My 3/11 Experience

I was sick with a cold on March 11th during the earthquake. I remember playing chess with my mother at home when the pieces started shaking. I came to the realization that this earthquake would be catastrophic when I heard and saw the entire house swaying with ease. It was the scariest visual and audial experience I've ever endured. My father was in Otemachi (the business district of Tokyo) where are all the skyscrapers are. He described their movement as that of a metronome. That night, we couldn't drink tap nor could we buy water from any store (because people had already bought and stockpiled all the remaining bottled water).