TYPHOON!

So, I have to admit, that I was warned about Typhoons in Japan...I did not come here completely blind. But nothing quite prepares you for the sheer violence of it.

It starts, however, with the fact that houses in Japan just aren't made to last. Prior to my arrival, I believed that everything in Japan would be superior. And actually, the housing here in Japan is superior...that is if you understand their logic. You see, Japan is just waiting for the next big earthquake. They know it's coming and they have no disillusions about it. They are predicting it to be at least a 6 on the Richter scale. For those of you who don't know, here's the scale:

0 - Not felt, imperceptible to people.
1 - Slight. Felt only by people in some buildings.
2 - Weak. Felt by a lot of people. Hanging lamps will swing slightly.
3 - Rather strong. Felt by most people. Objects on shelves may rattle. May be felt from inside a moving vehicle.
4 - Strong. Shake can be felt by people walking and driving on the street. Unstable objects may fall.
5 - May be difficult to move. Hanging objects will swing violently. Most unstable objects on shelves will fall.
5.5 - Difficult to move. Most objects on shelves will fall. Heavy furniture may move and fall.
6 - Difficult to remain standing. A lot of heavy furniture will move and fall. Walls will crack and fall. Some houses may collapse.
6.5 - Impossible to stand. Most heavy furniture will move and fall. Most non-reinforced concrete walls will collapse.
7 - Thrown by the shaking and impossible to move at will. Wall tiles and windowpanes will fall and be damaged. Even highly earthquake-resistant buildings will be severely damaged.

With this in mind ALL Japanese buildings are designed with one of two intents: Super Earthquake-resistant, or designed to collapse completely (like my apartment) in the event of an earthquake stronger than a 5.

The theory is that the clean up after a major earthquake is a huge part of rebuilding a city, and they would rather start from scratch than try to save mediocre buildings. That said, my apartment is made of paper. All of my windows are single pane, the walls are not insulated or reinforced, and I spent the majority of last night cowering in the loft where there are at least no windows.

I should start by saying that yesterday was also my first day of school, and while the day was rather lame (I spent the entire day in the teacher's office twiddling my thumbs), I still came home tired because I have an insane commute, and therefore must get up at the crack of dawn. So I took a nap...mistake number one.

I re-awoke from my nap at 7:00 pm, played on the internet for an hour then spent around two hours watching episodes of "Friends." At around 10:00 pm, the wind picked up (*please note, I am wide awake from my nap earlier in the evening), and by 10:30 the rain started. Before 11:00 I was worried that my house was going to crumble, the winds and rain were so bad. I could hear my apartment creak. I could swear I heard wood splintering. The rain pounded against all the windows of my apartment (of which there are many), while the wind, even with all the windows closed, sent a draft through my apartment and shook even the internal doors.

It didn't stop.

At 1:00 a.m. I decided I NEEDED sleep. This was no longer a fleeting fantasy but a full awareness that the next day I would be a zombie if I didn't sleep soon. So I did what any logical American girl would do. I put on my robe and went to the sink/shower room to get some Nyquil. I should also point out here that I don't normally wear slippers, or shoes of any sort in my house, but that I am observing Japanese tradition and don't allow shoes past the entryway.

It turns out I was not the only one scared by the storm. I turned on the light to my sink/shower room and WHAT THE BLOODY HELL!?!?!?!? I have spent some time and Okalahoma, and I can say without a doubt that this was the largest bug (aside from the scorpion in my living room, which is not a bug but a land animal) I have ever seen. The only description I can give it is "cockroach" and the sucker was at least 3.5 inches long and 2 inches wide. That's right, at least as big as a business card, probably larger if you include the antennae.

All the Nyquil in the world was not going to help me sleep now. It crawled across the floor, across my foot, and halfway up the wall, when I ran for the vacuum...the only way I know of to destroy such creatures. Alas, when I returned, the bug had relocated, and I spent the rest of the night in sheer terror...the noise of my rattling windows had nothing on the imagined sound of bugs scurrying across my floor.

I may never go barefoot again...