4 dead, more than 300 injured after M6.1 quake hits northern Osaka region

This one shook for some time and made me feel quite queasy.

I'm in northern Osaka and pretty strong shake here. Very frightening. Luckily only lasted a few seconds. Hope nothing stronger comes along. Take care, all.

May want to check around the town ot Takatsuki, which was very near the earthquake epicenter. Takatsuki is a major stop for JR West and Hankyu commuter trains and also a substantial bedroom community for Osaka itself.

zichi

Same here in Kitano had us up and out the door in 10 seconds, think my neighbors were more scared of a half dress gaijin than the quake, just glad everyone is safe.

For some reason the Shinkansen are also stopped all the way in Tokyo. I have been waiting for almost an hour for my Shinkansen to leave from Tokyo station.

Wow was on the Midosuji line near Esaka when the train jumped, everyone fell over. The motorbikes on the road flipped over too.

At home my fish tank (not small ) moved and lost a third of the water. TVs, PCs, closets, and everything on counters on the floor.

But my girl is safe. :)

I'm in Northern Osaka. My apartment is kind of trashed, but structurally intact. Power is on. All my refrigerator contents are on the floor. That was the biggest one I've felt in my time here, but then, this was basically the epicenter.

The strongest quake I've experienced. We don't have any gas but everything else is working.

Are ya guys alive

Trains still stopped.

Advice on Kansai News is don’t go to stations at this time.

Schools are cancelled.

It wasn’t that long a quake but fairly strong-my cats are under the kitchen table....

I was in Shin Osaka when it happened. If you weren’t awake before you are now. Haven’t aeen any damage but nearly all the buildings here are newer and some of the best built in the world. The only negative for me is being stranded since all the trains stopped.

Hopefully traveling difficulties and some small building damage is the worst thing that people experience from this.

An update: according to the US Geological Survey website, the earthquake (Richter scale 5.3) happened about 1 km south-southwest of the town of Takatsuki, and the epicenter depth below the ground was only around 15.4 km below ground level. We may see visible damage in Takatsuki and Ibaraki, another Osaka suburban community southwest of Takatsuki.

Another report from Kobe. We're in Nada-ku and it was certainly the strongest EQ I've felt in my 13 years in Japan. The family was having breakfast and for the first time ever we got under the table. Thankfully short-lived. Hope everyone is safe.

One positive is my university just called to say we're closed--no work today!

We're lucky. The gas has been shut off. But, electricity still on. A few things fallen off shelves. But, TV okay. Some of the video I'm seeing on NHK shows some big messes in peoples' homes.

Our house is steel frame, so maybe that kept things from shaking too much? The entire chome is steel frame houses built in the late '80's, which appear intact.

NHK is showing minimal damage to the Takatsuki/Ibaraki area, which is surprising for the epicenter of such a strong quake. A couple of fires under control, and a couple of water main breaks.

A burst pipe at the JR Takatsuki station is flooding the shopping plaza area. It's weird seeing my regular station on TV.

Voice calls not working on landline or mobile. But, thank goodness for Line!

Oh no. NHK reports a 9yo boy has died in Takatsuki. Dammit.

Details are sketchy. But, it was near or in a pool.

Take care comrades.

Was a short but powerful quake ( longer - even less intense - ones are imo worse). Good news is aftershocks appear to have ceased.

Another reason to declutter and opt for a more minimalist, open & functional home!

Didn't feel a thing here in Tokyo.

but the top government spokesman said there were no immediate signs of major damage.

schools closed, maybe a death, infrastructure broken, trains stopped with women in high heels walking along the tracks made of stones, Shinkansen stopped, posters saying their houses are a mess...what do they judge “major”? 10-20 million people can’t go to work? Also many foreigners are in Osaka and Kyoto right now, millions in fact. They must be so confused.

i live in Kansai but didn’t feel it as I was on the beach. My house is oK, it is a solid concrete structure.

I guess I don't have very good survival instincts. I was still in bed asleep. It woke me up for sure, and I just sat there jiggingling. I said to my wife, "boy this sure is a strong one" and went back to sleep (I have monday morning off). I agree, in a decade that was probably the strongest I ever felt. Wonder what it will take for me to actually get me out of bed (that being said I was on the 10th floor in a building during a much weaker quake and the entire building was swaying left and right. I made it to the 3rd floor by the time the building stopped swaying)

Reading through the comments, it's nice to know that among all our differences about politics etc, we're still more concerned that everyone is OK :-)

One of my friends in Takatsuki said it felt like the tectonic plate was about to burst through his floor. And he's not the kind to exaggerate. And one of the wife's relatives who lives in a tower complex there said it was a "bit of a wobble"...

