Dear Fellow Over-Thinking & Nerdy, Organised Parents,
I totally understand why you’d want to know what to do if there is an earthquake while staying at a hotel with children in Japan. I need to know ALL the facts – so, I get it, so I want to share all I know with you (and what we would do if we were you in that exact scenerio.)
I’m one of those people who would like to imagine all scenarios anyway – but when my “what-if” scenarios include the well-being of my “babies?” That’s when I lock-in and all of my worries and desire for systems and preparation all culminate and I hit down hard on the “Right. This is what we are going to do” button in my brain.
If you include the one year in high school – I have lived in Japan for a total of 13+ years (most of my twenties actually and then as a parent.) I have lived with Japanese families, lived alone and with share mates, in my own apartment with my family and have worked in corporate offices and as part of major Japanese hotel brand. All of these places had their own emergency systems and procedures all set in one place – all ready to go in the instance of an earthquake. I’ve also attended many an earthquake safety workshop in both English and Japanese.
Before I begin though, I would like to reassure you for a moment.
During an earthquake there is NOWHERE I would rather be than Japan. NOWHERE.
Japan has buildings that are ready for tremors.
Japan has systems in place that WORK and keep the individual AND the group safe.
I was in Melbourne, Australia, during the lockdowns in 2020 or 2021 and we had a small tremor one day. For me, that was WAY more scary for me than any earthquake I had ever experienced in Japan. I thought “oh god. My house doesn’t know what to do with this movement….my neighbours also won’t know what to do…. no one has supplies prepped… even emergency workers wouldn’t know what to do with all of this if it gets worse.”
Remember, an earthquake that disrupts your life for more than a few minutes is uncommon in Japan. Tremors and shakes are not uncommon.
Probability-wise, you are most likely to be in your hotel room in Japan during a tremor of any kind. So I have decided to share what I know about what to do in the instance of an earthquake in Japan while you’re in your hotel. Most of the time a smaller sized earthquake in Japan will not even result in an evacuation at all – but it is good to follow the following steps until you know all is ok to return to normal.
This are the basic steps to follow (you are also welcome to have a read of My Family Earthquake Plan at any point, as well.)
WHAT TO DO IF THERE IS AN EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN AND YOU’RE IN YOUR HOTEL WITH KIDS:
1. Keep calm
Especially with little kids as they will be watching for your reaction. Keep in mind just how common this can be in Japan and how the buildings are ready for this and the hotel staff are trained accordingly.
2. Move everyone away from the windows
No need to run – but just shuffle ( or slide) kids to the middle the room. This is so everyone is fine if glass was to break/ smash.
3. Move everyone away from large pieces of furniture or big items that may fall
I’ve never stayed in a hotel in Japan that doesn’t have every big piece of large furniture (including tvs) bolted to the walls. It’s a safety requirement. Nevertheless, it’s a good idea to do a check and look for big heavy vases or suitcases that could easily fall.
In many other countries, people are advised to stand in door frames. This isn’t usually something Japanese people need to do as most Japanese buildings are designed with advanced engineering that allows them to sway and bend without collapsing. Therefore, the entire building offers special protection – so it’s not like the doorway offers more shelter than other parts of the building itself.
4. Remember that head protection is most important
If the shaking is continuing for a more than just a moment, you can hop under a table or a hotel desk if there is that option. But this isn’t a must so don’t stress if you don’t have one. The idea is to protect from any potential head injuries first. By already moving to the middle of the room and checking for things that could fall- you’ve done most of the work to ensure this anyway.
The real bonus (for me, as a parent) of a table is to be able to give kids a designated spot to “just be.” It gives them a little job and stops people running around and means that you know exactly where they are.
This is the same kind of thinking in place when there is an earthquake at Tokyo Disneyland. In the instance of an earthquake at Tokyo Disneyland, the staff members will get everyone in the park to sit down on the ground where they are (and they will often ask guests to just sit still and sit quietly and use their bags or clothing to cover their heads in the instance of any debris flying around.) This is mostly to keep everyone calm, in one spot and all contained for head counts and safety in general.
*On the head protection part – my kids had the cutest little walks for their emergency drills during Japanese preschool. Each teacher handed out these little cushioned helmet type hats for everyone to wear while they walked to the evacuation area. They were shiny and silver – easy to spot. But the cushioning was for extra protection.
5. Review the Emergency Route on the back of the hotel door
Don’t go anywhere but it’s a good idea to be familiar with the closest emergency exits. Ideally, we are all meant to do this when we first check-in but I must admit I don’t always look closely enough every time.
6. If the shaking is continuing for a little longer than a few seconds…
-Locate the emergency torch in the hotel room (it’s usually in the closet near the front door or near the desk) and get everyone to put their shoes on. This is another advantage of being in Japan – if you are living the Japanese way in your hotel room – your shoes are all lined up by the front door.
