Earthquakes and Karaoke

Posted on 2006/02/04 02:20:36 (February 2006).

[Wednesday 1st February]
My manager was over from the US this week, and he has a particular favourite bar in Shinjuku which I have to admit I am developing a real liking for myself. I popped home first to eat after work, and while I was at home there was a very minor earthquake. It is the first one I have ever properly noticed in Japan so it was pretty, err, interesting! Nothing to write home about though, no damage or casualties so far as I know, and it was all over in less than a minute.

Apparently, a couple of my colleagues were at the office when the earthquake struck, and their first instinct was to try and record the EWS (Emergency Warning System) on the TV - I was so proud to hear this - absolutely no thought for their own personal safety, broadcast engineers through and through!

Note however this wasn't my first ever earthquake experience - I remember two having happened whilst I was in the UK, believe it or not! There was that famous one centred on Dudley (or somewhere like that) about 3 or 4 years ago. Of course back in the UK we only get one about every 10 or 20 years and they are almost always laughably insignificant!

Anywho, I headed over to Shinjuku just after 9, and there met my boss and a couple of my other colleagues who wanted to share in the "experience". It was a really good night - as it was a school night and the weather wasn't so great it wasn't so crowded in there most of the time, but actually I kind of liked it that way. Waves of people came and left during the course of the evening - one minute I would turn round and see nobody, the next minute there was a whole troupe of people singing and dancing. Talked to loads of new people during the course of the evening without having to make any real effort - that bar just seems to encourage a very friendly atmosphere.

How about the 'regular friend' quest ? Are you making any progress ?

Posted by Sheri at 2006/02/05 19:20:46.

Sheri, if you are asking if I have yet kidnapped any short people and held them hostage in a locker, then no.

I have to admit being torn, between an obligation to chastise you for your highly non-PC suggestion, and a supressed admiration for your clearly brilliant "out of the box" problem solving ability!

Posted by John at 2006/02/06 24:08:29.

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