I think living in Japan, we are acutely aware that natural disasters can hit us anytime, and that things like earthquakes are part and parcel of the experience life here. We hear about how having an emergency kit is important, of course, but how many of us are really prepared?
I mean, it was always at the back of my head, and I would be reminded of the need for it every time there was news of a terrible earthquake, tsunami threat or typhoon on a direct path to the city I was in. But those “I really need to put something together” thoughts would be forgotten just as quickly as they came.
But with the frequency of earthquakes, tsunami warnings, landslides etc that have been on the news these few years, I finally decided to seriously look into it.
What does an emergency list contain
Each list differs ever so slightly, but the following are items that are pretty much on every list I have seen.
- Water
- Food
- Rain coat
- Light
- Whistle
- Portable/Disposable toilet
- Blanket
- Radio
- Important documents
- Money
- First aid kit
There are some lists that are much longer, and they include things like Portable gas stoves, Face wash, Duct tape, Utensils, Emergency toilets etc.
But the more stuff you have, the heavier the bag would be, and honestly, I wonder if having a backpack that heavy would be a good idea in the first place… I guess it would make sense if you were evacuating by car though.
Where to buy an emergency kit
There are two main ways to do this in Japan. One, order yourself a ready-made kit online, or buy the emergency supplies individually and put the backpack together yourself – basically make a customized kit.
Personally I feel like customizing it might make a bit more sense for some people, but if you don’t really have the time or energy, a ready-made one is a good place to start.
Buying items individually
If you prefer being able to control exactly what gets put into the bag, this is the way to go. A lot of these items can be bought at Home centres, and stores like Loft and Tokyu Hands, to name a few.
How much of food / water should we prepare
As a general rule of thumb, about 3 days worth, seems to be what most sites and lists recommended, but that will of course affect the size of the bag and how heavy it is.
There is also bottled water specially made for emergency kits, and those can last up to 7 years!
What type of bag to get
A water-proof or water repellent one seems to be the best choice, but of course it would need to be big and light enough if you are carrying a lot of stuff.
The black one in the picture even floats!
What food should we keep in the bag
The obvious choice is food that can be kept for a number of years without needing to be replaced. So canned food and biscuits are common choices.
BUT, if you get your food items from a place or section of the store that stocks emergency kit items, you will also find packets of rice, soups curry etc that either have a very long shelf life, or can be rehydrated, and have a long shelf life.
Buying ready made kits Online
Buying these kits online is probably the easiest way to have something ready, and if you would just rather avoid the hassle of looking for individual items, try searching for these Kits or Sets online using these keywords “防災セット”.
Where to store the emergency kit
The most common answer is near the exit. So you can literally just grab it and go should something happen.
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