On Earthquakes and Crapping of Pants

So I was previously asked whether the Japanese care about earthquakes; and if they do, what happens?  Well today we had a medium sized quake, while I was in the school gym playing table tennis.

I didn't feel most of it, if I'm honest.  Being the insensitive person I am, I wondered why on earth everyone was diving under the tables.  It ramped up towards the end, and being on the second floor balcony of the gym, it really started rattling and rolling.

Everyone was screaming initially, it seemed to be more of a warning call (like meerkats sensing a lion) than through fear though, as the boys were joining in while shouting something.  The girls reached pitches previously unbeknownst to man.  One girl was crying by the end of it, the rest were playing table tennis within five seconds of the quake ending.  A general chorus of 'are you okay?' went around, which was answered in two seconds, and everyone carried on.

What amazed me was the speed of their collective reflexes.  The kids were under those tables before I even realised the place was shaking.  All the teachers were standing around looking annoyed, they didn't dive.  There seemed to be an air of annoyance at being stopped from working, and that's about it.  The kids are perfectly trained, as are the adults in their own way.  I think anyone over the age of sixteen realises that if a ten tonne girder is falling, a table won't stop it.

So I cycled to the gym after that excitement, and quickly got a puncture.  The return journey was a dog, if I'm honest.  It took an hour and twenty minutes (a fast ride takes 20) and I had to pick up dinner on the way back.  I also found out that I've lost five kilogrammes.  Five.  I didn't have five to lose in the first place.  Where did I lose five kilos?  I was pretty annoyed at that.  And at getting a puncture.  And my boss sending me a message to see if I was okay, only to not bother replying when I told her that I had a puncture.  Separate personal and private lives, I suppose.

Then I came home to all my stuff being on the floor.  Luckily no more glasses broke (primarily because I have no more to break).

If you want to get an idea of just how frequent our tremors are (I'm going to establish a new form of differentiation between a tremor and a quake - tremors are sub richter 5, quakes anything above that.  Sam has spoken, let it be known to the OED.) check this out.  It's a world map/log of the tremors/earthquakes that occur.  They're all in Japan, and the first page is filled with tremors just from today.