Earthquake Preparation Class

One of the classes at Japanses language school is Earthquake Preparedness

This is the 'Gara Gara Go', or earthquake simulator. It demonstrates an eartquake ranging from a 1 to a 7 on the Richter Scale. It also allows you to feel the difference between a vertical vibration and a horizontal one. The vertical are really not nearly as bad as the horizontal movements.

Then we got to paractice spraying fire extinguishers at video monitors of a fire. Pretty cool.

Then we got to watch a 3-D movie highlighting the difference between a prepared family and an unprepared family. From the movie we learned that the unprepared family's liquor store will burn down, they will suffer major damage to their house and belongings, they will become seperated during the earthquake, the grandmother and baby will be injured, and the father will wreck his delivery truck. On the other hand the prepared family will remain calm, follow the evacutaion plan they have planned and practiced, suffer no injuries or damage, and end up saving multiple memebers of the unprepared family. I think we can all agree that the unprepared family is a whole lot cooler.


This is a movie of me in the Earthquake simulator. You will notice that I use the 'duck and cover' technique similar to that recommended for a nuclear attack - and yes this is the same size as our apartment.