This picture, taken by Professor Helen Hardacre, shows an empty instant noodle aisle in large supermarket in Zushi, Kanagawa Prefecture.  Instant noodles are considered good supplies in Japan in the event of a natural disaster.  As an activity, you could have your students find the distance from Zushi to the epicenter of the earthquake to consider the influence of the quake on people, including there concerns and fears, even far from the epicenter.

Photo courtesy of Helen Hardacre.

Additional Resources

Podcasts
Chip Cameron on the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

Economic Impact of Earthquake Podcast with Edward Lincoln

Written Interviews
Q & A with Yasushi Aoyama, professor at Meiji University on Next steps following Japan's Earthquake and Tsunami

Further teaching ideas and links to resources
Online Resources for Teaching Natural Disasters

Natural Disasters, a list of resources on About Japan related to previous natural disasters in Japan