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all 119 comments

[–]callowjames 73 points74 points  (18 children)

Felt it strongly at DisneySea. Staff managed to get everyone in sight to sit on the ground quickly until well after it had passed. The hundreds of phone alarms going off at the same time was very unsettling.

[–]JpnDudeSaitama-ken 36 points37 points  (17 children)

I was at DisneySea during the Tohoku quake in 2011. The Cast Members there are trained regularly for this type of event. They are fantastic.

[–]Oddsee 8 points9 points  (11 children)

How was it? Imagine being at the top of Tower of Terror when that quake hit. Shit's scary enough when things are normal.

[–]JpnDudeSaitama-ken 22 points23 points  (9 children)

It was calm within the park and there was very little damage. They had continuous announcements in Japanese, English, Mandarin and Korean. Since public transport was down, most of us spent the night in the park. The park provided cardboard to sit on, foil blankets, all the candy/confectionery you can eat when they emptied all the tin can merchandise and a type of okayu the next morning.

[–]EbiToro 5 points6 points  (4 children)

Didn't they also hand out plushies for free so that guests have something soft to protect their heads, and for emotional support?

[–]JpnDudeSaitama-ken 9 points10 points  (3 children)

Yes, CMs, at least in the Cape Cod area, were handing out expensive Duffy stuffed dolls to guests for that purpose. There should be a video of that somewhere on YouTube.

What is not well-known is that 20 minutes later, CMs asked those guests to return to the Duffy dolls. Many guests ran off with them.

[–]EbiToro 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Oh, didn't know that last tidbit of info. I thought it was a feel good story but turns out there are dishonest people everywhere.

[–]JpnDudeSaitama-ken 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Have you seen the video for that?

https://youtu.be/t5vp4_mwwfI?t=168

The program showed the handing out of the dolls but they didn't show the return.

[–]EbiToro 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I might have. I was already going to high school in Tokyo at the time (got stuck on the Tokyu line above Daikanyama myself at the time of the earthquake) so this might have crept into my Facebook feed, or I heard about it secondhand from friends. Don't really remember. I kind of avoided watching TV except NHK for a time because it was making me anxious and depressed.

[–]Triangulum_Copper 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Night at the park sounds neat, despite the circumstances. Did they have specific areas or were people just everywhere? I feel like DisneySea would have enough covered spaces for everyone.

[–]JpnDudeSaitama-ken 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Most places but not all covered areas since there were lots of strong aftershocks. I slept by the AquaSphere fountain (they had turned the fountain off) until early next morning.

I had spent the night at the park a number of times before for the New Year's events they used to have, and that was during winter.

[–]Triangulum_Copper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess a place like Triton’s kingdom wouldn’t be a good idea because of everything hanging from the ceiling.

[–]aBlasvader 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That is an incredible experience you went through. I’m guessing you became pretty friendly with the staff and other guests around you?

[–]biwookShibuya-ku 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Imagine being at the top of Tower of Terror when that quake hit.

I'd just assume they upgraded the ride to be more terrorizing lol.

[–]bakarocket 0 points1 point  (4 children)

I assume you got out before it got flooded? Did they close the park?

[–]JpnDudeSaitama-ken 2 points3 points  (3 children)

Yes they closed them. No there was no flood. But there were patches of liquefaction around the perimeter of the parks and in the parking lot.

[–]bakarocket 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Ah, I think my brain still remembers the initial reports of flooding in the parking area. A quick Google revealed that it was liquefaction instead.

[–]JpnDudeSaitama-ken 7 points8 points  (1 child)

The following morning, Tozai Line opened and JR Keiyo Line was still closed. So I walked from Disney to Urayasu Station to get home. The city had liquefaction areas everywhere. Some power and light poles toppled. Trees were uprooted. Roads and sidewalks were cracked and full of wet sand and mud. My trousers were covered in mud up to my knees. Of course, it was nothing compared to what happened in Tohoku, but it was a crazy experience nonetheless.

[–]bakarocket 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can't imagine what it was like to walk through that. It must have felt a bit like the world was ending.

We all have different stories about that day, but the thing that gets me the most is that everyone (not from Tohoku) says "It was nothing compared to what happened in Tohoku."

It was a devastating experience for everyone, but we all feel guilty about how horrified we felt because so many people got it worse than we did.

