[Nyororin]

In this area, it`s sort of an addition to the normal smalltalk...

"It`s so cold today."
"It is indeed. It must be awful for those where the tsunami hit."
"I agree. I hope that things get better for them soon!"
"It should get warmer soon."

etc etc

The reactor talk doesn`t come up as often, but when it does it`s presented as a roadblock to wrapping up the whole ordeal.
"All that`s left is to finish with the reactor." type of comments.

No panicking and no hoarding from what I can tell. Bottled water is selling more than normal, but it does after any earthquake. As do earthquake related items, like flashlights, hand crank chargers, things to keep your furniture from falling over, etc.

The first couple days after the quake things were a bit subdued, but it`s all back to normal now. The biggest differences are that you`ll occasionally see people buying supply items, packing them in boxes right at the store, and then sending them off.

My husband is in Tokyo on business for a couple days, and he was shocked at the almost comedic levels of hoarding. People buying 10+ loaves of bread because they were in stock, 5 bags of toilet paper - etc. The news is saying that right now not only is there not any shortage in Tokyo, but that they are stocking 3 times the normal amount... People are just hoarding like crazy.

My prep for a quake - buy two bags of dry cat food. If things get rough and I am not around to feed them, our cats will chew through the bag to get food.