Articles

Disaster Preparedness Articles

Practical, plain-English tips for staying safe in Japan — from your first week as a newcomer to seasonal hazards, hazard maps, and emergency language help.

A foreign family preparing emergency supplies at home in Japan

Disaster Prep for New Arrivals: Your First-Week Checklist

Just moved to Japan? Get set up in an afternoon.

Planning a safe route on a Japanese hazard map

How to Read a Japanese Hazard Map

Understand the risks near you — even if you can't read Japanese.

People taking part in an earthquake drill

Earthquake Early Warning & J-Alert Explained

What the alerts mean and how to react in seconds.

A pantry stocked with rolling-stock emergency food

Rolling Stock: The Easy Way to Stockpile Food

Build a stockpile from the food you already eat.

People following an evacuation route

Caught Away from Home During an Earthquake

What to do at work, on the train, or on the street.

Water and supplies organized in a small space

Disaster Prep for a Small Japanese Apartment

Smart storage and no-damage furniture fixes for renters.

A pet emergency kit with carrier and food

Preparing Your Pet for a Disaster

Kit, carrier, and knowing which shelters accept pets.

A foreign resident getting language assistance

Foreign Residents

Multilingual Disaster Information

How to get emergency info in your own language.

Preparing windows before a typhoon

Typhoon Season: A Month-by-Month Guide

Prepare before landfall and stay safe through the storm.

Staying cool and safe indoors

Preventing Heatstroke in the Japanese Summer

Stay safe in the heat — especially during a blackout.

Using lanterns during an evening blackout

Winter Disaster Prep: Blackouts & Heater Safety

Stay warm safely when the power goes out.

Making an emergency call

How to Use the 171 Disaster Message Dial

Reach your family when phone lines are congested.

A community disaster drill

What a Japanese Evacuation Shelter Is Really Like

What to expect and what to bring to a hinanjo.

Securing furniture for earthquake safety

Earthquake-Proof Your Home: Securing Furniture

The cheapest, most effective prep you can do today.

Calling for emergency services

Emergency Japanese: Key Words & Phrases

The words that matter most when it counts.

A designated tsunami evacuation building on the coast

Tsunami Safety: Recognize, React, Evacuate

Read the signs and get to high ground fast.

A mountain village aware of landslide risk

Landslides: Warning Signs & Safe Evacuation

Spot the precursors and evacuate in time.

Crowds at a city station during transport disruption

Stranded in the City After an Earthquake

Why staying put is often safer than walking home.

Preparing supplies in a high-rise Tokyo apartment

Disaster Prep for High-Rise Apartments

Sway, stuck elevators, and in-home evacuation.

A seawall on the Japanese coast

Coastal Living: Surge, Waves & Tsunami

Stay safe by the sea in storms and quakes.

A rural farmhouse with stored emergency supplies

Disaster Prep in Rural Japan

When help — and supplies — are farther away.

An emergency kit packed in the trunk of a car

A Car Emergency Kit for Japan

What to pack and what to do while driving.

A snow-country home prepared for a winter power outage

Snow Country Survival

Heavy snow, blackouts, and heater safety.

An island ferry port where service can be disrupted by storms

Island Life: Ferries & Supplies

Keep a bigger buffer when the boats stop.

A suburban family walking their evacuation route together

Family Evacuation Planning

Routes, roles, and bringing everyone.