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I was recently asked (with a note of amusement) whether there had been any more earthquakes, typhoons or volcano disasters in Japan since I had last spoken to him . I replied that it was no laughing matter. Over the last week Japan has witnessed Typhoon Tokage which was the 10th typhoon of the typhoon season to hit Japan (forcing it`s way over the entirety of Japan) and the deadliest in over 25 years with 80 killed and 12 missing. On top of this, the Niigata prefecture in northern Japan had also suffered from an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale on Saturday night with two almost equally powerful aftershocks that evening and several others throughout Sunday and Monday. These earthquakes so far have killed 21 and injured 1,800 as well as forcing people to evacuate their homes and live in temporary shelters.

It`s been a weird year all over for weather and disasters. It was the longest and hottest summer that anyone can remember as well as having the most typhoons hit Japan. Time and time again you see graphics of typhoons being spawned around Indonesia and heading northwards to China and then being pushed east and plunge through the central areas of Japan. I always pictured typhoons as the visible twister in “The Wizard of Oz” but wikepedia defines them as a type of low-pressure system which generally forms in the tropics. These act just like bad weather with strong winds and heavy localised rainfall which cause flooding and widespread damage.

It constantly amazes me how dangerous Japan is or in other ways how safe England is. There are no typhoons, earthquakes or deadly snakes and spiders By walking out of my front door I am not exposed to a risk of contracting malaria or suffering from bear attacks

I, (being sick of mind,) previously wanted to be in a large earthquake just for the ability to say I survived an earthquake and to watch, “tall buildings wobble like jelly.” as a survivor recently testified, but now I’m not so sure. I wouldn`t wish that experience on anyone.