Okay, this one hit a LOT closer to home... We got a really good shaking at 22:31 local time March 15. The epicenter was about 1.5 hours to the East of us, in Fujinomiya City (Shizuoka Prefecture) Tokai region... It was a shallow (14km) quake that registered a 6+ (on the Japanese scale of intensity), and a 5 here in Kofu. Power lines are down over there, but everything seems to be up and running here.

Absolutely NO chance of me getting any sleep at this point with the chance of major aftershocks, so please excuse me as I sit here and ramble with a bourbon to help me relax as I sit here with many small-ish aftershocks coming one after another. It's getting to the point in the last few days that I just can't tell anymore whether I'm feeling an aftershock or if it's just ME shaking...

Good news 1: We're OK... The house seems to be as well. (Turned the gas off for the night and bled the lines to be sure though).

Good news 2: The nuclear power plant near us in Shizuoka Prefecture did not go into emergency shutdown and seems to be unaffected.

Good news 3: No possibility of tidal waves or tidal damage.

SO anyway... please keep Japan and the people here in your prayers and thoughts. People here are fairly calm, but it's clear that everyone is both physically and emotionally exhausted from everything. Aside from the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear emergencies, I've also been told that at least one volcano has erupted to the south. Seriously, folks. At this point, if Godzilla himself stepped out of Tokyo Bay, I wouldn't even be surprised.