Poor wee lass. RIP

Glad all my fellow readers here are all Okay! Be safe out there!

WTH was there a wall alongside that sidewalk next to the pool?

Ridiculous. Unnecessary. And, as was proven, extremely dangerous.

Poor child. Poor family.

Living a few stations north of Takatsuki

I was riding a bike on the way to work during the quake. At first I thought it was the rumble from the nearby highway, but it lasted quite long and the electric wires waved so much, and I could actually feel the earth pound from below.

80 year old man found dead. RIP.

Btw

If anyone is experiencing a lose of gas then it might be necessary to reset your gas supply from the main switch-this involves pressing a button and holding it for several seconds,releasing it and that should be your reset done

I am Ibaraki, luckily we have no damage just lots of stuff to pick up. The locks on the cupboards worked wonderful so no broken china. Family is safe so that is the main thing.

My group is heading to Osaka today but stuck in Tokyo because the Shinkansen is suspended. Was confusing for a while but NHK works and this site helped greatly. Take care everyone.

Garypen that wall has been there for a least twenty years. The swimming pool is next to the rail lines that run between Takatsuki and Osaka.

If anyone is experiencing a lose of gas then it might be necessary to reset your gas supply from the main switch-this involves pressing a button and holding it for several seconds,releasing it and that should be your reset done

Yes, we tried that.

We’re in northern Osaka. When it hit, my daughter jumped half naked outside, running for dear life. Both kids are scared. We’re prepared to run.

Turned off the tv because it just stresses them out. It is really sad that , after all, we’re on our own!

Used to live in Takatsuki, hope everyone there is ok.

@garypen it's probably the surrounding schools wall that fell down not a wall supporting the swimming pool My childrens school has its swimming pool close up to the wall actually the pool area itself is built into the wall that runs beside the main roads public pavement

Thoughts and prayers.

didnt even notice in Tokyo

Thanks Zichi, Educator (and all). Left my apartment after a bit of clean up. The books can stay on the floor for now. Surprised more didn't break, honestly, with the amount of stuff that got thrown around. Had to come and check my office -- walked the 4 km. Lots of people walking around, smiling and talking to each other... haven't seen people talk to each other this much in a while. Lots of ambulances, Osaka Gas cars, and police sirens, but don't know of any injuries in my immediate area. Anyway, going back home to clean up now that office is secure. Worried about aftershocks, but not a lot we can do. Definitely going to rethink how I've arranged furniture, but I don't think much could be done there, either. I think it was the Ikoma fault line, which runs through my town and the surrounding, including Takatsuki.

Anyway, stay safe, peeps.

Wow didn't realize so many JT people live in Osaka - stay safe all of you

Our Kumamoto hearts go out to those in Kansai who experienced this morning a 5.9 quake. In fact, the quake may be related to our Kumamoto quakes due to what is called the Ryoke Belt, also known as the Japan Median Tectonic Band. Japan is kinda split into two in an east/west direction, and activity on the fault in one section may result in increased tensions in another. Wikipedia has an informative article on it. Take care, though - our 6.5 was followed by a 7.2 36 hours later.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Median_Tectonic_Line

After 3.5 hours, there are still people trickling out of the Sannomiya-bound Hankyu train that stopped just east of my home. Down the ladder and making the long walk to the nearest fumikiri/exit. Guess many had hoped service would be restored to avoid being stranded. I have colleagues who commute from as far away as Kyoto and Shiga. Poor folks would probably prefer a normal workday to the odyssey they'll face getting home.

There was a biggie near Kanto a few hours earlier. I wonder whether they're linked.

I am worry about my relative. But Iit was good not to occur big wave.

Shallow epicenter? Epicenter is a point on the Earth's surface.

Please DO NOT run outside during an earthquake. Get to your front door, it should be steel frame, open it and stand within the frame, or get under the sturdy desk or table you have bought especially for these natural occurrences. Running outside into possible falling concrete, glass, steel, power lines, etc is a bad idea.

Be ready for aftershocks, or even the main event if this was a foreshock. Keep safe people!

The incident of the 9 year old girl just breaks my heart, walking to school and then that. No rhyme or reason just so goddam sad. I just imagine being her parent, sibling... Dear me.

@ those giving Don Thieme the -ves, he’s correct. It is the hypocenter or focus which is the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates. An epicentre is the point on the earth’s surface directly above that.

Be prepped for aftershocks!

As a survivor of the Kumamoto earthquakes, please be prepared for an even larger one in the coming days/weeks.

