We tend to have earthquakes here in Japan, it sucks but it's part of the price you pay for living on the intersection of four separate tectonic plates (where do you think all those volcanos come from?). And last week we had a big one. M7.7, that's enough to knock you off your feet if you're in the locale, bring down buildings and generate tsunami. My home town in the UK would have been flattened but that kind of impact, explains why buildings in Japan are generally not made of brick.
It was the first experience for a friend from England who only arrived a few months ago and had the bad fortune of being in an elevator when it went off (here, the elevator will take you to the first available floor and jam the doors open) which ever level you're on, you're on foot from there. Didn't help much that she called her husband and he laughed. He's probably not going to be forgiven for that for a while yet.
I'm fairly used to earthquakes (I was driving when an M7.0 struck once and the car went sideways), having been in Japan for both Kobe and the Tohoku M9.0+. They're not fun especially if you happen to live near the coast (and please remember, tidal rivers are just an extension of the coast). But what was different this time, and has never happened before, was the local international church (I'm not religious in any shape or form, so I don't know which one), came around and rang the bell. And just asked if I was OK. They had no idea of my background but were just looking out for the gaijin community in the area. And for that, I thank them. I might have been a newbee stuck in an elevator for all they knew. That was kind.
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