2 days after the quake

From 8.8 to 9.0
This morning, it was reported that our earthquake had been upgraded to 9.0 from 8.8. The number of aftershocks occurring after this quake that measured above M5.0 had been the most frequent ever since 1923.

Based on the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), there is a high possibility of another aftershock that will hit Japan with a magnitude of 7.0 or above. The possibility of a M7 earthquake happening from 13-16th Mar is 70%, 16-19th March is 50%. My personal take is that this is like predicting whether it will rain next week or not, may not be 100% accurate but it's better to be prepared than caught unprepared.

Earthquakes with the same magnitude since 1900 are as follow:
1960: Chili (M9.5)
1964: Alaska (M9.2)
2004: Sumatra (M9.1)
1952: Kamchatka (M9.0) = 2011: Japan (M9.0)

Ref (Japanese): http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0313/TKY201103130145.html

Situation in Tokyo
Train service had mostly resumed but a lot of us are staying at home just in case and tuning into the news. There had been announcement every morning from Tokyo Electricity to advise us to use electricity wisely. The big earthquake had caused many of its power plant to shut down so if electricity consumption cannot be controlled, there would be planned power outages at certain times. I'd stopped using my heater and using only one light source at night to conserve electricity.
11pm update: TEPCO has announced rotational power outages. Tokyo 23 wards is spared for now, which includes my Shinjuku. However it is also mentioned that these are subjected to changes and the plan may carry throughout April.

Emergency Bag
I went to the supermarket yesterday to pack some food and most of the bread were gone. Big and cheap bottled water were sold out, leaving the small bottled ones. I'd also prepared my emergency "handbag" just in case another big one comes. The contents are:

1. Bottled water
2. Biscuits
3. Chocolate
4. Passport, ID
5. Money, bank stuff, etc.
6. Mask (in case of debris, radioactive... ...)
7. Handphone (not sure about the charger, hmm)

Circulation of Prank mail
There had been circulation of prank messages via twitter, facebook, mobile phone and emails that sounds like this:

千葉、首都圏の方々へ

千葉の製油所、製鉄所の火災の影響で千葉、首都圏では、
科学薬品の含まれた雨が降ることが予想されます。
傘やレインコートを使用し雨に当たらないようにしてください。

This is about an explosion that had happened to a Chiba chemical factory on Friday, so there was a lot of worry whether or not its toxic chemicals will contaminate the air and cause acid rain. It advises people to wear raincoat and carry an umbrella to cover the body since it might rain tomorrow. The fact is that there had been no chemical leakage at the factory. But of course, if there's rain, shelter your body and don't get sick. The more worrying thing is below:

Nuclear Radiation Concern
Although Tokyo is far from the 3 nuclear power plants (2 in Fukushima, 1 in Miyagi) that are having problems to cool down their nuclear reactors, we might still be exposed to radiation through contaminated air or intake of contaminated food should the facilities suffer a meltdown. My advise is be vigilant, stay tuned to latest news, and be prepared.

Here are some advises by an expert just in case the Fukushima containers do meltdown and release radioactive particles into the environment. Translated from Japanese blog: http://kenzo.enjyuku-blog.com/archives/2011_03_post_556.html

1) Refrain from going out.
If you must, wear a raincoat and 2 layers of mask. After returning home, throw away both the raincoat and masks so as not to introduce any radioactive particles back home. Shower immediately.

2) Stop air circulation with outside air.
Just in case, you might also wear a mask indoor.

3) Wash all food.

If possible, consume food that has been packaged before the accident, for example: canned food, frozen food, cup noodles and bottled drinks. If vegetables are available, wash well with clean water. Drink lots of water to purge any radioactive material from body.

4) Stay away from windows, be as inside the house as possible.

Steel and concrete structure is able to block a certain amount of exterior radiation, but light materials such as glass or wood is completely useless If possible, stay inside the part of your house where sunlight cannot reach.

I think #4 is hard for me because my dorm room is just 9 sqm. Luckily we're far from the nuclear plants so exterior radiation is minimal. Hopefully the nuclear plant problems will be resolved asap. There has been significantly less aftershocks today, but never know about tonight and tomorrow. For now, life goes on as usual in Tokyo.

