About Disaster Prevention in Tokyo -Disaster Preparedness- From a French, Mongolian and Vietnamese Perspective

I've never participated in a disaster prevention drill. There was one at the building (where my office is located), but it's held during working hours on a weekday.

I participated in a disaster prevention drill at a school (when I was a teacher in Kumamoto).

I have visited the Honjo Life Safety Learning Center before. I also went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's disaster prevention training. It was very good because we usually don't have a chance to learn about disaster prevention when we are raising our children.
Children learn about it (disaster prevention) at kindergarten and elementary school, so when there is an earthquake, they go under the table, etc.

I have heard about it, and in 2021, I attended a disaster prevention course for foreign residents at an organization called PBV (Peace Boat Disaster Relief).

I have heard about it as well, but wasn't able to attend because the time wasn't convenient for me.

I think disaster drills should be mandatory, because if you could do them at work or at your office, you have to attend. If it is done on weekends, I don't think there would be much interest. Experiences like today's are very fun. I think it should be like a theme park. For example, maybe they could make it on Monday mornings and do it during working hours.

That's a very good idea. If you live in Japan, I think you should participate in a proper disaster prevention drill at least once.

When I first came to Japan, I didn't understand Japanese, so I didn't really understand the words they used at the disaster prevention training. After participating in the experience here today, I found that there were some difficult kanji in Japanese and the lectures were long. The video had subtitles, but there were many difficult words. I think it would be difficult to understand for Vietnamese people who do not speak Japanese well.

I think it would be a good idea to include disaster prevention drills in school orientations for international students and in company orientations for those who have come for work. Another way would be to hold disaster drills at airports. This may not be necessary for tourists, but for those who stay in Japan for a long period of time, it would be better to have disaster prevention training.

Do you two have any earthquake resistant measures in your house? For example, putting a plastic film on the windows (to prevent them from breaking and shattering). I have studied disaster prevention and made various preparations.

I haven't put films (on the windows).

I live in a shared house, so I thought to myself, "Why should I spend so much money when it's not a place where I will be staying for a long time?" I don't buy anything to prepare for a disaster. I don't take precautions with things, but I do try not to put things on top of furniture.

I am like R?my, I don't take precautions with the things I buy, but I don't put things in high places, and I don't put mirrors on display. When I sleep, I try to stay away from glass windows.
By the way, I have seen my friend's disaster prevention supplies. I saw it when they bought an emergency kit bag for about 10,000 yen on the Internet.

In my house, we prepared one emergency bag for each family member. My older daughter studied it at school so she checks it carefully. I have a 15 year old child, and my older daughter prepared one for him as well. It includes bread, snacks, candy, etc. There are also various items such as band-aids in case of injuries. It is fun to hear them say, "This is for you, mom!" I am glad that I studied it.

That's 3 liters of water per person, per day. And then you need that for 3 days to a week's worth, so that is a lot.

We are a family of five, so the water alone is a huge amount. We haven't prepared that much.
I was taught about the "daily stockpile" method. You buy a little more of what you usually buy and keep it at home. Disaster preparedness food is expensive, so I think the "daily stockpile" method is good.

I've never heard of "daily stockpile" before, but that sounds like something I could do.

I don't have an emergency bag, but I keep important things in a small box. For example, my passport, a flash drive, etc. I also have a digital copy so that people know who I am. I used to put food in that box, but since it was something sweet, I ended up eating all of it. Now I keep my passport, my personal seal (hanko), and my business cards in there.

What precautions do you take during an earthquake or heavy rain? I try not to go outside and stay at home with my family.

I check to see if I can or cannot leave the house, and if I can or cannot open my room door or things like that. I also check to see if I have water, if I have my important box, and if my cell phone is charged. That's about all I pay attention to in those situations.

The only thing I pay attention to when there's a disaster is whether or not to contact my family.

I always go to work by bicycle, so I know the way.

It's nice that you can bike to work. It's hard to walk home when your home and office are so far away from one another.

If I can't bike, I will walk home, even though it will take longer.
I always think about making an emergency bag. Especially the day after a big earthquake, I think to myself, "I'll make one this week". Then, I go back to my daily life ...... and I haven't made it yet.

I'm moving to a new place soon, so I would like to prepare an emergency bag.

They said that within 30 years, there's a 70% chance of a big earthquake. Looks like it's time to start preparing.

Yes, I know. R?my, let's prepare the bag today! I'll do it too.

Emergency bags are also sold on the Internet, like the one that Hoa's friend bought. Let's say if you participate in an emergency drill and get an emergency bag for free, even if it's one that's not too expensive, you might be more likely to participate. Maybe it's not possible since it's an expensive item to buy, but it could be a good idea to make it fun. Everyone likes gifts. Some people will even come on a train with a gift of doughnuts, so maybe a doughnut would be a good gift for participating in a disaster drill.