Japan rocks!

... a little too litterarly, actually. Yesterday a medium earthquake struck in north-eastern Japan, which we felt here in Tokyo as well. It's quite disturbing actually, regardless of its measure. You really come to realize how little control you have over the situation since everything around you starts shaking and moving. Seismologists worldwide claim that it takes only a 7.0 earhquake (the Indian Ocean tsunami was caused by a 9.2) to kill approximately 3 million people if it were to strike somewhere near or in Tokyo. If such an earthquake does occur (which is actually some 20-years overdue for us unlucky Tokyoites) there is simply no way that Tokyo would cope... I mean, it doesn't matter how earthquake-proof the buildings are - if the 'big one' comes, it's bye-bye. There are just too many buildings, too many subway systems and too much of... everything really.

Another blogger from Japan put it quite nicely in one of his older entries. He talked about the japanese mentality of earthquakes and stuff like that, and said that the japanese people have kind of a "buddhist" way of thinking. If it happens, it happens. Earthquakes don't target good or bad people, it kills everyone and is thus totally indiscriminating. That's why I don't really feel that safe anymore ;P It doesn't matter how many flashlights or boxes of conserved emergency food I have; if the roof comes crashing down on me it's over.

Also, you know Mt. Fuji? It's not really just a benign beautiful lump of rock and snow, it's also a quite active volcano. You can see it from my house during winter, and from any Tokyo skyscraper during the day (all year around). So yes, it's huge, since it's not really *that* near Tokyo but even I can view it (I live on the eastern side of Tokyo, while Fuji-san is on the far west from Tokyo). Anyway, Mt Fuji erupts every 300 years according to people who do this kind of stuff for a living, and.... the last eruption was, um, 298 years ago. O_____O;;,

Another thing that's kind of freaky is that some scientists believe that the entire japanese peninsula might sink into the ocean after a series of volcano eruptions following earthquakes, which then in turn would cause colossal tidal waves and tsunamis. There's a really cool japanese movie about just that; 日本沈没 (Sinking of Japan; english title) Check it out! http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=NeJ6Cftc-E8

So, all in all, the japanese peninsula is probably the worst place on Earth to found a country. Yet here I am, sitting in my tin can =]