[–]CrackheadOnDa1train 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Not that bad tbh, just kept going for a while

[–]Glagaire 26 points27 points  (0 children)

The shaking wasn’t that strong (in Mitaka at least) but unusually long and the effects were apparently felt hundreds of kms away. That pause when you think “Are things going to start falling over?” (at which point it’s reasonable to start getting afraid that in a moment you’re going to be falling over) lasted a few seconds more than usual but thankfully not a ‘big’ one.

[–]JustFonts 19 points20 points  (1 child)

very weak and short for me in western Tokyo. Hope everyone’s okay!

[–]shufu_san 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Long and middling also western Tokyo. 😅

[–]Freak_Out_Bazaar 22 points23 points  (1 child)

We had a foreign guest over at the office. The initiation has begun. The next step will be natto

[–]neepster44 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Ungh… don’t do that to them…natto is just nasty…

[–]PlayingKarrde 37 points38 points  (9 children)

Felt more like 3-4 minutes here (Odaiba).

Edit - apparently a 6.2

[–]5hJack 13 points14 points  (7 children)

Ignore the magnitude. There's too many variables for it to be a useful everyday metric. The intensity scale is where it's at.

[–]PlayingKarrde 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Makes sense. Was a 5- on the intensity scale.

[–]TheRoyalUmi 1 point2 points  (5 children)

Intensity scale feels weird. I made a post a month ago saying that the earthquake I felt was pretty big and got laughed at. It was a strong 6, and 6.3 mag.

If that’s the 2nd strongest intensity, it doesn’t feel super accurate when it comes to comparing things from a 6- upwards.

I get that it’s technically better to use as a comparison though

Edit: how does one differentiate whether 2011 or 1995 was bigger based exclusively on intensity? Feels like there’s too little wiggle room even though both were devastating.

[–]5hJack 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Sounds more like a 'get a load of the newbie' scenario than anything much to do with the scale itself. Anything from 5 up has the potential to cause serious harm (depending a lot on your particular surroundings, of course).

[–]TheRoyalUmi 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah I was just kind of surprised that I got a few people laughing at me when there were people injured and a death that day. Even if I was perceived as a newbie despite being born here.

[–]bakarocket 4 points5 points  (2 children)

Intensity scale is hard to get used to, but it's actually better for regular people.

Intensity is a measurement based on actual shaking at a specific location, so it tells you the actual potential for damage. (It is quantitative, not qualitative.)

Magnitude measures total energy of the earthquake, so while it is scientifically important and helps you understand how extensive potential damage could be across a broad area, it doesn't tell you anything about specific spots within the area of destruction.

Intensity is a better measure for normal folk because it tells you how much danger you're in in a specific area. Anything over 6- is something you have to worry about. Anything from 4 to 5+ is scary as fuck, but is usually not something you have to worry about in Japan due to architectural guidelines. Anything 3 and under is the equivalent of a big truck driving by.

(Edited qualitative and quantitative. I'm drunk. Sorry.)

[–]TheRoyalUmi 4 points5 points  (1 child)

Wow, you described the difference drunk better than most people would sober. Magnitude is for science and intensity is for normal people, gotcha.

[–]bakarocket 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yay Premium Malts!

[–]p33k4y 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was passing by there on the Yurikamome. We arrived at a station and there was heavy shaking (actually, more like swaying side to side). I thought it was just heavy winds at first.

[–]Tanagrabelle 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Flooded field rippling

Water moving over mud

Rice shoots motionless

[–]Pribzz 10 points11 points  (0 children)

lasted for like a minute lol, wasn't too strong over here in kita

[–]Johoku 7 points8 points  (9 children)

Our whole train got the alarm at the same second while having just arrived at a station, but being on the train I couldn’t perceive any actual earthquake - maybe it was just people getting off?

[–]Pribzz 11 points12 points  (7 children)

u got an alarm ? i didn't neither did my friend in Shibuya

[–]Abradolf1948 6 points7 points  (3 children)

Yeah last time I got an alarm for a much weaker one at like 4:30 am. Nothing today and this one felt scarier imo

[–]Pribzz 10 points11 points  (1 child)

the 4:30 one was my first here and scared the shit outta me, todays took me a bit to even notice it was happening

[–]Callump01 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The early warning alarm scared me far more for that one than actually experiencing my first earthquake did. Glad this one didn’t trigger my alarm here in Minato.

