Huge earthquake in Japan. One view from Tokyo.

This is the largest earthquake I've experienced in more than 20 years. Fortunately, Tokyo seems to have emerged in good shape, but the news from the North is tragic. Here are some shots I took in Tokyo a couple of hours after the big quake.

All JR train stations were closed after the quake.

As people waited for the JR station to reopen  (which didn't happen today), they watched the news as details of the disaster unfolded.

 

At another station entrance.

It was soon evident that this was an extraordinary event.

 More after the jump:

 

Some cell phone providers were down, so people waited to use pay phones. One report said phone calls were free.

As the trains were down, people turned to the buses.

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Yet the bus lines were huge.

And the buses themselves were very crowded.

On top of that, traffic was heavy.

So we joined the crowds and started walking. It took us about 2 hours to get home.

A fire truck in action.

As we approached our place, long lines still formed at bus stations. I've never seen so many people walking along the street or waiting for buses.

The building seems to be in good shape, but many toys took a dive.