An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 4.6 shook areas in and around Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Monday morning, according to the Meteorological Agency.
The quake, which struck around 10:18 a.m., measured 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Hitachi.
No tsunami warnings were issued.
An earthquake registering an intensity of 4 is strong enough to wake the majority of those who are asleep but should not inflict any structural damage on buildings, according to the agency.
The quake was also felt in Fukushima, Tochigi, Gunma, Saitama, and Chiba prefectures, as well as in Tokyo and elsewhere in Ibaraki.
Government seismologists traced the epicenter to about 60 km under the seabed in waters off Ibaraki.