Earthquake

[imomus]

Anybody in Japan with eyewitness reports of the strong earthquake that just happened there? BBC TV just had a very shaky video clip showing both the Tokyo tower and the Mori Roppongi Hills building shuddering for what looked like a rather long time.

Comments

[imomus.livejournal.com]

This just in from Jean Snow (http://jeansnow.net):

'Seems like it was major, but I was walking outside, and didn't feel it. Got a call from my wife, and she was scared (she was studying at Todai). I felt two more after that. When I got home, I turned on the TV to find every channel covering it (and they're still doing it now). Seems like there were 3 earthquakes of magnitude 6, but I'm not sure where they were centered. They're saying that everyone should be careful.

'I actually felt a bigger one about a month ago. That one really scared me, and things were moving in the apartment.'

I missed that one last month because I was in Hong Kong that week. I was almost miffed to miss it because, although I've spent a year out of the last three years in Japan (if you add up all the three month visits) I've never experienced more than minor tremors. Not that I want anything major to happen, of course. But it seems like a gap in my experience. What does it feel like? Is it, as Bjork said when she was in the LA quake, 'a primal force of nature' that you can almost 'ride'? Or is it just like being in a train on rattly points, or weathering turbulence on a plane?

Shakin' in yer snowshoes

[(Anonymous)]

The quake which hit San Francisco in 1989 felt vaguely like strong turbulence, but yes, more primal. You don't expect for what feels like the entire earth to experience turbulence. Quite exciting, actually. Makes me wish the earth shook constantly. There's not nearly enough motion on land. Maybe then we'd live in large spheres, and migrate like those antarctic weather balls.

[(Anonymous)]

robert here. biggest one i:ve ever felt since i:ve been in japan. and i can sum it all up like this; even JAPANESE people around me were in a panic...which means it MUST be bad. i saw the man next to me break out in a cold sweat. the info that jean gave checks out. i:ll add that they are predicting aftershocks over the next few days. nothing like this since the great kobe earthquake that flattened that city. wish us well over here, nick.

[chronovore.livejournal.com]

TV News here in Osaka is saying that as of right now there are 40 injured and 4 confirmed dead. There were apparently 3 (?) strength 6 quakes, and there is still a lot of shaking.

[chronovore.livejournal.com]

Incidently, as of this morning the death count was up to 15, and the injured are either over 700 or 1000 people. It's hard to tell, because apparently regular lines of communication haven't been re-established.

By most accounts, this is the nastiest quake since Kobe.

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

If the first of the three quakes was indeed 6.8, then it was stronger than the devastating earthquake that struck Bam, which was around 6.6.

By most accounts, the Japanese are quite adept at engineering structures that can withstand severe tremors (floating foundations, dampers, etc.). I certainly hope their engineers served them well in this instance.

W

[malo23.livejournal.com]

After that unbelievably wicked typhoon we had last week that uprooted trees and knocked down traffic lights, I'm almost disappointed that I didn't feel a single tremor out here in Hiroshima. I did watch the coverage of the earthquake on the news, though, and according to this article (http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?flok=FF-RTO-roitz&idq=/ff/story/0002%2F20041023%2F2204728122.htm&sc=roitz), there were more than 240 (!!) aftershocks continuing into Sunday w/possibly more on the way. It sounds like they had some *major* damage out there in Niigata and surrounding areas. Mother Nature is definitely not happy this year.

~m

[(Anonymous)]

if those buildings appeared to be shuddering, it was more likely due to a shakey camera. here in tokyo it was just a rather pleasant rolling sensation, though i wouldn't tell that to the six dead, and hundreds injured near the epicenter..

[(Anonymous)]

Here in the "New Jersey of Tokyo" the first earthquake and the following earthquakes and aftershocks were pretty big and lasted longer than most in my recent memory. On the frantic wife scale they registered a 10. I usual hold the unhealthy notion that earthquakes are somewhat fun but the ones yesterday have changed my mind a bit. I now at least question the structural integrity of my mansion.

There was another small earthquake tonight. We felt it here in Saitama and the immediate tv report said it was again from Niigata Prefecture.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

When I was about 16 there was an earthquake in Scotland. It was bizarre. Just a single jolt, but I felt it. And it really scared me. It was a revelation of the fact that, as Captain Beefheart put it in 'Ice Cream For Crow', the sun ain't stable!

[(Anonymous)]

The epicentre was Niigata, north Japan. In Tokyo it was about 3 or less.

Aftershocks

[(Anonymous)]

I read on the BBC news web site today that the aftershocks continue to hit Niigata; people are still missing and the power supply is down. Having lived in Niigata, I was quite, quite distressed to learn about the earthquakes and it was chilling to see pictures of the destruction, the carnage, of places I knew. I have not heard back from any friends there and am hoping that this is because the internet is the least of their concerns right now.

Myrtle

[(Anonymous)]

Does the song "Johnny Jump Up" 's title on Summerisle come from the Daikanyama store of the same name? I just noticed this.