Tsunami waves hit Japan's coasts after a series of powerful earthquakes.
The strongest earthquake measuring 7.6 struck Ishikawa prefecture in Honshu island.
Officials said there were 21 earthquakes greater than magnitude 4 during the day.
The ground was literally moving, and lived its own life.
High-rise parking lots miraculously withstood the shaking, and the cars jumped like toys.
The shaking was so strong that local rivers and streams splashed.
Many goods in stores fell to the floor and broke.
Local residents are well aware and trained how to behave correctly during strong earthquakes.
Before strong shocks, the birds behaved very strangely.
More than 36,000 households had lost power in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures.
The tsunami was recorded on the Noto Peninsula and tracked up the Seki River.
The wave reached all the way to Joetsu City.
Authorities say hazardous waves up to 5 metres were expected.
The tsunami caused strong waves in the canals of the cities.
The earthquake caused waves more than a meter high.
The series of earthquakes lasted for several hours.
In some temples, massive figures made of stones could not withstand shaking and falling.
Groceries fell off shelves and some glassware even broke.
The tremors triggered a huge fire in Wajima city, engulfing residential buildings.
There is no other way to save your property.
The roofs of the houses were destroyed and were collapsing
The earthquake destroyed more than ten thousand houses.
The asphalt was literally cracking, and the pillars were leaning sideways.
Many pedestrian roads and drainage canals were also damaged.
In shopping centers, pipelines burst and water flooded the premises.
The city's communications were severely damaged.
Train traffic was temporarily suspended and no incidents were reported.
More than 100 thousand people were evacuated.
Hundreds of kilometers of road surface were damaged.
Expressways were also damaged, with deep cracks appearing in the road surface.
Local authorities provided temporary shelters for more than ten thousand evacuees.
Local airlines returned planes and suspended new flights.
The cost of damage is still being calculated by authorities.
These earthquakes are among the strongest in the last three years that have been recorded in this region.
Japan has a very well developed earthquake and tsunami warning system.
And most of their high-rise buildings are technologically built for a systems-active region.
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture at about 16:10 local time.
The JMA reported that more than twenty earthquakes with a magnitude of at least 4 occurred in the region.