Death is tragic and someone so young dying is even more so.

Say safe everyone.

Stay safe, mates.

Why do they make kids wear a backpack that is so big?

I don’t know earthquakes at this morning before I read this news. I’m afraid of it. Recently, there are many earthquakes so I think we should prepare for damage.

Why do they make kids wear a backpack that is so big?

That's a good question. But, it's one for a different discussion elsewhere.

@ Nan Ferra

The children’s backpacks are very expensive (by American standards) and last the entire elementary school age (1-6 grades). The look huge in a 1st graders but by the time 6th grade arrives, they have ‘grown into them’, and look less large.

It amazes me how many structures are not actually earthquake safe. Two of those dead in this quake were killed by collapsing brick walls. I’m sure Japan is far overdue for a review of its building standards. Yeah, most of the neeer buildings are built with anti-earthquake structures. However, brick walls seem to claim a lot of lives in earthquakes. Condolences to the families of those killed.

Please DO NOT run outside during an earthquake. Get to your front door, it should be steel frame, open it and stand within the frame, or get under the sturdy desk or table you have bought especially for these natural occurrences. Running outside into possible falling concrete, glass, steel, power lines, etc is a bad idea.

It really depends on what is outside. As you no doubt noticed, school children are sent outside to sit in a group in the center of the schools' athletic fields. No danger of anything falling on them, including the school building itself.

It's very likely all train services in the Keihanshin (Kyoto/Nara/Osaka/Kobe) region will not start up until tomorrow (18 June 2018), given the fact the earthquake was 6.1 on the Richter scale and only 13 km below ground level. JR West, Hankyu, Keihan, Hanshin, Nankai, Osaka Subway and Kyoto Subway lines will have to be inspected for the rest of today.

but then, this was basically the epicenter. A buddy of mine was in the great Hanshin quake in 1995, he was on the 7th floor of an apartment building when it struck, he and his girlfriend were trying to escape the apartment, they were literally bouncing off the hallway walls trying to escape, very scary indeed.

@Gary Pen is that what you think? That teachers send the children running out of the buildings as the earthquake is occurring? Students get under desks with the teacher opening the classroom door, the students also have cushions to cover their heads with -- padded, fire retardant -- which they can actually wear like a bonnet. Once the major shock is over, THEN the children go outside. Certainly NOT during it.

Earthquakes scare the bejesus out of me.

Take care folks.

RIP to all that has been taken from us.

I'm not liking this updated story and the idea of mega quakes and the worst being yet to come. Checked out my apartment (inside and out) and there are a lot of cracks which I didn't initially see. Methinks I may go somewhere else tonight. And is it me, or are there small aftershocks going on? I think I definitely felt a few.

@Smith, do what you think is best, feel comfortable with, but know aftershocks will occur. Absolutely.

It is the largest seismic intensity the western Japan prefecture has registered since the agency started full-fledged observations in 1923.

Quite a big quake. Glad everyone posting here is ok! After 20 years here I am always reminded how our lives can change suddenly and unexpectedly by things out of our control, such as earthquakes. Such a sad story about the young girl and the older men that lost their lives.

@Smithinjapan - There have been quite a few aftershocks. Last one was mag. 3 at 12:52.....Not sure if you use it but I have this website as one of the favorites in my browser (Japan Meteorological Agency). They have some pretty good information.

https://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/

It looks like there have been 13 aftershocks mostly around mag. 3 since the quake.

Stay well all!

Yeah, I've felt a couple of aftershocks.

The wall from the picture looks like it was made from cheap blocks normally sold at home centers for ￥89 each. Fences are safer.

Stay safe everyone.

Stay safe everyone and look after others. RIP.

Very sad to hear. I hope nothing further.

I got stuck on the train in the tunnel from Shiga to Kyoto for over 3 hours. We evacuated the train and walked back out of the tunnel to Otsukyo. No phone signal so couldn't reach my wife or anyone for the whole time. I can't make it to work and it feels like they don't even give a hoot about anything that happened. They must think I have a doko demo door I can just plop down and magically appear to work. I just want this day to be over.

My heart jumped as the alert came through on my phone and I saw how intense and shallow the earthquake was :(

It felt like the breeze and vibration of a big truck going by my house before I realized it was a tremor. About a 2 where I live.

Please DO NOT run outside during an earthquake. Get to your front door, it should be steel frame, open it and stand within the frame, or get under the sturdy desk or table you have bought especially for these natural occurrences. Running outside into possible falling concrete, glass, steel, power lines, etc is a bad idea.

