes are very ho-hum over here. Bigger news is all the rain we’ve been having and this never-ending rainy season… Here’s a brief news report that contains all the facts, and a news report from Fox News! (probably the only time I’ll ever link to them!) Tokyo Earthquake Guide Notes A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck near the Izu Islands, 220 miles from Tokyo, Japan, on August 9, 2009. The quake, which hit at a depth of 188.3 miles, did not prompt any tsunami warnings. There was no immediate word on possible injuries or damage from the earthquake.
Fast Facts Date: August 9, 2009 Location: 220 miles south-southwest of Tokyo, Japan Time: 10:55:56 UTC Depth: 188.3 miles No immediate word on injuries or property damage No tusnami warnings issued or expected.
Earthquake? What earthquake?
I am at work now, taking a break after teaching three straight classes. I’m surfing the news, and what do I see? Another earthquake has hit Japan!
Major Quake Hits Japan and Indonesia
(CNN) — A magnitude 6.9 earthquake rattled Japan on Thursday, within minutes of a magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Indonesia, the U.S. Geological Survey said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from either quake, but both prompted tsunami warnings, although Japan’s Meteorological Agency predicted it would be small, about 50 centimeter (20 inches). The Japanese quake occurred at 9:21 a.m. (0021 GMT). The USGS initially classified its magnitude as a 7.2, but later reduced it. The quake’s epicenter was offshore, about 80 miles (125 km) south-southwest of Kushiro on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, and about 21.7 miles (35 km) below the Earth’s surface. Earthquakes between magnitude 6.0 and 6.9 are considered “strong” by the USGS. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said neither quake posed a Pacific-wide tsunami threat. However, “earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a hundred kilometers of the earthquake epicenter,” the administration said.
Ha! That’s news to me. Didn’t feel a thing. So, no worries! Here’s a Google Map of about where the quake hit, off the southern coast of Hokkaido, which is obviously way way way far away from us:
Earthquake hits Japan, we’re OKAY
It’s 10am now, Sunday morning, and we’re watching on the news that a major earthquake has hit the Iwate region of Japan (clear on the other side of the country from us). We didn’t feel a thing and are perfectly fine. More later as I learn about it… Update: 10:48am I’ve just found an English news report about the earthquake. Here it is:
Strong earthquake hits Japan 1 hour ago TOKYO (AFP) — A powerful earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale struck northern Japan Saturday, the meteorological agency said. The earthquake hit in Iwate prefecture, some 500 kilometres (300 miles) north of Tokyo, and rattled buildings in the capital. Television footage showed buildings also shaking in northern cities of Japan. Bullet trains were automatically shut down as a precaution. The quake had a depth of 10 kilometres (six miles), the agency said. There was no immediate word on potential damage or casualties, and the agency did not issue a tsunami warning. A new earthquake warning system kicked in for the quake, with public broadcaster NHK flashing an alert moments before it struck. Japan endures some 20 percent of the world’s powerful earthquakes. It has built an infrastructure intended to withstand tremors.
So that about tells the story so far. We are VERY FAR AWAY, so DON’T WORRY!
Typhoon 5 hits Japan; We’re okay
Hey all,
A few weeks ago I got all these worried messages from family and friends, asking me if we were okay because an earthquake hit nearby where we live. “What earthquake?” I said. “Oh, didn’t you feel it? It was all over the news!” people said. Well, we didn’t feel a thing even though it took place in a neighboring prefecture. It took people on the other side of the planet to tell me what was happening in my own “backyard”. Surreal, to say the least.
Yesterday a big typhoon blew through Japan (Typhoons are what they call hurricanes here in the Pacific). It hit the southernmost island of Kyushuu pretty hard, then went north up the coast. It was non-stop news for a while there, but again, we hardly were affected. About 6pm on Friday we had some pretty strong gusts of wind, but that was it- there wasn’t even any rain! Apparently it took a wide line way out in the Sea of Japan.
Another natural disaster averted! We are all fine.
Oh, one interesting point about “typhoons”: here in Japan they don’t give names to each storm like they do in the States and elsewhere- they just give them numbers. Typhoon season is now here, and we can expect about 20 storms or so to blow through. Most are not that big a deal. Very rarely do they come to Toyama, as we are protected by the mountains. It wasn’t until I found an article about the storm in English did I realize the western media had given the storm a name- Usagi, which means “rabbit.”
