Shaking, rattling, and rolling

If you live in Japan then this post will be boring! Skip this & do your homework!

In the last 24 hours we've been witness to Mother Nature's more belligerent personality. The last decent typhoon I remember in July washed out the first Fuji Rock Festival. To this date, I have still only ever seen the Red Hot Chilli Peppers perform one song live. At least the Foo Fighters were on before them :)

Anyway, it's been cats & dogs all weekend. We rarely feel the full brunt of any typhoons here in central Japan, but we certainly get the rain. Our local tax-wasting river-groomers moved out just in time - Friday afternoon I saw a couple of guys raking - yes, raking - the river bed. After 36 hours of constant rain, we can safely assume their endeavours were in vain.

So just to add flavour the long weekend ("Ocean Day" being a National Holiday on July 16th in Japan), a couple of earthquakes. Of course, if you live in Japan, you have to accept the wobbly ground with the raw fish, right? Fair point. Still, a tad worrying when you live in a knackered old building and your pregnant wife is downstairs. And a looong earthquake that was too - building was still swaying after I figured out it wasn't the washing machine.

Five hours later my staff were looking at me funny when I dodged under a door frame as a very strong aftershock rippled through the school. I'm not sure who looked sillier; me in the doorway or them not under their desks. Until Yuki trundled along the corridor, also heavily pregnant, asking if we were all OK?! Bless her.

So just another, other day in Japan really?!