Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake (M6.7) — Sep 6, 2018
Iburi E, Hokkaido
Magnitude
M6.7
Recovery
14 days
Peak news
389art.
Struck at 3 AM while most residents were asleep. Japan's first total island-wide blackout: 2.95 million Hokkaido households lost power simultaneously. A massive landslide buried the Oyafuru district of Atsuma Town. New Chitose Airport closed entirely on the day of the quake.
41 dead (36 in landslide), 691 injured
-
03:08
M6.7 earthquake struck; Atsuma Town Intensity 7
-
03:25
Total blackout across Hokkaido began; 2.95 million households lost power
-
03:30
New Chitose Airport closed; all flights cancelled
-
06:00
JR Hokkaido suspended all lines; Hokkaido Shinkansen connection halted
-
9/7 10:00
New Chitose domestic flights resumed (~31 hours after quake)
-
9/7 13:00
JR Sapporo Station service resumed
-
9/8
99% of power restored (~2 days)
-
9/14
Most JR Hokkaido lines resumed
Airport
New Chitose Airport closed entirely on the day; ~3,000 stranded travellers inside. Domestic service resumed Sep 7 at 10:00; international Sep 7 afternoon.
Shinkansen / Rail
Hokkaido Shinkansen and Tohoku Shinkansen through-service suspended. Sapporo–Tokyo land route completely cut. Phased resumption from Sep 7 afternoon.
Accommodation
Sapporo hotels without power: elevators, lighting, and air conditioning unavailable. Travellers stranded in lobbies. Some hotels provided free shelter to displaced guests.
Other
Hokkaido traffic signals out — widespread road congestion. Convenience stores and supermarkets sold out rapidly. Foreign visitors struggled to get information due to language barriers. Typhoon Jebi had passed just days before, compounding difficulties.