# Dopers in Japan
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [July 16, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982 "2007-07-16T15:32:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982/1 "2007-07-16T15:32:45Z")
How many are there? Including **Autolycus** , who’s on holiday there right now. CNN is reporting a 6.8 in the Sea of Japan, which I **hope** does not mean a tsunami. Here’s hoping all are well and will continue to be so.
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### Author:  [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982/2 "2007-07-16T21:09:02Z")
I just read a [report](http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a4_5sPWxhnk4&refer=home) that said there was another (?) 6.8 earthquake and the nuclear plant that was just on fire (transformer burning ?) had ruptured and spilled a small amount of very mildly radioactive liquid into the sea. Tempting Godzilla, they are.
> [@](#):
>
> An earthquake of 6.8 magnitude struck Japan today, damaging a nuclear reactor, toppling houses and sparking a fire. At least eight people were killed and more than 900 were hurt, according to the Associated Press.
>
> The undersea temblor, centered about 250 kilometers (155 miles) northwest of Tokyo, shook buildings in the capital for several minutes at about 10:15 a.m. local time. A second, deeper quake of 6.8 magnitude struck 13 hours later, causing little damage. No tsunamis were reported…
>
> Tokyo Electric Power Co. said a nuclear reactor at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa power plant in Niigata was ruptured. Two cracks opened in reactor No. 6, leaking radioactive water into the ocean, the company said on its Web site.
>
> The environmental effect is negligible, as the water – about 350 gallons (1,300 liters) – had a radiation level one- billionth of the legal limit, the company said
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### Author:  [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2007, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982/3 "2007-07-17T01:20:02Z")
There’s **TokyoPlayer**. He’s listed in, uh, Tokyo!
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### Author:  [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2007, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982/4 "2007-07-17T01:25:07Z")
I was in a 10th-floor apartment in Tokyo when it happened and I definitely felt it. Nothing violent, but a slow rolling (which usually means a big one far away; close ones, even if they’re little, are more of a violent shaking) that went on for a really long time. We all immediately went to the TV to see the emergency report. When we turned it on, the newscasters were all sitting absolutely still with stunned expressions on their faces. Finally one of them said, “…I think it stopped” and whatever story they’d been doing got dropped while they waited for the reports to come in.
Got a call this morning from my mother saying she’d been getting calls from everyone asking if we were ok. She knew Tokyo was far enough away to be safe, but just wanted confirmation.
According to this morning’s paper, there are 8 dead, about 900 injured, and either 10,000 homeless or 10,000 buildings damaged. Small landslides buried part of a highway and part of a train station, but nobody was hurt by those.
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### Author:  [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2007, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982/5 "2007-07-17T01:32:45Z")
According to the earthquake listings at tenki.jp (all in Japanese), there was a 6.6 at 23:18 that was centered off the coast, a few hundred km from the first big one (felt that one, too). Other than that, there were minor (M2-3) shakes about every 15-20 minutes yesterday, spreading out to about hourly this morning.
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### Author:  [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2007, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982/6 "2007-07-17T03:52:46Z")
I was sleeping in on Monday morning, since we had a national holiday and missed anything.
Niigata also had a huge quake a couple of years ago that damaged a number of factories.
We’re still waiting for the Big One here in Tokyo.
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### Author:  [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982/7 "2007-07-17T03:54:58Z")
Outside of being shaken up, how are you guys doing?
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### Author:  [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2007, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982/8 "2007-07-17T04:28:08Z")
I was up at 10:30am when the first one hit. I live north of Tokyo, which is nearer to the epicenter(s). The tall cupboards and hanging lighting fixtures shook for what seemed to be a minute or so. Nothing fell down but the tremor was sizeable.
I turned on the TV thinking the center was located in (relatively) nearby Ibaraki Prefecture, which we have been having seismic activity in the past few years. However, the news stated reports were coming in from Niigata!! Wow, a lot further than I thought.
I managed to get in touch with my boss, whose was spending the three-day holiday weekend in his hometown in Niigata. There was some damage but everyone is OK.
Later that evening, there were other quakes reported in the Tohoku (northeastern) Region of Japan. We felt those too.
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### Author:  [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2007, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982/9 "2007-07-17T05:04:35Z")
I’m down with a cold and was sleeping when the quake hit. According to the news reports, I should have felt it, though. There was another earthquake in the afternoon, though, centered in southern Nara and I definitely felt that one.
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### Author:  [@Charaille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charaille)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2007, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982/10 "2007-07-17T05:17:41Z")
[QUOTE=Rilchiam]
How many are there? Including **Autolycus** , who’s on holiday there right now. CNN is reporting a 6.8 in the Sea of Japan, which I **hope** does not mean a tsunami. Here’s hoping all are well and will continue to be so.
[/QUOTE]
I live in Yokosuka, and slept right through it, although some of my coworkers felt it. There wasn’t any damage here, luckily.
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### Author:  [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2007, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982/11 "2007-07-17T06:24:57Z")
Well, this is one way to get a list of all the people to drag out for my infamous Friday nights.
I’m glad to hear you’re all okay! Is **Caractacus Potts** still in Japan? I can’t remember exactly where he’s stationed, but I know it was something like 300 km from Tokyo (as the Shinkansen flies).
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### Author:  [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2007, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982/12 "2007-07-17T06:37:30Z")
I slept right throught it in Shizuoka. An ex-GFs family lives in Niigata though, so I am a little worried. Gonna call her soon.
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-in-japan/411982/13 "2007-07-17T16:56:55Z")
**Tentacle Monster**. I dunno if he’s still around; yes I do, I can search for him… aaaaand… he hasn’t posted since late '06. Oh well.
I also second the hope that everyone is okay.