-I also recommend setting up the stroller for small children at this time too.
-Open the door to your room wide enough that you could walk out one by one. Use a door stopper or a suitcase type object to keep the door this far ajar. It’s highly unlikely that it would get to this but – this is so you are still able to leave the room if the building was to move or shift slightly.
7. Put your purse and passports near the front door in case you do need to evacuate.
Jackets are also good to have near the door if it’s cold outside. It is also a good idea to have some cash (I speak about the importance of having cash on you in Japan at all times anyway here) in case you did need to use a vending machine or a public phone.
8. Try not to use the hotel phone to contact the front desk unless someone is injured
This is common sense but, if you are calling the front desk to just ask “what’s happening” you could be preventing someone who is actually injured from being able to get the help they need.
Also, because of the language barrier and the way the emergency medical system works in Japan – it’s best to stay put with your family and hand over that task to a native Japanese speaker.
If you just wanted an update on what is going on though…..
You can also stay updated by watching tv – NHK has a QR code at the bottom corner of their screens leading up to a natural disaster that you can use for information in English.
In order to watch tv new information, in English, you can press this button on your remote control.
If you don’t have access to a television, you can listen to NHK No.2 (693kHz) or Inter FM (89.7 mHz) on the radio.
9. Follow the instructions of the hotel staff (even if you’re feeling impatient)
It is the hotel’s job to be your parent. They are responsible for keeping you safe. They know where the emergency supplies (food, water and medical) are. They have systems in place for counting guests, how to evacuate etc. Allow me to be a bossy Mum for a second – they don’t need you down at the reception desk telling them how you’re getting in a cab now to go here and there. This is just another reason why I always recommend hotels over airbnb style accommodation options for families in Japan – particularly if they don’t speak Japanese.
10. Your part is done! Next job – listen to what the hotel staff tell you to do next.
Feel free to dm me anytime to talk about collectivist vs individualistic cultures as I froth on this kind of stuff BUT Japan is definitely a collectivist culture. That means that Japanese people, as a whole, think of the well-being of the group over the individual.
Now I’m from Australia – which, in most cases, has an individualistic focused approach and so the basic idea is, when in an emergency situation, immediately seek out the how can I help ME and MY family immediately.
The reason that the system works in Japan during scenerios like earthquakes is because everyone follows the same rules and then everyone gets access to help as a collective.
For example: when there was the last mega quake in Japan and the power went out – hundreds and hundreds of people lined up beautifully for their turn to use a payphone. No pushing. No bartering. Just knowing that if they respect the time of the person in front of them then their turn will also get them what they need.
So the same goes for a hotel dividing up snacks and water for guests or for calmly walking everyone to the closest public evacuation area. Moving as a group is the best way to stay safe AND keep others safe too.
Want to be a hero? Don’t mess with the system and be heroic in other ways – offer to give someone else a jacket or hold someone’s bag or help granny get to the evacuation spot etc. Just follow the system.
PLEASE.
These systems work because everyone follows along with what they are told to do.
If you need to evacuate and one of your family members isn’t with you – stick a note on the front of your door before you go (this eliminates any reliance on technology). Avoid tricky English or long sentences so it can also be easily be understood by all. Eg. “Kids & I have evacuated to the closest evacuation spot. We are with the hotel staff.”
Things you can do ahead of time if you’re worried about earthquakes
-Make sure you have travel insurance (anytime you travel anywhere, of course)
-Download the The Safety Tips app. It will keep you in the know if there are any earthquakes or tsunami warnings during your stay.
– After evacuating and once you’re in a safe spot – you can also call the Japan Visitor Hotline (open 24 hours, every day) for medical emergencies or during a natural disaster. Ph: +81 (0)50-3816-2787
– Download the Yurekuru Call app. It’s free and will give an alarm as early as 30 seconds before an earthquake occurs – that precious 30 seconds can help me get to the kiddies etc. If you put this app on your phone make sure that you get the settings sorted, otherwise the alarm will sound for teeny, tiny wobbles – even for earthquakes in completely different parts of Japan. I set it for a 3 or 4 or higher (Shindo/Seismic Intensity). An alternative to Yurukuru is the NERV Disaster Prevention app.
–Find my Friends app. This is more of a me thing than a must do -but my husband and I each have this so we can see where each other are. That means that if the electricity or internet went down at least I can see “oh he was last recorded as is just 10 mins walk away – he will be back here soon.
Should I speak to kids ahead of time about the possibility of earthquakes in Japan?
I think it’s down to what you think your kids can handle. For example: one of my kids prefers to be prepared but the other would lose sleep thinking about the what-ifs. So I think it is up to you. Either way, I think you can say “If something like that happens just like if it was stormy weather or a medical emergency – I know what to do to look after you.”
