The earthquake on 11 March

I was going to Mr donuts to get some sweets for afternoon tea. It was when I was waiting for the traffic signal to change to green, I felt the ground move. It wasn't wild shake or big shock but something like a gentle swing.

I looked around me and could not find anything out of ordinary. I thought I was day dreaming.

Then I felt another swing and this time bigger and wider. The guy waiting next to me looked at me when I looked at him.

He said to me, "Earthquake?"

"Yes, isn't it?" I said.

We Tokyoites are so used to earthquakes that usually we carry on what we've been doing even when we know there is an earthquake happening. But this time it was different.

Because the next shake was too big and too long. It was not a swing or a shock but I felt the earth MOVE.

I ran. Out of my breath I got to the office and I found my colleague kept the dogs with him under his desk. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

The office was OK without any damage at all, lucky us as it was the huge one of mag. 8.8, hypocenter 500Km north of Tokyo but very shallow of about 10km below the sea.

Now four and half hours after the first shock, we still have aftershocks and they are not getting small yet. Outside the office people are walking home as NO public transportation is working.

My colleague left the office about an hour ago. He also would have to walk about one and a half hour to get home.

For me and my dogs it's only ten min walk to home so it is not a hard one. I hope nothing serious is happening at home.

There are the Tsunami warnings to the world around the Pacific.

Fingers crossed and touch woods for everybody and for us!