hey all,
So apparently the biggest earthquake in recorded history has hit Japan. Yes, I'm fine. Clearly, I still have internet access, my hands are working, etc.
I'm sure you all can find the details all over the web, but here's the skinny. An 8.8 or 8.9 earthquake occurred about 125 km off the shore of north eastern Japan around 14:45 today. It caused a few fires from broken gas pipes, and has collapsed a few buildings, and damaged a lot of roads. Unfortunately, it also generated a 10m tsunami, which dealt a large amount of damage along the coast.
Down here in Yokohama, I was about to begin a baby lesson when I noticed the swaying and shaking of the school building. We all ran outside and watched in stupor as the cars in the parking lot rocked in their places, the buildings across the street teetered like drunken old men, and nature in general showed us that how ever much we think we're in charge, there're some powerful things that can come out of nowhere and show you the true situation.
We tried to resume lessons after that, but several aftershocks came, less powerful than the quake, but still enough to send us out of the building. I've been trying to get in touch with Michi since then, but to no avail. Phone service is more or less non existent. The train lines are all stopped, and have been for the last 8 hours or so. As of 20:30, there are still aftershocks coming through.
That's all for now.
Cheers,
