Taiwanese were praised for their composure after a video filmed by Taiwanese tourists capturing the moment a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Japan’s Aomori Prefecture went viral on social media.
The video shows a hotel room shaking violently amid Monday’s quake, with objects falling to the ground.
Two Taiwanese began filming with their mobile phones, while two others held the sides of a TV to prevent it from falling.
Photo: Kazuki Kozaki, Kyodo News via AP
When the shaking stopped, the pair calmly took down the TV and laid it flat on a tatami mat, the video shows.
The video also captured the group talking about the safety of their companions bathing at a hot spring.
The video, which had been viewed more than 6 million times, generated discussion online in Japan.
One commenter said the tourists are clearly from Taiwan because they began filming when the earthquake started, adding that they did not appear to panic, because they are so used to earthquakes in Taiwan.
Another said they felt a sense of goodwill when the tourists gently laid the TV down.
Others said the tourists were so calm during the quake that they could protect themselves and the TV.
“Only our friends from Taiwan can calmly handle the situation. Those who are not from earthquake-prone areas would probably have panicked and fallen down the stairs under that level of shaking,” a person commented on X.
However, another commenter said that while it was noteworthy they protected the TV, their own personal safety should be top priority.
Taiwanese journalist Emmy Hu (胡采蘋) wrote on Facebook that the video showed exactly what Taiwanese would do under similar circumstances.
“Honestly, I would probably hold on to the TV as well if I were them. What if the screen fell and shattered all over the tatami? Just thinking about having to clean tiny glass shards out of the mat gives me the creeps,” Hu said.
“So, there you go. This is something I or any other Taiwanese would do, and if they were cooking hot pot when the earthquake hit, they would flee the scene with it as well,” she said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued an aftershock advisory for seven prefectures and 182 municipalities, stretching from Hokkaido to Chiba.
The Tourism Administration said it had not received any reports from travel agencies, major travel associations or the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan of tour groups being affected.
View on Threads
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS