I only recall experiencing one moderate earthquake when we lived in Tokyo. I was alone in our apartment on a Saturday afternoon, sitting at the computer, when suddenly the chair I was sitting in began shaking. Then I realized the room was shaking. It lasted maybe 10-15 seconds.

It was pretty mild; nothing fell over. But what an unsettling feeling it was. So I can’t even imagine what yesterday’s 8.9 earthquake felt like, even if Tokyo wasn’t the epicenter.

My high school in the Tokyo suburbs was apparently fine. Since the train system had stopped running, they used the school’s bus system to get everyone home that they could.

Earthquakes are freaky, even when there’s no damage. Especially if it’s a mild quake, the whole thing happens quietly, which makes it even freakier, like this unseen force is doing something to you. Jesus. You think you’re in a solid building, which you think is sitting on solid ground, and then you realize that the foundation on which you’ve lived your whole life is not solid at all.

Everything beneath us is slipping and sliding.