The neon lights of Sapporo's famed Susukino entertainment district were still off Thursday night, the area's revelers replaced by people huddled in hotel lobby entrances or queuing for water and other bare essentials following the powerful earthquake that jolted the nation's northernmost island of Hokkaido earlier in the day.
Power outages wrought havoc across the city as people sought out food and transportation, including sharing taxis from remote airports to the metropolis, after the damaged New Chitose Airport — the main gateway to Hokkaido — was closed.
Travelers from various countries and other parts of the nation were supplied with blankets as they were sat with family or friends in dimly lit hotel lobbies, after the widespread blackout left hallways and rooms darkened.