To be worried about brother and his family moving to Tokyo

[Kimbomc]

I always remember one time at school in geography, Mrs Jones saying how tectonically active Tokyo was and one day the whole city will be distroyed by an earthquake and there won't just be the money to rebuild. She called it "the city waiting to die". Am I being irrational?

Honestly, yes. Japanese cities are engineered to withstand earthquakes and Tokyo more so than most.

I felt the same after BiL and family moved to California but 10 years later they're back, safe and well

Just tell them to live in an earthquake - proofed building.

I was living in Tokyo during a significant earthquake. Sitting in my apartment, noise was so horrific I thought it was break in with my front door being bashed down....then the shaking began and I worked out what was going on

All was fine. My DP was on the 13th floor of a skyscraper at the time and the whole building visibly swayed from side to side. Special construction methods mean the are like grass reeds in a blowing wind...scary but highly unlikely to snap.

Tell your brother to familiarise self with earthquake safety protocol...set rules his company will tell him about in relocation no doubt. Hide under table, barricade in door frames etc.

Tokyo is the most amazing and bizarre city on earth, they will have a fabulous time and I would go back in a flash.

Long-term Tokyo resident here.

Tell you brother to live in a modern, concrete and steel building with anti seismic design (if he is an expat, it is unlikely he would be offered anything else). And to read up on safety protocol, get a earthquake kit ready etc.

And then stop worrying about it. It's fine, honestly.

Will they be there long-term, or just a couple of years? (nosy)

If he's not worried , you shouldn't

The only buildings standing in Hiroshima were earthquake-proof concrete. Not that that saved the people inside from death by heat, flying glass, etc., but the structures stood up. Stop worrying.

I lived in Tokyo for 11 years. Earthquakes are a fact of life there, and all modern buildings are designed to withstand very strong earthquakes. If he lives somewhere modern, he will be fine.

When the massive (magnitude 9) earthquake hit Japan in 2011, very few people died because of building collapse - the real killer was the tsunami, but as he is unlikely to be living right by the sea, that is not such a worry in Tokyo.

Nephew lives in Tokyo, after the first one he doesn't bat an eyelid.

Thanks for all that, I know I was probably being irrational. I did worry when they moved to London with the air quality.

Its for 2+ years, hopefully they will be back but he just feels like he'd regret it if they turned down this opportunity. Renting out the London house so they could come back. Nice to hear good things about it, not sure I'd be able to manage the move there!

The big killers (and injure-ers) in earthquakes tend to be fires and falling furniture, not building collapse (well, unless you live in a grotty old building, that is). Most earthquakes happen at night, so your brother should think carefully about placing heavy furniture in bedrooms. I keep all our bookshelves in other rooms and make sure that bedrooms are free of anything that could go crashing into someone. Honestly though, it's fine. Modern anti-seismic buildings are very, very good (I know people who work in this field).

Oh no! He deffo shouldn't go.
He should pass on the job and I'll do it.
I'd love to live in Tokyo!

My Dad went travelling with his DP when he retired and spent three months in Tokyo after falling in love with the place. There was an earthquake while they were there and he said the hotel staff were the calmest, most organised people he'd ever seen in an emergency, and that the vast majority of the buildings were built to withstand huge amounts of movement. I was terrified on his behalf but he loved every second of his time there.

www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/quake_local_index.html

You can follow the earthquakes here. There are at least one or two a week.

My daughter spent a year near Tokyo and I watched all the time. She didn't feel most of the earthquakes. The worst one - they stopped the Tokyo underground for a few minutes as a precaution, and her shampoo bottle fell off the shower shelf.

There is mobile phone warning system for the larger ones.

I spent a week there, and would be back in a flash, given the chance. I love it, especially the way they queue up for the trains .

But what about when a mega 9 quake hits?

The buildings can take 6-7 without much damage but a 9 is 100 times more powerful right?

Tokyo 'has 70% chance of powerful earthquake within four years'
The Japanese capital's chances of a magnitude-7 quake within 30 years are 98%, according to Tokyo University
www.theguardian.com/world/2012/jan/23/tokyo-powerful-earthquake-four-years

I live on the Ring of Fire and we are always being told that we should design here, how the Japanese design. They are world leaders.

We are currently looking into getting our house seismically upgraded. Worth living here regardless for the great standard of living, low crime rate, great lifestyle and outdoors.

YABU.

My son, aged 14, wants to go to university in Tokyo, and I am not at all concerned for his welfare vis a vis earthquakes. The people there are very savvy and know what they are doing. I hope your relatives have a marvelous time!

My DW lived in Tokyo 3 months and visited many times. Tokyo and more generally Japan are among our top ten places in the world.

Earthquakes happen fairly regularly. People get used to them.

I would however be worried about the Fukushima nuclear plant in case of a further major earthquake or Tsunami in that area.

What or where on earth is a "Ring of fire?"

You worried about the air quality in London? Where do you live OP? You seem overly concerned!

Ihate, google the pacific ring of fire.

Is it Hawaii???

Interesting. Thanks