The authors document strain changes up to similar to 10(-4) associated with two M>2 events 2.4 km deep at distances less than 100 m from a strainmeter. This corresponds to a 7 MPa stress change recorded only within the hypocentral area. This change was recorded with a sensitive, wide-dynamic-range, Ishii strainmeter. A 15-m hole was drilled subparallel to the fault strike, in order to continuously monitor slip-driving shear and normal strains with a sampling frequency of 25 Hz. Two M>2 events took place around the fault. For both events, relaxation in the maximum principal stress at a rate of 10 -6 /week was observed for several days prior to the main shock. In one of the two events, foreshocks were concentrated in the last several tens of seconds, accompanied by strain steps and logarithmic post-seismic deformation. However, no acceleration in deformation was observed, even with a resolution of 1110,000 of a coseismic step for each event.