Typhoons and Earthquakes

Japan has very 'volatile' weather...

On the weekend, a rather large typhoon formed south of Japan and then headed north, running parallel to the country. I believe it was a category 4, with category 5 being the maximum rating. Some students informed me that it was the strongest typhoon Japan has had in July, because usually the big ones don't hit till August/September. Aside from causing some big seas and rain, the typhoon didn't really affect the Tokyo area. It was a different story for southern Japan, i think some people were killed in places such as Okinawa.

The rain fell heavily for the whole weekend we were in Nikko, basically non stop. After trudging around in the mud for 6 hours on Sunday, we decided to pack it in and head home. However, seeing the temples and shrines in the rain was fantastic, it seemed to add to the mystique of the place. One downside of the rain was that our backpacks got saturated, and i happened to have my ipod in my bag and it now doesn't appear to be working... I will let it dry for a few days and try and recharge it... fingers crossed.

Apparently some areas of southern Japan received 1000mm (1 metre) of rain in three days!!! Geez, we could do with that in Australia, that would help in refilling the Murray!

I turned up to work yesterday (Monday) to be informed by some other students (they are a great resource of news/information!) that there had been an earthquake in the morning (around 10:30am). The epicentre was in Nigata prefecture, which is a couple hundred kilometres north of Tokyo. It registered 6.8 on the richter scale... Hang on a sec, will just refer to good 'ol Wikipedia... Ah, 6.0-6.9 on the richter scale is considered 'strong' and can be destructive in areas up to about 100 miles across in populated areas. There are about 120 worldwide per year... Apparently, most people felt tremors in Tokyo, where it measured 3 on the richter scale- which is considered minor and 'often felt, but rarely causes damage'. I was actually at the gym at the time and didn't feel a thing. I wish i had, but i didn't... Maybe i was too focussed on what i was doing!

I'm just sorting through my Nikko photos now so should have some pics up soon.

Till next time

Jimmy