Hokkaido, a popular tourist destination, was hit by a wave of hotel cancellations from tourists in the capital city of Sapporo and other areas, as a powerful earthquake rocked the northernmost island Thursday morning, causing water pipes to burst and triggering a massive power outage.
Companies that have factories in the prefecture, including Toyota Motor Corp., have also scrambled to gather information and assess damage to facilities after the temblor, which had a preliminary magnitude of 6.7, struck southern Hokkaido at 3:08 a.m.
"The water supply has completely stopped and there's no power, so all of the systems are down and we can't process reservations," said Nobuyoshi Fujiwara, a front desk clerk at Sapporo Tokyu REI Hotel. "We are asking people checking in today to cancel their reservations, but for those who insist on staying we will provide rooms as long as they are available."