Massive Earthquake Strikes Japan
Apologies to those who came to this site yesterday looking for news about the biggest earthquake in Japanese history. Unfortunately, I was unable to update this site because I trapped at the Tokyo Disney Resort, spending the night in an evacuation center (shopping mall) with nowhere to go because the trains were stopped.
The photo at the top of this post shows the pavement in front of Maihama station, which was torn up pretty badly from the quake, despite the fact that Tokyo Disney was quite far from the epicenter of quake. I have been to a few areas of Tokyo since, and have yet to see any other visible earthquake damage.
After many hours of riding various forms of mass transit and walking, I am now back to somewhere with internet access. Thanks for all the people who sent e-mails, comments, and instant messages asking if I was dead.
Anyway, here’s some background info on the quake, plus a few scary videos:
A bulldozing tsunami triggered by an 8.9-magnitude earthquake devastated the northeast coast of Japan on Friday, turning cars into driftwood, washing away neighborhoods and leaving this industrialized country bracing for an epic humanitarian disaster.
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This earthquake, the fifth-largest worldwide since 1900 and the strongest ever to strike Japan, will redefine the challenges facing a country already burdened by debt, economic stagnation and depopulation. -Washington Post
The confirmed death toll so far is almost 300, though media reports say it is at least 1,300.
“Unfortunately, we must be prepared for the number to rise greatly,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told reporters.
The tremor, with a magnitude of 8.9, was so huge that thousands fled their homes from coastlines around the Pacific Rim, as far away as North and South America, fearful of a tsunami.
Most appeared to have been spared anything more serious than some high waves, unlike Japan’s northeast coastline which was hammered by a 10-meter high tsunami that turned houses and ships into floating debris as it surged into cities and villages, sweeping aside everything in its path. – Reuters
A large Tsunami wipes out part of Miyagi prefecture:
Tall buildings sway but do not break:
Hidden inside the skeletons of high-rise towers, extra steel bracing, giant rubber pads and embedded hydraulic shock absorbers make modern Japanese buildings among the sturdiest in the world during a major earthquake. And all along the Japanese coast, tsunami warning signs, towering seawalls and well-marked escape routes offer some protection from walls of water.
These precautions, along with earthquake and tsunami drills that are routine for every Japanese citizen, show why Japan is the best-prepared country in the world for the twin disasters of earthquake and tsunami — practices that undoubtedly saved lives, though the final death toll is unknown. – New York Times
A Sendai resident films as he and his mother experience the terror of a ultra powerful earthquake:
The antenna at the top of Tokyo Tower reacts to the earthquake:
A medley of earthquake damage video clips from news programs and netizens:
People experiencing after shocks at Tokyo Disney Sea:
- Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
- Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
