Earthquakes and typhoons in Japan: what to prepare and what the alerts mean

When the ground shakes

1. 1Protect your head first. Get under a sturdy table, or crouch away from windows, shelves and anything that can fall. Hold on until the shaking stops.
2. 2Don't run outside during the shaking. Glass, signs and roof tiles fall into the street.
3. 3When it stops: turn off the stove if you can reach it safely, open a door (frames can twist and jam), put on shoes (broken glass).
4. 4Near the coast after a strong quake? Don't wait for an announcement. Go to high ground or the upper floors of a tall concrete building immediately.

Most buildings in Japan built since 1981, and especially since 2000, are designed for strong quakes. Inside a modern building, staying put and protected is usually safer than leaving.

What your phone's alarms mean

Install Safety tips, the government's free app for foreigners: it pushes these alerts in English and other languages and explains what to do.

Where to go

• 避難場所 (hinan basho) · evacuation area: open space for the immediate danger (parks, school grounds).
• 避難所 (hinanjo) · evacuation shelter: where you can stay if you can't go home (often a school gym).
• Find yours now: search your ward or city name plus 避難所, or look for the green signs near you. Many cities have hazard maps (ハザードマップ) showing flood and landslide risk for your street.
• Shelters are for everyone living in the area, including foreigners and visitors. You don't need to register first.

Reaching family when phones jam

• 171 is the disaster message dial: record a message under your phone number; family can call 171 and play it.
• Web 171 and the mobile carriers' disaster message boards (災害用伝言板) do the same online.
• Texts and messaging apps often get through when calls don't. Agree a plan with your household now: who messages whom, and where you meet.
• Tell family abroad where to look (your embassy's site and social media) so they don't panic when the news shows the worst footage.

Typhoons and heavy rain

• Typhoon season peaks August to October. Forecasts give you days of warning; use them.
• Before it hits: bring in anything from the balcony, charge everything, get water and food for a few days, check your hazard map for flood risk.
• Trains may stop for hours or the whole day (計画運休, planned suspension). Plan not to travel.
• If you're in a flood or landslide zone, evacuate early at alert level 3–4, before the rain is at its worst.

The kit worth having at home

• Water: about 3 litres per person per day, for at least three days.
• Food you can eat without cooking, for three days or more.
• Torch, power bank, a battery or hand-crank radio.
• Medicines, glasses, copies of your residence card and passport.
• Some cash in small notes (card machines and ATMs stop in power cuts).
• A portable toilet kit: water may be off even when you're safe at home.

Supermarkets and home centres sell ready-made emergency kits (防災セット, bōsai setto). Fixing tall furniture to the wall (家具の転倒防止) is the single cheapest thing that prevents injuries.