Konnichiwa!
So I got home from America last month and on the flight to Tokyo, the person
who sat next to me was actually going to study at a college in Japan.
And since it was his first time to go to Japan
he asked all kinds of things about Japan from how to behave to
dating Japanese girls. Anyway,
even though the flight really long, it was like 13 hours or so,
I didnít get bored at all thanks to him.
Thank you William.
So today I'd like to talk about one of the things he had the
most questions about.
This March 11th,
it'll be two years since the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami happened.
It was the biggest earthquake in Japan's history.
Actually, my parents and my sister were on a trip to Tokyo to that day.
They were in Tokyo Disney Sea at that time and we were supposed to meet at Hakone
which is relatively close to Tohoku area on the next day. When the earthquake
happened, my family didn't know just how horrible the earthquake was
so my dad called me and asked me whether he should cancel the hotel he booked at Hakone
or not. So I told him what the reporter said on the news and asked him to come home,
like ASAP.
But since there wasn't any serious damage where they were, he still wanted to go to
Hakone and enjoy the trip
because he hadn't gone on a trip with his family for a long time
and he even took some days off from work for this precious family trip.
So he was like,
"Um..."
"So... do you really think we should we go home now? :("
It was really sad to talk to him about giving up on the trip but I had to say,
"Dad"
"I understand how you feel but I really don't think it's time for enjoying a trip."
"The biggest earthquake in Japan's history just happened and a tsunami is sweeping away everything on tv and
something's going on in Fukushima."
"Father,"
"you have to come home, now!"
We did go to Hakone with Rachel later
and we had a great time.
It was kind of tough trip for her though.
So, I made a video about the scariest thing that can happen in Japan last year
as kind of a joke,
but THIS is actually the scariest thing that can happen to you in Japan.
Many of you probably haven't experienced earthquakes so I'll show you how a small earthquake is like.
Yup. It's like a plane landing on the ground.
If you think about it that way, it's not as scary as you think it is.
No matter how big the earthquake is, it lasts only a few minutes at the longest.
So be calm and don't rush for the exit.
The most important thing of all is to be calm.
Otherwise, if you panic,
it might not just be you getting hurt, but you might even hurt someone else.
I mean, I got hurt.
A relatively small earthquake happened when I went to a friend's place in
an apartment for foreign exchange students.
It happened right before I knocked on his door.
So I lowered myself and covered my head with my arms.
But before the earthquake stopped,
he slammed open the door and rushed for the elevator.
He was panicked and he stumbled over me.
I mean I got kicked my butt.
It was literally pain the ass.
Anyway, when an earthquake happens, be calm.
Don't go rush for the exit or elevator. Don't scream Moooom!
Just try to be calm.
By the way, Japan has been expecting a really large earthquake for a while.
So when the Tohoku earthquake happened, at first some people thought
the earthquake finally came.
But it was actually a completely different earthquake.
The Tohoku earthquake happened up here,
but the earthquake we're expecting will happen around here,
It's called the Tokai earthquake.
and it happens every 100-150 years in the Tokai area,
which is where I live.
The last one was in 1854, so experts have been saying for a while that
it could happen any day,
So every time trucks drive by and shake my house, Iím like,
"...is it?...no. Calm down Jun. It's just a truck. Don't worry."
"Oh crap! It's real!"
and grab my kitty and go outside to an evacuation area when small ones happen.
Wherever in Japan you go,
you can't really get away from earthquakes.
So when an earthquake happens, just try to be calm, don't panic,
and just think about how you're going to explain your first earthquake experience to your friends
on Facebook.
Thank you for watching.
But this...
is the scariest thing that can happen in my room, dammit.
You freaked me out!