If you've just moved to Tokyo, the first time the floor sways can be genuinely frightening. The reassuring truth is that Japan has spent a century learning to live with earthquakes: buildings are engineered for them, warnings arrive seconds before the shaking, and the steps you need to know are few and simple. You don't need to be an expert — you just need a plan, a small bag, and a couple of apps on your phone.
What to do the moment a quake hits
The core idea taught across Japan is simple: protect your head and don't rush outside. Most injuries come from falling objects and broken glass, not from collapsing buildings.
- 1Indoors: drop down, get under a sturdy desk or table, and hold on. Keep away from windows, tall furniture, and anything that can topple. Protect your head with your arms or a cushion if there's no cover.
- 2Don't run outside while it's still shaking — falling glass and signage near buildings are a major hazard. Wait until the strong shaking stops.
- 3Once it calms, open a door or window to secure an exit (frames can jam), and turn off any gas burners or heaters you were using.
- 4Outdoors: move away from walls, vending machines, glass facades, and utility poles. Cover your head and head for an open space.
- 5Driving: don't brake hard. Slow gradually, pull to the left, and stop. If you leave the car, turn off the engine first, then leave the key in it and the doors unlocked so it can be moved for emergency vehicles.
- 6In an elevator: press the buttons for every floor and get off at the first one where the doors open. If you get trapped, don't try to force the doors — press the emergency intercom button and wait for help.
- 7After the shaking: check yourself and others for injuries. If you're near the coast or a river and the quake felt strong or lasted a long time, evacuate to higher ground or a designated tsunami-evacuation building right away — do not wait for an official warning and do not stop to check your phone. If you're not near the coast or a river, then check official information via an app or radio for tsunami or evacuation instructions before deciding to move.
The single most useful habit: install an alert app today. Japan's Earthquake Early Warning (緊急地震速報) and the national J-Alert system can give you a few seconds of notice before strong shaking — but only if your phone can receive and announce it. Japanese carrier phones get these by default; if you use a foreign phone or eSIM, an app like JNTO's free 'Safety tips' or the NHK WORLD-JAPAN app delivers the same alerts in English.
A basic go-bag (非常用持ち出し袋)
Keep a small bag near your door that you can grab in seconds. The Tokyo government's 'Bichiku Navi' tool builds a custom supply list from your household, but a sensible starter kit is:
- Water and non-perishable food for at least 3 days — and ideally more, since the Tokyo Metropolitan Government now recommends stockpiling for about one week (1週間) if you have the space at home.
- A phone power bank and charging cable — your phone is your lifeline for alerts and family contact.
- A flashlight, a portable radio, and spare batteries.
- Copies of your residence card / passport, some cash in small bills, and a written list of emergency contacts (don't rely only on your phone).
- Basic first aid, any regular medications, glasses, and toiletries; for families, add items for babies, elderly members, or pets.
- Warmth and comfort: a compact emergency blanket, gloves, a whistle, and a mask.
Evacuation areas: know yours before you need them
Japan distinguishes between two kinds of sites, and it's worth knowing both for your neighbourhood: a temporary 'evacuation area' (避難場所) — often a large park or open ground you flee to from immediate danger like fire — and an 'evacuation shelter' (避難所) — usually a local school or community hall where you can stay if your home becomes unlivable. Your ward or city assigns these by address, so look them up now rather than during an emergency. Search your ward's hazard map (ハザードマップ), or use the Tokyo disaster prevention site to find the ones nearest you.
- Find the evacuation area and shelter assigned to your home address, and learn the walking route — roads may be blocked.
- Agree a family meeting point and a contact plan, since phone networks get congested. Japan offers disaster message boards (e.g. NTT's 171) for leaving safety messages.
- Note that many neighbours and stations will not let you 'go home' immediately after a major quake — staying put where you're safe is often the official advice for the first hours.
Mistakes newcomers make
- Running outside the instant shaking starts — falling glass injures more people than collapse does. Cover and wait first.
- Relying only on a foreign phone with no alert app, so the early warning never reaches them. Install one before you need it.
- Keeping all emergency info only on the phone — store a paper copy of contacts and your address in your bag too.
- Trying to walk home across the city right after a big quake; trains stop and crowds surge. Knowing your local shelter is safer.
- Never finding their ward's hazard map, then guessing where to go under stress.
- Do I need a Japanese phone to get earthquake warnings?
- No. Japanese carrier phones receive J-Alert and Earthquake Early Warnings automatically, but anyone — including travellers and people on foreign SIMs — can get the same alerts in English by installing the free 'Safety tips' app (run under the Japan Tourism Agency) or the NHK WORLD-JAPAN app.
- How much should I stock at home?
- Aim for enough water and food for at least 3 days. In fact, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government now recommends stockpiling for about one week (1週間) where you have room to store it. Rather than guessing, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's free 'Bichiku Navi' tool builds a personalised list from a few questions about your household.
- Where exactly should I evacuate to?
- It depends on your address — wards assign each home a nearby evacuation area and shelter. Check your ward's hazard map or the official Tokyo disaster prevention site, and confirm the walking route, before an emergency happens.
