The moment I experienced an Earthquake in Osaka

On Monday the 18th of June 2018, at 7: 58 am, Osaka was hit by an earthquake that hit 6.1 on the Richter scale, tragically killing three people and injuring hundreds of others.

The earthquake in Osaka, Japan, was the first time I had been involved in an earthquake or any significant natural disaster. While I felt safe throughout the whole experience, my memories of the occasion when the quake shook the earth are still fresh in my mind, and I can’t get over how organised the authorities were from the moment the earthquake in Osaka hit.

The city of Osaka.

The moment I experienced an Earthquake in Osaka – Japan

Sometimes the best-made plans don’t work out.

On the morning of the 18th, I left the hotel at a reasonable hour with a busy day ahead as I was heading out to Nara to visit some temples and deer. After a quick feed and coffee, I was out the door and off to the Kitahama subway station, eventually leading to the Kintetsu-Nara Line.

So far, so good.

Like any other morning in Osaka, I assume it was a routine morning for all commuters. The train had been packed with business people and students going about their everyday routine. Most eyes are fixated on their mobile phone screens and checking out the latest news or social media gossip for the day.

Halfway to Nara, with everyone minding their own business, all the mobile phones on the train gave out a loud alert, including mine. I had no idea what was going on because the message on the phone didn’t specifically mention it was an earthquake; in fact, it read:

“Emergency Alerts

Stay calm and seek shelter nearby.”

The emergency response text message.

Emergency! Take cover? WTF. Those were the thoughts racing through my head.

Was it terrorism? Were we under attack? Had there been a significant incident somewhere in the city? I was somewhat rattled by not having any understanding.

Fortunately, a high school student sitting next to me on the train had seen my puzzled look and good on her for reaching out. In broken English, she said, “earthquake.”

“Earthquake,” I repeated, and my jaw must have hit the floor because a few other people in my vicinity were laughing at my reaction to the earthquake. At least everyone on board was relaxed, a clear tale sign that things may not appear to be so bad, just another day for them, remembering that earthquakes in Japan are frequent.

It’s important to note that I never actually felt the earth move while sitting on the train. That would happen during the next 24-hours when I felt a few tremors with the aftershocks following the major quake, which got my heart racing also.

At the same time, the alarms were belting out over the phones. Announcements went over the speakers, but it was naturally all said in Japanese, so it didn’t help me get an idea of what was going on. At about the same time, I was getting my head around it. I could safely assume that the train had come to a complete halt, much like every train in Osaka.

We sat there for much longer than I anticipated, although time was going quick due to the mind being fixated on the morning’s events. I messaged my wife in Australia to tell her the circumstances, posted a message on Facebook and for the next hour, I checked the news on the [easyazon_link identifier=” B06Y14T5YW” locale=” US” tag=” fdt0c-20”]Samsung Galaxy[/easyazon_link]phone about the earthquake in Osaka.

commuters wait patiently on the train.

Finally, albeit slowly, the train began to move, taking us only as far as the next station, where we waited longer, with more announcements over the speakers and the local authorities walking back and forth on the train. Finally, we were let out of the train at the Ikoma Station, where we stayed for more hours. As the time began to crawl, boredom had indeed sunk in.

With no idea what was happening, I asked a different student, with my phone translator, “how long,” he answered it would be another 1-2 hours. I nodded my head. There was nothing I could do about it, I bought a terrible coffee from the vending machines, and I waited much like everyone else.

After about a four-hour wait, trains began to move; I decided to head back to the city instead of going out of Nara. I didn’t want to wander too far from the city at this stage, especially during uncertainty.

I took the train back to Osaka, but the sightseeing didn’t end there as I explored different parts of the city with everyone out and about in Osaka City with little fear of the earthquake that happened in the morning. While the experience stayed on my mind for the rest of the trip, I’ll never forget the moment I experienced my first earthquake in Osaka.

A long delay on the platform during the earthquake in Osaka.

A shout out to the emergency responses in Osaka

I need to applaud the emergency responses in Osaka, from the instant alert to the phones, to the authorities reacting quickly to assure everyone’s safety, the situation had been handled like clockwork, and I send a huge thank you to everyone involved.

As I said, I felt safe and out of harm’s way the whole time. However, it was a great comfort to know that the city of Osaka had organised structures in place in case of emergencies.