What happened
A LoyaltyLobby writer staying in Tokyo woke around 1 AM, then heard a hotel PA earthquake alarm at 2 AM as the building began to shake. Push alerts reached the writer's homes. A local friend reported items falling off apartment shelves.
Another automated hotel announcement about 20 minutes later said elevators were working again. The writer said earthquakes are common in Japan.
Points travellers overnighting in Tokyo can encounter those hotel earthquake protocols even when the stay is otherwise ordinary. Treat Japanese hotel quake alarms as standard safety procedure and wait for the elevator all-clear before moving between floors.
- Numbers
- 1 AM time: time the writer woke before the quake
- 2 AM time: hotel PA earthquake alarm
- 20 minutes: time until elevators were restored
- 7.8 magnitude: 2016 Ecuador earthquake recalled for comparison
- 40 casualties: reported toll of a late-July Kumamoto earthquake
- Where
- Tokyo
- Takeaway
- Nothing to book; treat Japanese hotel quake alarms as standard safety procedure and wait for the elevator all-clear before moving between floors.