A Kiwi living in Tokyo has described the recent earthquakes as "unusual" compared to those normally felt in the city.
More than a dozen quakes were reported in the Japan Sea off the coast of Ishiwaka and nearby prefectures yesterday.
The largest was a magnitude 7.6. It collapsed buildings and started a fire on the west coast of Japan's main island, Honshu.
Several hundred visiting Kiwis have been reported safe thus far. (Source: 1News)
Cole Cameron is a Kiwi who has lived in Japan for 17 years. He told 1News the quakes were unlike those he's felt before – including the March 2011 Tokyo quake – for two reasons.
"[The quake] was one, a 'soft' side-to-side motion compared to the normal jolting up and down motion, and two, it went on for a minute."
Despite the scare causing Japan to issue its highest-level tsunami alert, Cameron said the sense of "carry-on calm" is resolute in Japan, "even in times of immense crisis".
"Japan has a history of major disasters and the nation is well prepared both in terms of building resilience in the population as well as emergency planning and resourcing.
"I see overnight disaster task forces from fire departments across Japan deploying, some with [eight or more] hour drives through the night to the disaster zone."
But with Japan's peak holiday season underway, Cameron said many people are displaced from Tokyo, and were in their hometowns when the quake hit.
Cole Cameron is a Kiwi who has lived in Japan for 17 years. He told 1News the quakes was unlike those felt before, including the March 2011 Tokyo quake for two reasons. (Source: 1News)
"Tokyo is kind of a ghost town until at least January 3 when people return. This makes the dynamic in the disaster impacted areas more severe in that there are likely tens of thousands of people in the area who are not local, are not familiar with local procedures, evacuations, etc.
"Houses also have more than the regular number of occupants living inside, so it could be complicated to determine the exact number of people missing, etc.
"Further, transport and highway links, including the bullet trains, have been impacted; therefore, it is going to be difficult when the tens of millions of people from many areas of Japan begin to return home."
Cameron has lived in Tokyo since 2006. He said the city is quiet, but bustling with tourists.
"I imagine it falls to tour and hotel operators to keep in the loop about what is going on."
SHARE ME