Earthquake 2011

WE ARE ALL SAFE AND APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S CONCERN

Needless to say this has been one of the scariest experiences of my life. Being inside a building that is moving like that is not something I hope to ever experience again. Thankfully due to preparation and good engineering none of us were seriously hurt nor did we suffer serious damage. However, as you all know the same cannot be said for Northern Japan which faced the full force of the earthquakes followed almost immediately by the tsunami. The devastation is almost incomprehensible, and at this point we are far from truly understanding the scope of destruction. It will be some time before things get back to normal, and after something like this normal is a relative term anyway. Again we appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers, and ask that you continue to send them for the people who continue to suffer.

As most of you know Kinoto's wife, Yuri, is from Sendai. Luckily, her immediate family is safe but communication with them is limited, and one can only imagine the conditions they are faced with. Please keep the Sanpei's in your hearts and minds.

Below I have posted some pictures from our office after the earthquake. As you can see the damage in Tokyo is cosmetic compared to the North, and although the experience here was terrifying the worst of it ended in mere minutes.

When the flat files fell they forced Kinoto onto the fire escape which is located just below the Marlyn Monroe poster. At the time they fell he was opening the door to make sure was had an alternative exit should we need it.

This picture of Miyakoda-san's desk was actually taken 2 months ago, and the earthquake actually organized things for him.


Post quake posing. I wish I could claim I was this brave during the earthquake.

Everyone from the building waiting outside after the big quake. We experienced 4-5 more significant aftershocks within minutes of the big quake.

Aya straightening the bookshelf. Pretty sure homemade bookshelves made with cinderblocks and plywood rank pretty high on the "things not to do to prepare for an earthquake" list.

thank goodness for lens filters

It actually made for perfect post-quake photos