And yet, where I have lived for the last few years in rural Australia had two major floods just before I arrived. The same place is on the edge of a large forest, but I have not even seen a forest fire in the distance. San Francisco had their major quake 6 months before I lived there as a young traveller. I have spent a couple of months in Oklahoma but no tornadoes to be seen, even in season.

I grew up in New Zealand, the “shaky isles”. Auckland is built on many small volcanoes. Earthquakes are regular. My Mum was in the Christchurch earthquake (during her first visit in like 30 years). My 22 years there, I never felt one.

Japan is shakier, and has more volcanoes than NZ. And typhoons, of which the season is just about over. And tsunamis of course, they came up with the word.

I want to experience an earthquake while in Japan, just enough to get a taste of it, to understand what it is like. Obviously I’m not wishing for one that could harm anyone. But I do want.