Quote:
Originally Posted by RKitagawa
I know Japan has always been quite famous for its earthquakes.
But this thread got me thinking.
How serious is the earthquake situation there?
Basically I'm wondering: if I lived in Japan, should I really worry about them?
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I've felt countless earthquakes in the 2 years that I've been in Japan. Last night's was the worst yet, but others have been pretty close. I was in LA for the last 2 large earthquakes in the 90's, and last night's felt quite similar.
If you want to see how bad earthquakes in Japan can be, do a little search on the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. The entire city of Tokyo was pretty much leveled by it. The standards of the newer buildings could probably resist such a quake, but you'd be surprised at how old and shoddy many of the houses and smaller buildings are in the metro area.
My new single-floor home isn't likely to suffer much from a major earthquake, but many homes around here are wood frame structures which were built shortly after the war. I'm often surprised that they survive earthquakes like the one which hit last night.
As I write I'm looking at typhoon reports on television. As if earthquakes aren't enough, these big storms are quite common in the summertime. It's pouring down rain outside, with lots of wind, thunder, and lightning. Thankfully I got my shopping done early today, so I won't have to go back out until it passes.
