“I wrote this book in the hope that readers will be able to save their own lives as well as those of the ones they love when an earthquake next strikes, so that the tragedy of March 11, 2011, would never be repeated.” ―Satoko Oki What our chatty planet teaches us Would you be surprised to hear that there are scientists who listen to the Earth? Yes, the Earth does talk in many different voices?the voice of the air, the voice of the sea, the voice of volcanoes, and the voice of the Earth. Seismologists listen to the voice of the Earth. We use high performance seismometers that do not miss the slightest muttering by the Earth that human ears cannot hear. That way, we can learn about what causes earthquakes and even what it is like inside the planet. Earthquakes occur because it is hot inside the planet?because the Earth is dynamic. We cannot escape earthquakes as long as we live on the Earth. But from listening to the planet, seismologists have discovered what causes earthquakes and how we can live with them to protect our lives.

幼少期に絶対音感を身につけた著者。以来、身の回りには変わった事が起き続けている。街の音が「人の声」に聞こえ、「臭い」が音に置き換わり、夢の中で作曲ができる…。傍目にはヘンな出来事を、自らの目線で描く。 略歴:幼少期から音楽の英才教育を受け、絶対音感を身につける。作曲家を志し、国立音楽大学作曲学科に入学。学生時代には米国に渡り、著名ボイストレーナーのセス・リッグスに師事した。1992年、日本デビュー。「ロマンスの神様」が175万枚、ベストアルバム『The Best LOVE WINTERS』が240万枚など次々と大ヒットした。1999年、独自のメソッドを生かしたボイストレーニングとボーカルレッスンを行なう「広瀬香美音楽学校」を開校。作曲家、歌手の枠にとどまらず、後進の指導にも当たっている。