Got tell you that M9.0 quake on Friday was beyond scary! Until you are in the middle of one at the top of a high-rise building, you have nothing to compare it with.
The buildings were swinging at least a couple of meters in every direction. Watching the building out the window suddenly bend towards you makes you think “oh fuck!” But you know there’s virtually nothing you could do to escape. Fortunately, most of the buildings in Tokyo are designed to take upto a 7.0 direct hit. The only thing I could do was just hang on to something solid and ride out the waves.

Even now, as we continue to be hit by waves of aftershocks (many well over 5.0), the ground is still shaking. It feels like I'm on a cruise ship going through rough, choppy seas. I managed to hike from Downtown Tokyo to my home in Saitama. About 22km away! My home, being brand new, is fine. Fortunately, it appeared unscathed by the major quake. It's built to withstand these types of quakes. But to what magnitude, I have no idea... It survived the 7 ... So, one can assume that could be it's quake level rating...

I still can’t help but wonder: “Was that the Big one?”

Wikipedia