Earthquake Survival Kit – What to pack in your ‘Go Bag’ to survive an Earthquake or Tsunami.

If you live in Japan or you’re coming here for a visit, you should know what to do in the event of an earthquake or tsunami. It’s a simple case of being prepared. If you’re ready, then it might not be as scary if a big earthquake happens near you. At least you can have the peace of mind that all you and your family need to survive is right at your fingertips in a portable bag.

Be sure to take a look at the Japanese Government Meteorological Agency here for lots of information.

So, What will you need?
Earthquake Survival Kit

  • Gas stove: obviously for cooking food.
  • Water, as much as you can fit! Regular water taps might not be working, and even if they are the earth shifting might move the pipes and let dirt and contaminants into the water. So you’ll need as much water as you can carry.
  • Food and snacks for a few days. We put in a lot of easy meal replacement foods like Calorie mate, and also a lot of easy to prepare things like ramen. We can boil water and eat this food easily without needing to bring many utensils (not pictured but we also put in a few pairs of chopsticks and a cutting knife).
  • First aid items – bandages, disinfectant and whatever else you think is important.
  • A small pot (not pictured but necessary if you’re going to use the gas stove you bought).
  • Vegetable juice – fresh veggies won’t be around for a while, so at least a bottle or two of vegetable juice with vitamin C to keep your immune system up.
  • Toothbrush, sanitary wipes and tissues – you don’t want to be wasting your water on washing your hands if water is limited.
  • Towels and blankets. If it is summer you won’t need the blanket but in winter for sure!
  • A few sets of spare clothes – enough for a few days but not so much as to take up much room in the bag.
  • Some clear plastic bags to carry things, clear up, keep stuff. Pretty useful.

You will also want an early warning system. If you live here and are on a Japanese cell network then your phone will have a hardwired system that rings and alerts you when the meteorological agency has detected an incoming earthquake.

I also use an app on Android called Yurekuru just in case, it sends a warning if an earthquake is about to happen within a certain distance of your phone. I’ve had times where my cell network one didn’t go off, but I’ve also had Yurekuru ring for quakes that I couldn’t feel. I think it’s worth it even if I sometimes get false positives, if only because the English translations on Yurekuru are funny.

Yurekuru is Funny

“Be quake?” is my favourite!

That’s all I put in my Earthquake survival kit, but please comment below and tell me if there is something super important that I missed!

 

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