On Friday, her husband Ashley told her an earthquake had struck near Sendai, the capital city of Miyagi prefecture.
"I just could not believe it."
The 41-year-old said she frantically tried to contact her parents, while "scary pictures" of the tsunami's power beamed from her television.
But after three terrifying hours, she heard they were safe.
The tsunami caused water to reach halfway to her parent's home - some 10km inland - which had shaken violently in the initial magnitude-9 quake.
While the rest of her family were safe, she held grave fears for some of the friends she had not been able to contact, particularly a former workmate who lived in a port town near Sendai.
"I cannot stop thinking of home."
Mrs Jowsey said she last visited Sendai three years ago and the couple's children, Kaila (10), Cody (9) and Casey (5) were looking forward to visiting their grandparents there in June.
"But all that damage, particularly to the airport ... we are now unsure."
Growing up in Sendai, she was accustomed to the occasional tremor, including a large one three decades ago.
"It may seem strange, but we Japanese are used to earthquakes."
