At 7:02 p.m. yesterday we experienced what one news report called a moderate earthquake.  Apparently it registered a magnitude of 5.0 and was centered about 60 km north of Tokyo, so not too far from here.

Richard and I were between classes at our respective schools so there was no one around except us and the Japanese receptionists.  In both cases, they seemed considerably more frightened than we did.  Perhaps we’re too naive to be afraid!  The buildings definitely rattled and shook but it wasn’t nearly violent enough to cause any damage or serious concern.

In spite of our somewhat relaxed attitude, earthquakes definitely are something to take seriously here.  Every school has a disaster response notice posted showing where we should evacuate to in the case of a serious quake.  A couple of weeks ago, we received by mail from the City of Funabashi a 62 page multilingual disaster prevention guide complete with maps of the area and information on safety precautions as well as evacuation areas and shelters.  It is provided specifically for the use of foreigners living within the city.  Hopefully we never have to use it!