A powerful earthquake off Miyazaki Prefecture that injured about 14 people also rattled travelers who were planning to return to their hometowns or elsewhere for the Bon holiday week.

Local governments in the targeted areas are hurriedly taking emergency measures as are many recreational facilities including beaches and festivals.

Following the earthquake, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued for the first time the Nankai Trough Earthquake Extra Information (Megathrust Earthquake Alert), urging people to be alert for a massive earthquake in the coming week.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi at a news conference on Aug. 9 urged the public to take precautions over the holiday period.

“While continuing with your daily socioeconomic activities, including travel and returning home for summer vacation, I ask that you reconfirm your earthquake preparedness, such as taking measures to prevent furniture from falling over, confirming safe evacuation sites and routes, and checking means of communication with family members,” Hayashi said.

INJURIES REPORTED

A total of 14 people were confirmed injured in Miyazaki, Kagoshima and Kumamoto prefectures by the morning of Aug. 9, following the earthquake centered in the Hyuganada Sea off Miyazaki Prefecture.

According to the prefectures, eight people were injured in Miyazaki Prefecture, four in Kagoshima Prefecture and two in Kumamoto Prefecture.

In Hyuga, Miyazaki Prefecture, one person was taken to the emergency room after falling and losing consciousness while evacuating.

NO SWIMMING

According to the JMA, a major earthquake in the Nankai Trough could cause a massive tsunami of more than 10 meters along a wide area of the Pacific coast from the Kanto region to the Kyushu region.

Naoshi Hirata, a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, chairs the JMA’s Nankai Trough earthquake assessment study group.

“In some places, the tsunami can hit as quickly as three minutes after the earthquake," he said at a news conference on Aug. 8. "You need to escape to higher ground immediately, but it is not good if you don’t know where to go. You need to confirm where to go and what route to take before the warning comes out.” 

As long as this is done properly, Hirata said, “I don’t think there will be any particular problem if you go swimming in the sea during your summer vacation.”

But several beaches around the country have already been shut down.

Aoshima Beach in Miyazaki city immediately decided to prohibit swimming.

An officer in charge of a local police station said that there had already been more than 50 inquiries if swimming is allowed.

“Safety is our top priority due to the continuing aftershocks,” he said.

Officials are currently debating what to do after Aug. 10.

Shirahama town in Wakayama Prefecture has closed four beaches. Officials explained that the closure was due to safety considerations.

Shirarahama Beach, which is famed for its 620-meter-long white sand beach and emerald waters, is typically packed with beachgoers in August.

But on Aug. 9, a sign was put up stating, “Closed.”

A 36-year-old company employee came to the beach with his family of five from Nagano Prefecture.

“It is a pity that we can’t swim,” he said. “We will play in the surf for a bit and then go to Adventure World,” he said, referring to a theme park in the town.

The city of Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, has banned swimming at Hiratsuka Beach Park until Aug. 15 for the safety of citizens.

Facilities in the area are open for business, but officials urge people to evacuate to higher ground if they feel a tremor.

NO FIREWORKS

This week happens to be packed with major summer festivals around the country.

The Nankishirahama Tourism Association in Wakayama Prefecture was scheduled to hold an annual fireworks festival on Aug. 10, where thousands of fireworks would be shot over the Shirarahama Beach.

But the organization has decided to cancel it. Staffers have been handling a number of inquiries from people who were planning to attend.

The Awa Odori dance festival, which kicks off in Tokushima city on Aug. 11, will proceed as scheduled, officials said.

The Yosakoi Festival, from Aug. 9 to 12 in Kochi, will also be held as scheduled.

In both cases, organizers said they would do everything possible to ensure safety and inform spectators of evacuation procedures in the event of an earthquake.

‘CAN’T SHAKE MY ANXIETY’

Some people are trying to cut their vacations short.

A 43-year-old woman was visiting her parents in Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture, with her two daughters from Yokohama when the quake struck on Aug. 8. The family was on the second floor of a commercial facility in the city at the time.

The shaking was so severe that it was difficult for them to stand, and cups in the store fell and broke. She desperately evacuated outside with her daughters clinging to her.

She said she was worried that “a tsunami might hit us because we were so close to the ocean.”

The family ran to a nearby hospital and spent the night in a shelter.

“I can’t shake my anxiety,” she said.

Although they had planned to stay until Aug. 13, she said, “I’m thinking of going back to Yokohama today.”

This is also a severe blow to the travel industry during its peak season.

At Marushinso, a ryokan inn in the Kitago Onsen hot springs resort in Nichinan, Miyazaki Prefecture, about 30 cancellations have been made just through internet reservations, mainly during the Bon holiday week period.

Last-minute cancellations can only be made by phone, and there has been a string of phone calls since the morning of Aug. 9, one staff member said.

Car rental shops at Miyazaki Airport have had dozens of reservations canceled since the quake occurred. Many of the customers were coming from out of town and cited the earthquake as the reason for cancelling.