I’m considering moving to Japan and I’m too anxious about earthquakes since it’s a pretty much normal thing in Japan. What’s your feelings about this? How often does it hit? Is that really something I should think about or it isn’t that scary and dangerous?
Please share your thoughts and experiences, I’d love to hear them
by kudenko_ra
29 comments
I sometimes wonder which is better for peace of mind: living in Japan, where earthquakes are common, or living in a country where gun crime and robberies are common?
I know that’s like comparing apples and oranges, though.
It’s not that bad. You’ll have to take part in lots of drills on what to do in the event of a big earthquake. But the very frequent ones are quite small. My partner was the same as you initially — very scared about them — but now after three years here even *they* just say “oh an earthquake,” and we get on with whatever we were doing.
Tiny ones might happen often (idk maybe every 3-8 weeks), bigger almost never. You deal with it by preparing an emergency bag, stashing some water/food, have your phone charged before going to bed and know the emergency place nearby (most likely a school). I even got a helmet 😂😏
When I was worried about moving to Japan my dad told me “you could have a brick fall on your head here too, might as well go to Japan” and thats true. Honestly, better not to think about it much.
You should be aware though that a bigger one might hit big parts of Japan within next 30 years, but Japan tries to prepare for that already. It shouldn’t be a reason for you to not come here though
Honestly most of the time you will sleep through them or not even notice them.
You should prepare though as you would for any disaster (fire, flood, etc)— have food and water supplies, backup batteries, etc. It’s more for peace of mind. Know what to do if one does occur, know how to safely evacuate, etc.
I grew up in an earthquake area in the US and feel much safer here. Japan does a better job of disaster preparation I feel.
I basically don’t worry about it. I have extensive personal experience as well as education about earthquakes and their hazards. We picked a part of Japan where earthquakes and tsunami are less common. Then bought our house on a piece of land with a nice bedrock base and sitting at 50m in elevation so we are likely as safe as we could be. Meanwhile there have been more earthquakes this week in the city we used to live in than we have experienced in 5 years in Japan.
I spent a year in Japan and felt 3 earthquakes. The 1st of January 2024 one, and two smaller ones that just barely knocked over a bottle from my desk and that woke me up at 6am wondering who was shaking me. FWIW I was in Nagoya, so right next to the Nankai trough. Never felt in danger from earthquakes.
Japan is one of the most seismically active countries in the world. You just have to be prepared by taking the recommended precautions and have emergency supplies on hand in case one happens. It can be extra challenging for foreigners considering the lack of English language communication from local authorities, especially outside of the metropolitan areas.
In japan is mandatory build an eartquake-proof building from the eighties: I’m not scared about that.
I did natural hazards risk management research in Tokyo to plan for a safer city. My tips: Look for an apartment complex build in the past 15 years, west of Shinjuku where you are on the rocky underground of the Yamanote. Avoid old areas with tiny roads and small wooden houses, Shitamachi. The risk of fires is too high. Large streets are fire breaks. Avoid buildings on sandy areas, anywhere between or near the rivers or any reclaimed land in the Tokyo Bay because the ground liquification risk is high. Commute by bicycle where possible, avoid trains and subways (not necessarily because it’s dangerous in itself but because you will have to walk a long way home when disaster strikes).
Plan ahead by knowing your way home without using a train, having some emergency food and water at home, plus the basics like a radio and first aid kit etc.
Also, visit an emergency drill center (bosai center) to experience a Shindo 7 earthquake and get some practice. All the best, I love earthquakes!
Download the NERV app. It has real-time data on location and strength of earthquakes within roughly 25 miles of where you are. It includes a really cool countdown timer that will let you know when and how intense the shaking where you’re standing will be. Often times, you’ll get 30-60 seconds advanced notice to take action.
Additionally, as someone who experienced the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, my advice is to make sure your household items are secured. My toaster oven fell off my refrigerator and made a huge mess. Luckily no broken glass anywhere.
Also, know your evacuation areas… usually parks or schools. Maybe a city gymnasium.
I live in Los Angeles. You’ll probably be jumpy at first, but you’ll find that the day just goes on after spending a few seconds going “earthquake?”
