Category
Being prepared
Earthquakes, power cuts, heavy snow, fires, staying in touch and what to do in an emergency — practical steps for homes and small workplaces, checked against official sources.
Articles
17 articles
Being preparedWinter preparedness in Japan, 2026: what homes and small workplaces should check from November to FebruaryHouse fires, accidents in the bath, snow-clearing accidents, power and water cuts. The latest figures from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency and the Consumer Affairs Agency, a month-by-month plan from November to February, priorities for households, older relatives and small workplaces, and the first 30 minutes of a blackout, heavy snow, a water cut or an earthquake.Being preparedSaving electricity at home in winter: air-conditioner settings, filters, windows, kotatsu and standby powerThe quickest way to cut winter electricity use is to start with heating. Based on estimates from Japan's Agency for Natural Resources and Energy and the Government of Japan's public relations site: air-conditioner temperature and filter cleaning, windows and curtains, kotatsu and electric carpets, standby power and lighting, with the assumptions behind each figure.Being preparedPreparing for winter blackouts and heavy snow: heating, carbon monoxide, cars and phone batteriesIn winter blackouts and heavy snow, the biggest dangers are often carbon monoxide poisoning and getting stranded in snow, not just the cold. Based on guidance from Japan's transport ministry, Meteorological Agency, Consumer Affairs Agency and NITE: heating during a blackout, generators and snow-blocked exhausts, when to stay home, and making your phone battery last.Being preparedThe early hours of 8 November earthquake (up to shindo 5+): what to check now if you felt it stronglyAt around 1:04 a.m. on 8 November 2026, a magnitude 5.7 earthquake centred in western Shizuoka Prefecture produced shindo 5+ (5 upper) in Chita, Aichi Prefecture. Based on the Japan Meteorological Agency's reports: what to check over the next few days, from furniture, gas, electricity and glass to the house itself, plus reaching family and dealing with rumours.Being preparedNankai Trough Earthquake Extra Information: what "warning", "advisory" and "under investigation" mean, and what to doThe Nankai Trough Earthquake Extra Information tells you the chance of a megaquake is higher than usual. It is not a prediction. Based on official guidance: the four keywords, what to do at home and at work, the first issuance in August 2024, and how it differs from the Hokkaido/Sanriku advisory.Being preparedPreventing power bank fires: buying, charging, disposing and the airline rulesAccidents involving power banks and other lithium-ion battery products reported to Japan's NITE are rising. Based on guidance from NITE, the Consumer Affairs Agency, METI and the transport ministry: checking the PSE mark and recalls, charging and storage, what to do with a swollen battery, safe disposal, and the carry-on rules in force since April 2026.Being preparedWhen J-ALERT issues a ballistic missile warning: what to do outdoors, indoors and in a carJ-ALERT, Japan's nationwide instant warning system, sends urgent information from the national government all at once. What to do outdoors, indoors or in a car if a ballistic missile warning is issued, how it reaches your phone, how the messages progress and what to check in advance, based on Cabinet Secretariat and FDMA guidance.Being preparedHow many days of supplies at home and at work? Rolling stock and people with special needsJapan's Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries recommend at least 3 days of household supplies, and a week for large-scale disasters. Water amounts, the rolling-stock method, preparing for infants, older people and food allergies, and the 3-day workplace stockpile under Tokyo's ordinance.Being preparedChoosing and using home heaters: whole room or close to the body, ventilation and running costsHeaters are easier to choose once you split them into those that warm the whole room and those that warm the area around you. Based on guidance from Japan's Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, the government's public relations site and the Consumer Affairs Agency: what air conditioners, fan heaters, kotatsu and electric carpets do, when to ventilate, how to work out electricity costs, circulating warm air, and humidity.Being preparedTwo winter risks at home: bathing accidents and house fires, and how families can prepareWinter is when bathing accidents and house fires increase. Based on guidance from Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency, Fire and Disaster Management Agency and NITE: handling the temperature gap between rooms and the bathroom, bath temperature and time guidelines, testing smoke alarms and replacing them after 10 years, and heater and clothing-fire precautions for homes with older family members.Being preparedFixing furniture and seismic circuit breakers: cutting earthquake injuries and power-restoration fires at homeAccording to the Tokyo Fire Department, about 30-50% of people injured in recent earthquakes were hurt by furniture that toppled, fell or slid. Based on materials from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the Tokyo Fire Department and the economy ministry: choosing and combining fixings, arranging bedrooms, children's rooms and doorways, types of seismic breaker, and finding local subsidies.Being preparedEarthquake preparedness in Japan, 2026: before, during and after the shakingThe latest probabilities and damage estimates for the Nankai Trough and a Tokyo-area quake from Japan's earthquake research body and the Cabinet Office, how much furniture fixing, seismic breakers and retrofitting reduce the damage, what to do during and in the first hour after shaking, and how to spend the week after a special advisory.Being preparedGetting by in a power or water outage: bag cooking, toilets, carrying water and keeping warmWhen a power or water outage drags on, problems with meals, toilets, water and cold pile up. Based on guidance from Japan's farm ministry, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, NITE and the Consumer Affairs Agency: bag cooking and cutting washing-up, handling gas canisters, toilets without water, carrying water from supply points, and keeping warm with newspaper and cardboard.Being preparedOfficial sources to check in a disaster: hazard maps, Kikikuru, evacuation info and outagesIn a disaster in Japan, the information you can rely on comes from the national government, your municipality and the regional power grid company. How to use MLIT's Hazard Map Portal, JMA's Kikikuru maps and the new level-numbered warnings from May 2026, evacuation levels, outage pages, and what to register in advance.Being preparedChecking on family after a disaster: 171, web171 and the 00000JAPAN Wi-FiRight after a major disaster in Japan, calls struggle to get through. How the Disaster Emergency Message Dial (171), the web171 message board and the carriers' message boards differ, the monthly trial days, what to watch for on the free 00000JAPAN Wi-Fi, and what to agree on as a family.Being preparedChoosing emergency supplies that actually help: the grab bag, home supplies and the things people forgetEmergency supplies help most when you choose them from the situations your own household would struggle with, not by piling up quantity. Based on the Prime Minister's Office checklist and Tokyo Metropolitan Government guidance: grab bag versus home supplies, supplies by situation, commonly forgotten items, a twice-yearly review, what not to rely on, and extras for babies, older people and pets.Being preparedYour phone stayed silent in the earthquake alert drill. That is normal: settings to check for the real thingDuring Japan's nationwide Earthquake Early Warning drill on 5 November, the test alert was not sent to phones as an emergency alert message. Why your phone stayed silent, and what to check on phones and at work so the real alert reaches everyone: reception conditions, where the setting is, budget SIMs and workplace announcements.