From the night of December 8th to the early morning of the 9th, three strong earthquakes occurred consecutively within 24 hours in the eastern sea area of Honshu, Japan. The main quake was of magnitude 7.5 with a focal depth of 50 kilometers, followed by aftershocks of magnitude 5.6 and 6.6. Chinese tourists in Aomori Prefecture described: "The whole building was shaking. I scrambled and crawled to the bathroom to hide. This is the biggest earthquake I've ever experienced in my life."