Saga Day 2 - The day the earth wobbled.
Temperature - 35
Food eaten - Bulgogi and Croquettes, Beef Katsudon
Drink - C.C lemon my beloved, now in tropical flavor
My second day in Saga was a very productive one. I met my coworkers and got my head down to start preparations.
Today I went cycling for the first time in over 8 years. My last bike ride had been quite eventful; I practically grew up attached to my bike. I lived in a fairly rural town, so there were plenty of fields and paths to cycle around on. I was selected twice for the British Cycling Team tryouts. They were seeking young athletes capable of cycling in the Beijing Olympics. I never pursued it any further, to me cycling was just my pastime.
Unfortunately, I ended up in an accident that saw me fly over my handlebars on a road as my chain snapped. So my bike days were left as a painful memory. Being on a bike again was weird and a little scary. But I was able to arrive at work early. It will take some time to get used to cycling again. But it was relaxing to feel a breeze on my face. I have also been shown some beautiful cycle paths around my area. Watch this space for some images and videos.
One thing most people know about Japan it is situated within the Ring of Fire. Simply put, this region stretches around most of the Pacific which is very active seismically. You will find over 900 active volcanoes dotting the Ring of Fire and many tectonic plates butting heads.
One of the first things I did when I received my placement was to check what natural disasters were likely within my prefecture. Earthquakes were rare, but typhoons were common due to location and Saga being geographically flat. Reclaimed land from the sea, is a very flat prefecture, nice for cycling but bad for water drainage in storms.
By this point, many people are probably aware of the Mega Quake warning issued. On the 9th I was in front my stairs about to go up and relax. When my phone went nuts, the early warning Earthquake alert sounded out. I cannot recommend enough, getting any of the apps available for your Japan trips or JET stories. I have safety tips and it gives me warnings in English. They are an invaluable tool. And this day was my first time seeing it send out more than a heat stroke warning.
I was nervous and a little worried about when the Earthquake would follow. How strong? what should I do. In my head standing outside was a logical step, what if I needed to run away from a wall of water? About 1 minute after the alarm sounded the earth beneath swayed. The apartments in front of me seemingly rose and fell again. I could feel the movement under my feet. But then silence fell the cicadas started chirping again.
Upon entering my apartment the only thing that had moved was my bread, I headed to the konbini with friends and initially forgot about everything. It wasn’t until I got back to missed calls and my friends in Tokyo messaging to check if I was ok, to realize it had been a very big earthquake. The south of Kyushu saw 7.1, I had felt it at 3.
My friends in Tokyo had an earthquake yesterday. So it is a little worrying. But I keep reminding myself this is the country most prepared for Earthquakes. In the UK we are fortunate to not really have any. And at most, it’s always a very low-level one we all sleep through.
Right now I am on break for Obon and have plans to visit my neighboring prefectures. I could panic and worry or I could just take life day by day. I want to meet many people and see as much as I can. I knew the gamble by choosing to come to the Ring of Fire.
