Earthquake sickness spreads in Japan

There have been more than 300 aftershocks of magnitudes 5.0 or more in Japan, since the massive earthquack struck the country on 11th March.

These frequent aftershocks are causing many people, including myself, so-called earthquack sickness.

Earthquake sickness is similar to motion sickness, and makes one feel dizzy or nauseous. When you go to the sea and enjoy yourself in the water for a while, you feel like you are on the wave even after you go back to your hotel. Earthquake sickness is similar to this feeling.

These days, I often feel the ground shaking and look around my room to check if my books on the shelves are still in place. But then I find out that nothing is moving and the ground is actually not shaking. I sometimes find it difficult to walk straight because I feel that the ground is shaking.

Not only the continuous aftershocks are frightening, but also the radiation leaks from Fukushima nuclear plants and the first-ever rolling blackouts are causing much stress to the Japanese residents. These stresses are considered to worsen the symptom of earthquake sickness that is widely stpreding in Japan.

According to the Japanese media, the best solution to earthquake sickeness is to relieve stress, for example, by streaching and light exercises, drinking hot drinks, listening to favourite musics, taking a long bath and have a good sleep.

Tablets for motion sickness can help relieve the symptom, although I find it difficult to keep taking this kind of medicine for an entire day. 

For those in Japan and seeking for a professional help, you should visit an otolaryngologist, or ear, nose and throat doctor.

Panic-escape from Tokyo

Concerns over radiation leaks from Fukushima nuclear station are growing both in Japan and overseas, but the information appearing on the Japanese and foreign medias are somewhat different.

Currently, the Japanese government advices the people within a 20 km radius of the nuclear facility to leave the area and those living between a 20-30 km radius to stay inside at their homes or evaculation shelters. The Japanese authorities say that the radiation levels outside of a 30 km radius are low enough not to cause any health problems and the medias generally stress the safety side of the issue.

On the other hand, British and American governments advise their nationals to remain outside an 80 km adius of the nuclear facility. Moreover, the residents in Tokyo and to the north of Tokyo are adviced to leave the area. Many foregin governments, including American, British, French, German, Italian, and Australia advise their nationals to leave Japan and some of them even prepare emergency jets. Requests for re-entry visa to Japan are mounting as more and more foreigners want to leave the country until the situation calms down.

Watching the BBC World News this morning, I saw footage of Japanese families taking trains to move to the south of Japan or preparing to evacuate from Tokyo once the situation gets worse. I think that these images are making people even more worried about the current evolving situation.

I don't see these kinds of people around me nor on the Japanese media. I think that those foreigners who don't have to stay in Japan are better to leave the country because their families may worry about them. However, I don't think that they should panic because the radiation levels are still low in Kanto region including Tokyo.

Earthquakes and aftershocks continue in Japan

Last Friday, 11 March, there was a massive earthquake in the north-east of Japan, followed by an extensive tsunami that swept away many cities, towns, and villages. Since then, there has been many quakes in Japan, some of which are considered as aftershocks that normally follow after a large earthquake, but others are considered as separate earthquakes.

Two large earthquakes have occurred since last Friday. The first one occurred on Saturday 12 March, in northern Nagano and Niigata, on the Japan Sea side of central Japan. Several houses were clushed and many people had to evacuate. The second one occurred yesterday, Tuesday 15 March, in Shizuoka, south-west of Tokyo, again forcing the residents to stay at the evacuation centres.

Experts view that these earthquakes are likely to be triggered by the earthquake in the nor-th east of Japan on Friday. Aftershocks of Friday's earthquake are considered to be at smaller scales, whereas earthquakes originating from other epicentres can be at any scales. Thus, increasing incidents of earthquakes in Japan pose serious concerns among people living in Japan, including myself.

No more food at supermarkets in Tokyo

The Tokyo Electric Company announced the rolling blackout starting from Monday 14 March. The blackout lasting for 3-6 hours per day at alternating times is planned to take place until the end of April. After the announcement, the consumers rushed into shops to buy batteries and torches, which were soon sold out. Realising the severity of the situation, the consumers started buying up also food to store at home. Basic foods in Japan, e.g. rice, bread, instant noodles, bottled water, or milk disappeared in most supermarket. At the shop I went yesterday, there was no meat nor fish. There is also no toilet roll nor tissue. Normally in Tokyo, we hardly see empty shelves on supermarkets, so the situation makes one worry and buy even more stuff. The government says, however, there is enough supply of goods and food to Tokyo, and asks the consumers not to buy up foods that are more than necessary.

Huge quakes hit Japan

Huge earthquakes hit Japan this afternoon. It was very scary.

At first, I thought that it was a nomal quake that happens every so often in Japan.
However, the quake got stronger and stronger and I saw that books and small ornaments on the shelves started falling down. At the next moment, a full-length mirror and a floor lamp fell and broke into pieces.

I was scared and started to praying. The image of the clashed building in the earthquake in New Zealand came into my mind. The apartment where I live is very old and I could easily image that it would clash like a pancake.

Lukily, the quake stopped. Another big earthquack hit within an hour and many smaller after quakes are still occurring. I have never experienced the earthquake as large as this one in my life.

Things are still a bit chaotc around here. There is no gas in my home, despite being a cold night. Phone lines are still not working. Public transportation is suspended in Tokyo and many people are still on streets.

However, we are still very lucky in Tokyo. In the coatal areas of northern Japan, tsunami has swept away thousands of houses and destroyed rice and farming fields. It is very shocking to see such devastating damages happening to my own country.

I hope that the damage won't spread any futher.

Penguins film their lives underwater.

The Japanese Antarctic research team attached video cameras to the backs of Adelie penguins and let them shoot videos of their lives under the water. Because Adelie penguins spend much of their times under the sea ice, and it is difficult to study their behaviour. It was the first attempt to film their behaviour under the water.

Yesterday, the Japanese news programs widely broadcasted the pictures acquired by the mission team. They were stunning. One of them showed a round head of a penguin in front and the sea ice on the back, apparently taken while he was swimming towards the sea ice. Another showed his fellow penguins swimmig closely.

While I worry how these cameras were attached on the back, it is an interesting and perhaps clever idea to unveil secrets of life below the ice.

Link to the news:
Japanese researchers in Antarctic attach cameras to penguins to film behavior under ice

What a surprise, it's snowing again in Tokyo!

It started snowing agatin this morning in Tokyo. When I was a child, we sometimes had snows in March, but we didn't have snows in Marh in recent years.

What is really surprising is the coldness. The maximum day temperature today is about 4 degrees Celsius, while it was over 15 degrees a few days before. I don't feel like going out at all.