It's shaking

With Japan sitting on an area where several tectonic plates meet, earthquakes are to be expected on a regular basis.  Here in Hokkaido we don't get as many as some other parts of Japan, but once every few months we do hear the familiar noise of crockery rattling, see the light switches swinging and feel the swaying under our feet.  Yesterday evening there was a magnitude 6.8 earthquake off the coast of Hokkaido and northern Honshu followed by a 5.9, and then later in the evening a couple of 6.1's nearer Tokyo.  The 6.8 earthquake brought instant tsunami warnings and for 30 minutes or so these were repeated over and over on the main news channel with instructions to people living at the coast to move to higher ground.  In the end of the day only a very small wave reached the coast, but coming so soon after the 1st anniversary of the big earthquake and tsunami on 11th March, there was a eerie sense of deja vu.



The effects of yesterday's 6.8 earthquake



In a year we are due to move to Ichikawa near Tokyo, where recently the odds of another big earthquake in the near future have increased considerably, along with recent reports that Tokyo is not as well prepared as it should be.  In fact when we tell people that we are moving, this is usually one of the first comments they make.

Of course much of the beauty of Japan stems from the fact that it is a volcanic archipelago.  And we enjoy the benefits of a multitude of hot springs to relax in.  But the regular earthquakes are all a reminder that creation is groaning and that we too should be groaning as we wait eagerly for full adoption and redemption.  What a wonderful hope we have to share with the people around us.