[–]lovebattery- 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The 4:30 am earthquake alarm shook me to my core - waking up to those alarms (phone + partners phone & Apple) Watch was horrifying 😭

[–]Johoku 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Near omiya, Saitama.

[–]tokyoevenings 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No alarms in shibuya

[–]Myselfamwar 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The alarm only goes off when I am dead asleep in the middle of the night. Telcos are fucking with us

[–]acouplefruits 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same thing happened to me I was surprised I didn’t feel it considering how far underground I was (riding ginza line)

[–]FlackRacket 7 points8 points  (1 child)

Felt pretty gentle in Meguro, but it lasted several minutes

[–]KaizenshimasuMeguro-ku 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same. The door was swinging but that’s about it

[–]FBunnii 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Felt a good 10 seconds here in Asakusa

[–]lechwro 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yes

[–]RobRoy2350 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Some mild rolling for a bit in Toshima.

[–]OukariaAdachi-ku 2 points3 points  (1 child)

In the chiyoda line, haven’t felt a thing lol

[–]aberrantwolf 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I live in Adachi, northeast Tokyo, didn’t notice anything either.

[–]ijustupvoteeverythin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That was a long one, was rocking for a good minute or two in aoyama (up high in bldg). Did not get any alert from NERV this time. Anyone else?

[–]Opriat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Solid few minutes here in southern Edogawa. Wheeee!

[–]A_Force_Of_Nature 2 points3 points  (3 children)

Yes! I was eating dinner and felt the swaying from side to side here in Ueno. Lasted for longer than the one we had about 3 weeks ago.

Edit: no alarm went off like last time…

[–]Kermit_Purple_II 1 point2 points  (2 children)

The mag 5 under 23 ku at 4:30 AM?

[–]A_Force_Of_Nature 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Yes, that was the one. The emergency alert alarm that woke me up that day terrified the absolute 💩 out of me.

[–]Kermit_Purple_II 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Was in Hachioji, and still awake then

This one had me worried ngl, but nothing fell off shelves, so I count it as okay

[–]Tun710Meguro-ku 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It was long but pretty weak in tokyo.

Shindo 5- in Ibaraki and Northern Chiba apparently

[–]Owl_lamington 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Around 30s, Toshima. Gentle waves.

[–]krisaore 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same here, I was in Ikebukuro at 39th hotel floor and shaked a lot, maybe because of the height.

[–]Callump01 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pretty gentle here in Minato, but it did last unsettlingly long.

Didn’t get an alarm for this one, although it felt stronger than the one a couple weeks back at 4:20am that did trigger my early warning alarm. Strange. NERV did give me a silent heads-up warning.

[–]GreyfoxUK 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Felt it at Haneda airport for a couple of minutes.

[–]Erikaveex3 1 point2 points  (1 child)

We happened to be playing bowling at R1 in Odaiba. I’m visiting and the message came over in Japanese first, although they were making fun of it initially the school boys next to us very quickly looked at us and said “earthquake” and we all waited together for further instructions. Was a pretty long shake. Thankful nothing worse. No alarm this time though, got one earlier in the morning a few weeks ago

[–]rusinga_island 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Did the pins get knocked over?

[–]Remarkable-Mud659 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Visiting from the US, first earthquake — at DisneySea, they had us on the ground. Slightly felt it, more worried having never been in one

[–]TruthfulBoy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In Suginami, it lasted like 3-4 minutes and had my curtains wiggling side to side. Oof.

[–]PM_MAJESTIC_PICS 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Actually got an alarm out here in Saitama! It was pretty mild for us though.

[–]SubstantialUse2730 1 point2 points  (0 children)

no it's just you

[–]AlbionJackal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This evening's was definitely much more intense than the one a couple of weeks ago... more intense and more sustained... we were in Costco in Kawasaki and the chandeliers were definitely swinging! 😆 People were definitely spooked.

As always, it felt like I'd had one too many, until I realised that everyone else was frozen to the spot and looking at the ceiling.

Not quite as bad as Cebu in 2013, mind... Now that was scary!

[–]kyakya 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Was at the Hanzomon line and didn't even notice it. The weird 5/10 mins stop at Hanzomon was probably due to it but there weren't any announcements for us gaikokujin 😅

[–]yyc_123 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I'm here on vacation and our hotel was shaking confused as to wtf that was

[–]arika_ex 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not falling for this location phishing scam. I was in the shower and felt nothing.

