I’ve been watching the footage of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

I lived in Japan for 4 years and have travelled extensively around the country.  It always make an event more personal when you’ve been to the place where it’s happening and have friends there.

Most of my friends are in Osaka and Tokyo, and as far as I know they all seem to be okay.  Some of my friends in Tokyo had scary experiences when their office buildings shook violently and they were stranded at work when the trains stopped running.  Another friend has cracks in his apartment building.

The scale of the tsunami is amazing.  There’s a video showing its arrival.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12725646

And now there is the issue of the nuclear emergency.

The Big Picture: Quake Aftermath

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/03/japan_earthquake_aftermath.html