Wrong! Get out of the house! Over 90% of earthquake fatalities occur in the home. If you cannot get out of the house, do not get under a table or stand in a doorway! Tables are not built to handle excessive weight and if the roof comes down, so die the table. As for door frames, very few houses in Japan have metal structures and those that do are very flimsy ‘C-channel’ constructions. There offer no protection at all. Furthermore, how do you get a family of four in a doorway. If you cannot get out if the house, the safest place is laying on the floor besides a TV stand, sofa or a bed. If the roof does come down you will be safe in something called, the triangle of life. In the last big quake in LA when the highway came down, the LA fire department found 90% of survivors laying in this triangle next to beds, sofas or TV stands. Those who huddled under tables were all crushed when the roof came down.

Can’t go to work, no trains, but totally agree with @Zaito. If you live in Shiga, there is no alternative transport. If you live in Kyoto and work in Osaka, many bus changes and all full. Home by midnight?

people should wake up and demand an end to NPPs. Earthquakes and volcanoes are a reality.

so happy I have an emergency earthquake kit and a nuke bomb shelter.

Tables are not built to handle excessive weight and if the roof comes down, so die the table

There are actually earthquake resistant tables and school available. They should be standard in Japan.

I always stay inside during an earthquake. Do not want to be electrocuted by falling power lines that I must pass to get to the street. Get down 3 flights of stairs in an earthquake sure. My mansion sways with earthquakes and will stand trough all but the worse and most likely, There is not enough time to exit the building, clear the power lines and buildings. We had a little earthquake yesterday afternoon.

If you cannot get out if the house

...where you expose yourself to the dangers of falling glass, masonry, roof tiles, trees...

Assuming you don't fall and hurt yourself trying to run outside when the world is shaking up-and-down and side-to-side.

the safest place is laying on the floor besides a TV stand, sofa or a bed. If the roof does come down you will be safe in something called, the triangle of life.

http://www.earthquakesolutions.com/id44.html

the American Red Cross, the Southern California Earthquake Center, the Earthquake Country Alliance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Disaster Education Coalition, the California Office of Emergency Services, the Structural Engineers Association of California, Oregon Office of Homeland Security, King County (WA) Office of Emergency Management, Torrance Community Response Team, the Center for Disease Control, and many others say that the so-called 'triangle of life' is a dangerous myth.

@Zichi, perhaps clearly stating as to the reasons why you ran out of the structure you were in will prevent those not as knowledgeable from emulating you, as advice in numerous States/nations clearly details to 1. open exit door(s) and 2. stand/get under an earthquake resistant door way/table/desk and 3. NOT to run outside.

the safest place is laying on the floor besides a TV stand, sofa or a bed. If the roof does come down you will be safe in something called, the triangle of life

what utter rubbish. And very dangerous to say that. Please refrain from posting misleading information.

the triangle of life

Read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_of_Life

It's not actually suggested.

The Triangle of Life is a theory spread by viral email. The proponent of the theory ‘tested’ it by bulldozing structures with mannequins in them. Given the multiple forces from multiple directions in a quake, simply toppling a building over is not a valid test. Setting off small explosives under the floors would much more closely approximate what happens in a quake...glass shards flying, floors buckling, furniture moving. In the Hanshin Quake, the refrigerator in our office (standard size unit with freezer) flew 9 feet. Other equipment traveled through partitions. You can, of course, lie down next to anything you like but there’s no guarantee that what you lie next to won’t jump and crush you. You might look at the numbers of crush injuries in the ‘95 quake caused by being crushed by TVs. Big screen TV’s weigh 40, 50kg . Ditto for dressers and other pieces of furniture.

I wouldn’t take survival advice from anyone who claims to have crawled a mile and a half into the World Trade Center after 9/11 and come out with -

“I became deathly ill. More dead than alive. 47 simultaneous medical diseases and symptoms simultaneously. My IQ went from 164 to less than 70 ( They can’t measure an IQ any lower than 70.) I couldn’t speak; didn’t know my own name; didn’t know how to take a shower etc etc etc..”

and who says that insurance companies won’t adopt the triangle of life because drop and cover is cheaper (huh?) . He’s been debunked many times. He seems to be the amalgamation of all those “Navy Seals” you meet in bars:

https://www.abqjournal.com/terror/197538nm07-14-04.htm

If it's your wall that falls over and hurts or kills someone during a quake, are you liable for damages under Japanese Law ?

I present to you all my condolence to the families of the victims so the Japanese people.

From Algeria

For all those in the area, although we might have differences in opinion, hope all stay safe.