中文版請點（更多）→

從8.8提高為9.0
我們的地震今早被升級為9.0的巨大地震。規模超過5.0的餘震頻繁發生，成為自1923年以來最多餘震的地震。

根據日本的氣象局，從今天到16日，將會有超過70%的可能性會有多一次超出7級的餘震。16～19日之間發生7級餘震的機率則是50%。我覺得這有如預測下個禮拜會不會下雨一樣，雖然不是完全準確，但是還是以防萬一做好準備比較好。

自1900，和這次巨大地震同位的如下：
1960: 智力(M9.5)
1964: 阿拉斯加 (M9.2)
2004: 蘇門答臘 (M9.1)
1952: 堪察加 (M9.0) = 2011: 日本 (M9.0)

參考新聞 (日語): http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0313/TKY201103130145.html

東京現狀
地鐵服務大多回覆正常，但是很多人還是繼續待在家裡留意新聞。每天早上都會有東京電力局的呼籲，叫我們節省用電。因為巨大地震造成許多發電廠都停止運作。假如電力消費仍無法被控制，將會有時間輪班停電。我已經停止使用暖氣和只開一個燈來節省用電了。

11pm更新：東京電力局剛發表5個組別區域輪流停電。幸好新宿沒出現在名單上。不過當局呼籲說這個計畫隨時會有更改，並延續到4月底。

緊急包包
昨天去超市存糧的時候發現很多麵包都被搶購一空了。又大又便宜的瓶裝水也被掃光，只剩下小瓶裝。我也準備了自己的緊急包包，以防萬一。內容如下：

1. 瓶裝礦泉水
2. 餅乾
3. 巧克力
4. 護照，身分證
5. 錢，銀行證件，等。
6. 口罩 (防灰塵，放射性物體... ...)
7. 手機 (不知道充電器要不要也塞在裡面)

網上的惡搞傳言
自星期五以來，在面書，twitter，手機，郵件都有傳類似這樣的警告：

千葉、首都圏の方々へ

千葉の製油所、製鉄所の火災の影響で千葉、首都圏では、
科学薬品の含まれた雨が降ることが予想されます。
傘やレインコートを使用し雨に当たらないようにしてください。

因為星期五在千葉的一所化學工場發生了火患，所以傳說有害物體會污染大氣，造成酸雨。因此這傳言就呼籲大家明天下雨的時候要穿好雨衣和撐傘，避免有害物質沾到皮膚。可是事實上，工場並沒有發生化學物體遺漏。不過下雨的話，當然要保重身體遮雨吧。其實更加擔心的是下面：

放射性有毒物質的關注
東京離3所發生冷卻問題的核能源發電廠很遠（2所在福島，1所在宮城）。但是假如裝核燃料的容器被溶毀的話，我們還是會有可能因為沾到空氣中的輻射性微粒或食用受污染的蔬菜而受到感染。 所以我還是建議隨時留意新聞，提高警惕做好準備。

萬一福島的冷卻措施失敗，有毒放射性物質被洩漏的話，這是一些我從日本網誌翻譯的建議：
（參考: http://kenzo.enjyuku-blog.com/archives/2011_03_post_556.html）

1) 避免外出
假如一定要外出，得穿一套雨衣和戴上2層口罩。回家後立刻把雨衣和口罩丟棄，以免把放射性物質也一起帶回家。立刻洗澡。

2) 停止空氣循環機
不要讓外面的空氣也進來屋內。以防萬一你也可以在室內戴口罩。

3) 把食物都洗乾淨

可以的話，食用意外發生之前的糧食，如罐頭食品，冷凍食品，杯面和瓶裝水。假如買到蔬菜的話，記得用乾淨的水洗乾淨。喝很多水來排除任何留在身體內的有害放射性物體。

4) 遠離窗戶，儘量待在屋子的深處

鋼鐵水泥是可以遮擋一定的輻射，但是輕量材料如玻璃和木頭是沒用的。盡可能在陽光照不到的屋內渡過。

我覺得 #4對我來說是最困難，因為我的宿舍房間只有9平方米。幸好我們離核能源發電廠很遠，所以外部輻射的危險性較低。希望核能源發電廠的問題儘早解決。今天的餘震明顯地比昨天少，但是不知道今晚和明天會怎麼樣。現在東京仍然運作正常。