‘Like a roller-coaster ride’: Singaporeans in Japan recount experience during 7.5-magnitude quake

SINGAPORE - As Mr Melvyn Xu was winding down for the night in his hotel room in the city of Hakodate in Hokkaido, his phone blared a loud alarm at around 11pm.

The 48-year-old property agent was shocked to see an alert warning that a major earthquake was imminent and that he should take shelter immediately.

Before he could react, his hotel room began shaking violently.

Speaking to The Straits Times on Dec 9, Mr Xu, who was on holiday with his wife and 12-year-old son, said: “We panicked and didn’t know what to do. We did not dare to run out of the room, so all three of us hid under a very narrow table.

“We waited for about a minute or so until the shaking stopped… I wondered if the building would collapse. It was like a roller-coaster ride.”

Just minutes after fearing for their lives, another loud alarm sounded from his phone – this time warning of a tsunami.

“My wife was holding my son tightly and making sure his head was under the table, as he is very tall,” said Mr Xu.

After the first tremor, aftershocks followed, and when these subsided, he tried calling the hotel front desk, but no one answered.

Mr Xu was among the Singaporeans affected by the powerful

7.5-magnitude earthquake

that shook north-eastern Japan late on Dec 8. Following the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning, with one wave hitting a port in the northern region of Aomori.

Hakodate, one of Hokkaido’s main cities, lies about 121km from Aomori and sits by the sea.

The earthquake and tsunami warnings prompted orders for about 90,000 residents to evacuate their homes, although the warnings were later downgraded to advisories.

Japan is the top destination for Singaporean travellers, according to Visa’s Global Travel Intentions Study released in early 2024.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organisation’s Singapore office, a

record-breaking 691,100 Singaporeans

visited Japan in 2024.

Hokkaido is a popular year-end destination, with many flocking to its ski resorts.

Ms Angie Thanong, 39, was in the toilet of a Sapporo convenience store when a siren went off at about 11pm.

The pre-school teacher checked her phone and, realising it was an earthquake, ran out of the store with her 12-year-old son and back to their hotel.

Many guests had started gathering in the lobby, Ms Thanong said, adding that the hotel’s hanging lights had started swaying.

“There were a lot of people running down the stairs. Some were barefoot, some came with no pants on, and some came in pyjamas. There were kids crying, but most people waited patiently in the lobby,” she said.

After about two hours, Ms Thanong was able to return to her hotel room. She quickly packed her luggage and charged her power bank and phones, before deciding to get some rest.

“We took a quick shower and then slept with proper clothes on, so that we could run out in them if needed,” she added. “We were expecting aftershocks, but thankfully we slept through the night.”

Another Singaporean, homemaker Lora Lim, had returned to her hotel in Sapporo after taking her son and daughter to the Alpen Snowland Bibai leisure centre on Dec 8 when she felt the earthquake.

The 40-year-old said she and her husband felt the hotel building shake, with the beds rocking and lamps swaying from side to side for two to five minutes.

Despite their fears, the couple tried to remain calm.

“My kids, aged six and eight, slept through the earthquake, and we’re glad that everyone’s okay. We didn’t react much because we didn’t want to startle them and cause any panic,” she said.

For Ms Norhaidah Johan, experiencing the powerful tremors left her “deeply shaken”.

“It was a terrifying experience, and I cried so many times,” she said.

“The hotel building was swaying,” added the 59-year-old, who was holidaying in Hakodate with her sister.

She recalled rushing down from their fourth-floor hotel room at about 10.30pm as the building shook, adding that she “could hardly walk”.

Netizens also took to a Facebook group for Singaporeans in Hokkaido to recount their experiences. Several said they had to evacuate their hotel rooms and gather in the lobby.

However, all the Singaporeans who spoke to ST said they would continue with their travel plans in Japan.

“Everything seems to be back to normal, and there are no aftershocks so far. There’s no damage to the buildings here, and transportation is running smoothly now,” said Mr Xu, who will be heading to Tokyo next on his 16-day trip.

Ms Norhaidah said she has since travelled to Sapporo by train as planned, though she noticed large crowds gathered at the Hakodate train station. She is scheduled to return to Singapore on Dec 12.

In a Facebook post on Dec 9, the Singapore Embassy in Tokyo urged Singaporeans to stay away from bodies of water, monitor the local conditions closely and contact the embassy for consular assistance.