@Zichi, not in your first post when detailing your ‘actions’ you didn’t. Nice try.

zichiToday  08:36 am JST

That was very strong here in Kobe. We were still in bed but we fled to street because its impossible to know what is happening. Checked the area and neighbors and entered again. Strongest I have felt in my 16 years in Kansai.

Epicenter Osaka-fu Hokubu mag 5.9. Kansai airport flights stopped also the other airports. The Shinkansen stopped.

Stayed tuned to NHK on smartphone.

@Zichi, not in your first post when detailing your ‘actions’ you didn’t.

It's not like he was giving advice or something. He simply said what he did when the earthquake it. He wasn't telling others to do so (or to not for that matter).

The Point Zichi is:

Please DO NOT run outside during an earthquake.

That all depends on where you live. We live in a 100 year traditional wood house which withstood the great Kobe Earthquake but we are surrounded by the same kind of structures and outside are large open spaces so we are safer outside than in. Which we did.

You jumped all over someone with your rather unique circumstances to try and discredit the poster's advice with your ‘insights’. The poster’s advice was good, useful and pertinent, NOT to run outside during an earthquake, which you did, which isn’t on the whole, advised by government agencies around the world where seismic activity poses a threat to life. QED.

garypenToday 12:42 pm JST

Why do they make kids wear a backpack that is so big?

That's a good question. But, it's one for a different discussion elsewhere."

Wrong. The backpacks are a central feature of the photo in the main story and also raise questions on whether the small ones could escape should they be forced to try and escape with this oversized item weighing them down.

Dee WhisnantToday 12:44 pm JST

@ Nan Ferra

The children’s backpacks are very expensive (by American standards) and last the entire elementary school age (1-6 grades). The look huge in a 1st graders but by the time 6th grade arrives, they have ‘grown into them’, and look less large."

Be that as it may, you would think the Backpack lobbyists would appeal to politicians to mandate different backpack sizes for each age group in order to increase sales. It's kind of like the small one size fits all rubber sandals in toilets. A large sumo guy with giant fat feet has to share the same sandals as someone with tiny ones.

The comment section never fails; something as simple as a report on an earthquake turns into a fight over apples and oranges...

Yeah, it's a far cry from this comment at 10:16am:

Reading through the comments, it's nice to know that among all our differences about politics etc, we're still more concerned that everyone is OK :-)

This is the second big earthquake we’ve experienced since coming to the Kobe area. We live down the coast from Kobe. 1995 was a monster. This one didn’t knock anything over.

Doctor’s appointment at 9 a.m. Our elevator stopped. Heavy, heavy traffic on the Hanshin Expressway. Got to doctor after 12 noon. Doctor happy to see me. All the other patients cancelled. Wanted lunch at Daimaru. All the restaurants closed. Chose another good place. Return home took 55 minutes. Traffic to Osaka jammed bumper to bumper for kilometers.

Two people killed by falling cement walls. Something should have been done about those cement walls. Hoping something will be done.

One person killed by falling bookcases. Will get new bookcase that don’t fall down, if is such a thing.

it is very scary when ground moves up and down so much hard to stand. My heart goes out to all injured and to the families of the three we know so far that died. There may be more I will warn us.

It is a scary and tragic event of nature. I hope comments can be compassionate and kind. That is what is needed at this time.

my family all ok. glad any posting here from area are ok too.

Crris-san

During the Kobe earthquake a friend was out drinking, came home and left her bicycle in the stairwell of her three-story apartment building. She woke up to go to work, only to discover that it was now only two stories, but her bike was still there. The ground floor had collapsed completely.

I remember reading about patients in a hospital in Sannomiya who survived the concrete ceilings' collapse because they were all lying in metal-framed beds with high bedsteads.

Condolences to the deceased families, for their loss.

You jumped all over someone with your rather unique circumstances to try and discredit the poster's advice with your ‘insights’.

His post wasn't aggressive, so you can't really call it 'jumping all over someone'. He pointed out, rightly so, that it's not a one size fits all situation.

RIP to the victims.

It might be an idea for a JT article about what to do in an earthquake. Dispell those myths.

Save some lives.

Just had a powerful aftershock at circa 4.55am - not much one can do.......

I was in New York City, actually Brooklyn, on August 23, 2011, when I felt the earth quake of Virginia. While it was 5.8 there, it was very minor where I was. Going to elementary school in Japan, I knew enough to get a next my desk. Very very few people In the USA are trained what to do in earthquake. I pray for all those affected.

Typo-under my desk

Stay safe everyone! Don't forget to stock food and medicines, in case of the aftershocks.