From Tokyo: PV Native Recounts His Earthquake Experiences

Tyler Kosaka moved to Tokyo just seven months ago from Palos Verdes Estates and experienced Friday's 8.9-magnitude earthquake firsthand.

The quake rattled Japan, triggering a ferocious tsunami that hit the country's eastern shore, leaving hundreds dead and death tolls expected to rise.

Kosaka, 23, a Palos Verdes High School alumnus, moved to Japan to work as an English teacher for a year. He's safe in Tokyo, which he said has not experienced too much damage compared to prefectures in the North.

A graduate of University of California, Irvine, Kosaka landed a job in Japan after his graduation in 2009. He works as an English teacher in Tokyo at public elementary schools and occasionally junior high schools. He also teaches English at Japanese businesses at night.

His family lives in Palos Verdes Estates where he will return at the end of the year.

Here are his accounts of what happened during the earthquake, the aftermath and what the city's atmosphere is like now:

At the time of the quake at 2:46 p.m. I was on the fourth floor of a department store in Ikebukuro, a main city in Tokyo. The building swayed and shook violently, but the build-up seemed gradual until it reached the max magnitude.

Some merchandise fell, and people rushed to get away from areas which were potentially dangerous. However, everyone was quite silent and I think we were all holding our breath. People were clutching display stands or any solid support. The main earthquake seemed to last for a long time, time seemed to almost stand still.

After, there were several aftershocks, and we were told to evacuate. Outside, in Ikebukuro, all the buildings were evacuated and people were in the middle of the street waiting, trying to contact people by cellphone or payphone, which was impossible.

The trains were all completely stopped so people were stranded. People were everywhere outside trying to find places to camp for a while. The supermarkets and convenience stores were being rushed with people a bit after, as people bought out all the supplies. I was a little hungry yesterday since it was difficult to find food.

Things are still a little hectic here as people try to find their way home this morning. I was lucky I could walk home. ... We are still experiencing many aftershocks here. I hope the rest of Japan stays safe.

There's not too much going on right now in Tokyo at least; we're just on edge with these constant aftershocks.

— Tyler Kosaka