My family and I were shopping at Costco in Kanazawa (just south of Yokohama) when the quake hit. Because the building is reinforced well with concrete, we didn't notice much other than the lights swaying back-and-forth. When we got home though several pictures on the wall were cockeyed and others on bookshelves were overturned.
Re: the recent rash of typhoons has set a record for the year and there is little relief in sight. Typhoon Tokage just ripped through this past Wednesday night and Typhoon Nock-Ten is projected to slam Taiwan and Okinawa in a few days. Sheesh!
A good link that we rely upon here for typhoon info is here: http://www.npmoc.navy.mil/jtwc.html
Cheers from the Far East.
Greeting overseas Freeper!
Thank goodness no damage in your area.
Typhoons soaked hills followed by earthquakes not a good mix.
Well I have to get to bed it is almost six a.m. here in Oregon and shift 1 will start in two hours and I am supposed to take KV to a friends new business Open House tommarrow.
Gotta rest the brain cells, night all.
Stay safe Japan Freepers!
Hey wait a minute! You have a Costco?
What kind of stuff do they sell in mega size?
Rice wine vinager. : )
23 October 2004
OJIYA, Niigata -- Local residents were badly shaken when a major earthquake and aftershocks hit Niigata Prefecture on the coast of Sea of Japan on Saturday night.
Many people in the hardest-hit area, Ojiya, said that shelves and lockers fell down during the earthquake that hit shortly before 6 p.m.
"I was in a public hall and collapsed on all fours because of the terrible shaking," said Hisashi Sato, 65, a neighborhood group chief in Ojiya. "I have never experienced such a huge earthquake."
Farmer Taichi Onozuka said he had to evacuate when the quake hit. "Suddenly I felt strong horizontal tremors. Pieces of furniture collapsed in my house," said Onozuka, 68. "Even my walls were crumbling."
Many people evacuated their homes in Ojiya and stayed outside, listening to radio news programs while power was temporarily cut.
Officers of the Ojiya Police Station have launched rescue operations after receiving information that cars were buried. Lockers toppled onto the floor of the police station.
In Nagaoka, another hard-hit area, Tetsuo Yamada, a newspaper delivery office owner, said that he would set up a tent for his family to stay in overnight after newspapers and tableware were thrown onto the floor of his home.
"I was unable to stand still because of the tremors. The floor of a local convenience store was scattered with products fallen from the shelves," Yamada, 65, said. "I still feel scared because of the aftershocks." (Mainichi Shimbun, Japan, Oct. 23, 2004)
I'm here on Okinawa and have been thru many typhoons in the past 25 years. This one was a direct hit here with 40 meter winds, but to me it seemed very mild with little damage. I was amazed, because a 40 should be quite a typhoon.
Costco in Japan sounds like fun. Are there the same basic items as Stateside or do they carry items unique to Japan? I would love a walk through Japanese Costco just to see their prices on food, furniture, electronics and clothing.
Also I've heard that Japanese living quarters can be small. Does Japanese Costco carry a lot of bulk items such as a year's supply of paper towels and t.p.?
" at Costco in Kanazawa (just south of Yokohama) "
Kanazawa 500 kilometers west of Tokyo-Yokohama near the sea of Japan . You must mean Kanagawa Prefecture , which Yokohama is part of .