The whole country seems to be gripped with worry lately. The dreaded first anniversary of the Tohoku tsunami and earthquake is coming up in just over a month… and movements of this country (literal movements!) show no signs of stopping.
Several of the ladies in my class tonight were sharing their worries. There are some of them who have parents, children and other relatives in the Kanto area. (The Kanto area is a large area which encompasses a number of prefectures, including Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, etc.) They were saying that there’s talk about the “big one” happening some time this year.
Of course, this whole country sits upon so many fault lines… the thing is, not ALL parts of the country have as many earthquakes as other parts. Take where I live, for example. Fukuoka has had two major earthquakes in the 20 years I’ve been here. That’s practically nothing compared to the Kanto area. (Which is where I grew up.) But those two were quite frightening, to be honest. It was the very first time for me to actually hear the Earth rumble!
There have been quakes near Mt. Fuji… a volcano which is dormant. There was a rather large quake yesterday in Oita Prefecture, one prefecture over from where I am. Today, there was one in Okinawa, another rarity.
Of course, there’s nothing to prevent disaster from happening. There are few words which would provide comfort to those who are concerned about their family and friends. All we can do is be prepared if something DOES happen and be ready to lend a helping hand to those who need it.
The Life of a Boiled Egg 