Beyoncé Knowles and her sister Solange have been telling fans of their ordeal after being caught up in a Japanese earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale.

The pair were in the country on a fashion promotion at the Disneyland Hotel in Urayasu, Chiba province when nature let rip.

The chart-topper's younger sibling described the moment on her Twitter page, saying, 'My sister said she was scared out of her mind and calling my mom and I was snoring. How did I sleep through a SERIOUS earthquake?'

Singer and Dukes of Hazzard star Jessica Simpson was in Tokyo to film her new reality show 'The Price of Beauty' when the 6.6 quake hit.

‘Thought I was hallucinating,’ she wrote on Twitter. ‘I have never felt anything like this in my life.’ The 29-year-old was watching television in bed when the rumbling started.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said a strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 had shaken the Japanese capital of Tokyo and surrounding areas.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the quake which rattled furniture and walls.

It's thought it was centred in the Izu Islands some 200 miles southwest of the Japanese capital.

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, and experts believe Tokyo has a 90 percent chance of being hit by a major quake over the next 50 years.