[–]VegasLife84 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lasted about a minute here in Roppongi. Water in the toilet sloshed around quite a bit.

[–]DarthAlarak 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Currently staying near Okubo Station.. big earthquake

[–]giyokun -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Enjoy! big in Chiba. Fukushima prefecture here... felt like a min or so.. going crescendo.

[–]enzian9 -2 points-1 points  (1 child)

Why all the fear mongering? Tremors happen all over the world.

[–]GabschD 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not really. Or at least not that often. I just visited Tokyo and this was the first earthquake I witnessed in my life.

[–]youngelos5607 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

You live in Tokyo.

[–]TheNewGramm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Long yeah Big no

[–]Demoiselle_D-Ys 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was very strong out here in Chiba, one of the longest and strongest I can remember...had me quite worried for a bit!

[–]Severe-Poet1541 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, thankfully no bad news,

[–]SillyAnimeGirl 0 points1 point  (0 children)

felt it in Fuchu while watching a movie lol

[–]J0J0388 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah we felt it in Shinjuku for sure

[–]404-ed 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I was driving, so didn't feel nothing... Wonder why my phone didn't alert

[–]enfamas 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was on the 13th floor. I was ready to run down the stairs regardless of what was happening 💀💀💀

[–]-Dags- 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Was outside, felt nothing

[–]donkeymon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was well over a minute. What you feel really depends on where you are, even within Tokyo.

[–]Responsible_Youth_93 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Felt it but not to strongly. In Yokohama

[–]RuckinScott 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m in Yokohama right now as well. It didn’t feel super strong, but I’m staying on the 21st floor. Could feel the whole building swaying. Which is a new experience for me. Don’t think I’ve ever been up high while a decent one hit. It lasted a good bit.

[–]UeharaNick 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cell towers will only send the alerts out if it's expected to be a Shindo 4 (minimum) at your location, which if you look at the JMA map is why those at Disneyland were alerted but those of us in 23ku were not. It's impossible for this to be 100% accurate of course.

[–]Nyamii 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Didnt feel a thing in Akihabara :o

[–]Cleric_1A 0 points1 point  (0 children)

About 5 min here in chiba

[–]djhyde11 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was in the security line at HND and my legs felt very wobbly. I looked around to see if anyone else felt it and everyone just carried on as normal. I started thinking I was crazy until I checked online.

[–]Crimsye 0 points1 point  (0 children)

yea was on the 7th floor of my hostel working on my laptop... there were some japanese people there too. For them it was as if nothing happened , I freaked out a bit not gonna lie haha

[–]sxitch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Didn’t notice anything in the Ikebukuro area- kept eating dinner like normal lol

[–]Ahlkks 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was long but not that strong in setagaya but my internet is not working since I came home.

[–]Yoshigahn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There was an earthquake?

[–]Haunting-Pie-1201 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We were on the 6F of mega Donqui Hoten but no one else seemed alarmed.

[–]SheepherderNo6115 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Felt nothing in Asakusa

[–]Hey_Drunni 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah i was in animate akihabra when it happened hahah my friend who hadnt experience an earthquake before i had to let them know to stop and like feel it otherwise they wouldn’t of noticed

[–]sleepyteapot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

felt it in saitama! it lasted a while, our building shook for maybe 1 minute or so? maybe more.

[–]DevotedSwagBacon 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was drunk when it happened. It felt like post nut clarity. Suddenly thought I over did it like the earth moving.

[–]DarkestPillow345 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Was this yesterday one from Chiba? (5 points)

[–]loonachic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I felt it! It was my second earthquake ever in my life!

[–]TheTittieTwister 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Happened to be in a lovely vintage and antique store.

They just got a delivery and there was furniture and furnishings everywhere.

I couldn't have picked a worse spot for heavy rusty things to fall on me. Fortunately it was a slow long rumble in Shabuya.

[–]Knurpel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tokyo noobs

[–]agnishom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely felt it inside a Daiso near Ayase.

It is my second week in Japan. First I thought I was lightheaded or experiencing some kind of drunkenness. Then I realised that the signs in the store were moving. I was hella scared. Nobody else in the store seemed to care.

[–]JesseHawkshow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Felt it a bit in Iwatsuki, Saitama. Just light fixtures and pictures on the wall shaking mostly. Nothing major

[–]Left-Excitement-836 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Me and my gf were leaving Narita when it happened while we were on the train! Rocked a little back and forth