Two strong 地震 (earthquakes) struck Indonesia today. At least three people are dead.
地震 (earthquakes) are terrible. The strike suddenly with no warning. With most other natural disasters, people are given warning and a chance to evacuate.
In Japan, there is an expression that says the four scariest things are: 地震 (earthquakes), 雷 (Lightning / Thunder), 火事 (fire), and 親父 (father).
There’s a centuries old folklore in Japan that a giant ナマズ (catfish) caused earthquakes. And now, some scientists in Japan say that ナマズ (catfish) can predict earthquakes (scientists around the world say that about many different types of animals).
Because of this, many times in Japan signs for 地震 (earthquake) evacuation routes will have a picture of a ナマズ (catfish).
Anyways, because of the 地震 (earthquake) in Indonesia, the Japanese 気象庁 (Meteorological Agency) has issued a 津波注意報 (Tsunami Advisory) for many parts of Japan (especially on the Pacific coast side (where Tokyo is).
(By the way, did you know that 津波 (tsunami) is a Japanese word? It translates directly to “harbor wave“…but the English equivalent is “tidal wave“.)
Click here to visit the Japanese 気象庁 (Meteorological Agency) website.
Tokyo Five 
I like your blog but Kit Kat is a Swiss chocolate bar. Nestle, the worlds biggest food group is Swiss.
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>I like your blog
Thank you.
Please comment anytime!
>Kit Kat is a Swiss chocolate bar. Nestle, the worlds biggest food group is Swiss.
Is Nestle from Switzerland? I didn’t know. Thanks.
(But, actually, I think you meant to comment on this post about Kit-Kat in Japan.)
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Miss Behaving…
I’m assuming your son’s name isn’t 「親父」! 😀
I had no idea what The Triangle Of Life was…so I looked it up online ( http://www.amerrescue.org/triangleoflife.htm ).
Now I don’t know what to think…that goes against everything I was told to do in an earthquake!
(*。*)
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One of those ‘four scariest’ is my son’s name!!
earthquake wise I hope I’ll folow that whole
‘triangles of life’ school of thought.
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naoko…
Yeah, they say Tokyo’s overdue for another major earthquake! I hope they’re wrong!
And, I also always thought…what good would an earthquake kit do if you can’t access it when an earthquake hits?
They say when an earthquake strikes, to open your house door (so it doesn’t jam shut), stay indoors, and the bathroom is the safest room to be in (no windows to break or large furniture to fall).
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Dad…
>did Japan experience any effect from the earthquake?
Thankfully, no. (And no Tsunami either. 🙂 ).
>How do scientists know when a catfish thinks there’s going to be an earthquake?
I don’t know. I guess they act funny. The same way scientists in other countries watch cows, dogs, birds, etc. Some people think animals are more in tune with nature and humans have lost that ability over generations.
I hope they do figure out an accurate way to predict earthquakes with enough notice for people to prepare.
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なまず is aiming at Tokyo area…get ready for it!!!
But….I’m not sure what and how.
I can prepare water and foods in my house, but I can’t bring them everywhere! Yes, the most scare thing is that anyone can’t know when it happens.
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Hi Bob,
Hope you all had a nice time on new years. So did Japan experience any effect from the earthquake? How do scientists know when a catfish thinks there’s going to be an earthquake?
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Colm…
Thanks for visiting my site…feel free to comment often!
>I experienced an earthquake 10 years ago when I was in Turkey.
Is that the only earthquake you’ve ever experienced? Was it a big one?
I hate earthquakes!
>it’s not earthquakes that kill people: it’s poorly constructed buildings
Yeah, falling building, bridges and other man-made structures are the biggest dangers in an earthquake.
I live in a metropolis…so there are plenty of huge man-made structures here!
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Hi there, thanks for commenting on my blog. I experienced an earthquake 10 years ago when I was in Turkey. Pretty scary alright. As they say, it’s not earthquakes that kill people: it’s poorly constructed buildings. One of the abiding memories I have of this quake are seeing collapsed buildings on TV right beside totally intact ones.
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