Japan residents on raised nuclear threat level

The latest big ones - at 7.1 and 6.6 - were big enough to cause their own aftershocks and set off a new series of quakes in quick succession.

A lack of transparency over what exactly is happening at the Fukushima is ruining my last vestiges of peace.

The very fact that they have put this accident on the same level as Chernobyl - even if it was a different kind of incident - adds to the stress level.

And I'd be lying if I said I had complete faith in what the authorities are telling us. We are given little pieces of information that we have to patch together ourselves.

My fiancee and I have only recently returned to this area. After the initial explosion we moved another 60km (37 miles) away from the plant.

People are trying to get back to normal here. The city hall is off-limits because of quake damage, but they have moved the board of education to an evacuation centre, complete with desks and computers.

There are no longer queues for petrol. More food shops are opening up. But the main department store is closed because of damage, and there are less people on the streets."