All shook up

Tokyo hit by strongest quake in 13 years, at least 27 injured
200500:23 Kyodo NewsEnglish(c) 2005 Kyodo News

Tokyo was struck by the strongest earthquake to rattle the capital in 13 years Saturday afternoon when a magnitude 6.0 temblor shook eastern Japan, injuring at least 27 people and prompting the prime minister's office and police to set up crisis management task forces.
The 4:35 p.m. quake measured upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Tokyo's Adachi Ward, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

It is the first time since February 1992 that the capital, excluding its tiny islands in the Pacific Ocean, has been hit by a temblor of that grade, which the agency defines as being strong enough to make unreinforced concrete-block walls collapse and most dishes in a cupboard fall.

Where was I? In the middle of my "girly day" receiving a pedicure in a stuffy 2nd floor room of a shaky Takeshita-dori building. With just 3 more toes to go, I felt some pretty big tremors. Fortunately the my beauty guru was not applying any polish at that exact moment, but in the front of the shop, a clock had fallen off the wall, and several bottles of nail polish fell from their shelves. I had my 3 toes finished and left in a hurry.... only to find that the subway was stopped. Luckily S was out and about on his scooter and able to pick me up and deliver me to a safer and less shaky location.