Have an emergency supply pack, don’t mount heavy objects on the wall above your bed and stay away from windows and you’ll be fine.
I have lived here since September 2024 and I have not felt one yet. The area I live in Saitama has strong ground which is probably a factor. Other factors also include the building you are in. When my family came to Japan, they stayed 3 stations away from me and said that an earthquake that shook their entire AirBnB, woke them up, and and they legit thought they were going to die. I was sound asleep on the fifth floor of my apartment and didn’t feel a thing. Another time we were at the top of Tokyo tower when one hit and my family asked me if I felt the swaying, but I literally did not feel a thing. I think there will be a time I will absolutely feel one, but 7 months in and I have yet to experience one.
We moved from earthquake California to earthquake Tokyo, so it is pretty familiar, lol.
Have you ever experienced an earthquake? I’ve known people in the U.S. that moved to the west coast & were taken off guard whenever they happened, it’s definitely a scary experience if you’re not used to them. I lived in California my entire life before moving to Japan, & the earthquakes here are about the same, but I feel they happen much more often than on the west coast. Most of them are so mild I won’t even get up. Depending on where you live near the fault lines geographically, you may need to take extra precautions (basically anywhere along the southeast coast will be stronger) or they’ll be more mild inland & the more north you go. Just don’t have too much tall & heavy furniture that could fall on you, no huge tvs w/ out being properly secured etc.
I’ve been in Japan fifteen years, and my scariest earthquake experience remains the relatively small one that hit when I was in the Philippines. The building did not sway or flex at all. It just strained and groaned.
I keep an emergency pack near the door at home, and we’re given them at work, but I haven’t needed to use them.
Best to live in a place built according to the newest earthquake regulations. Earthquakes happen everyday here. But they are mostly very small and unnoticeable. My household has 2 large emergency kits and our pantry is always stocked with ready-to-eat food and bottled water. I know the route to the nearest evacuation centre and I have shoes in my yard that I’ll quickly put on and run away if the home becomes inhabitable. I also have small emergency kits in all my bags. I do daily tarot readings for myself so I’m not too worried. If a big one is gonna hit and will affect me, I’ll likely know and take precautions.
I think you can’t move to Japan without accepting that you’ll face an existential threat. Personally I have a very chill attitude towards this because of how my negative life experiences shaped my outlook towards life. If I go, I go. Not much for me to be attached to in this world anyway.
don’t live near the sea and you will be ok. recent buildings will resist earthquakes but tsunami is much more deadly
A lot of buildings are earthquake proofed so you would be fine, however if you are really worried then don’t live near the coast as tsunamis are a bigger threat then the actual earthquake.
The first time I woke up to an earthquake at 5 am, I evacuated my house and was slightly miffed to see there was no one in the streets, not even my roommates.
The next time I stayed in bed and slept like a baby for another couple of hours.
You just get used to it.
If this is your only reason not to move to Japan, move to Japan! As others have said, try to find a newer building and maybe have a “go bag” by the door, but otherwise you can mostly put it out of your mind. If anything, it taught me to manage anxiety over things I can’t control or predict. For the most part, Japan has pretty good infrastructure to deal with earthquakes and in most cases you won’t even be sure there was one until you go online and see other people ask if there was an earthquake.
One nice thing about living in Japan, which has a lot of earthquakes? They’re really good at preparing for and dealing with earthquakes. Modern buildings are built with strict earthquake safety regulations, there are drills and plans. In my city, they even sent out maps to show liquefaction and tsunami danger zones so you could know if you were in one and plan accordingly. You might be able to find that info before you move into an area to help choose where to live.
Minor quakes happen regularly. After you’re there a while, they will probably feel like just something that can happen in daily life, not really noteworthy. If you’re unlucky enough to be in an area affected by a major quake, at least they have the infrastructure set up to deal with it.
Good luck! I know it can be a scary topic but I think there’s a lot of good advice here.
I usually slept through them or woke up and went back to sleep lol
You get used to it, most of the earthquakes are small and you only feel a slight rumble, it’s the same for people who live in San Francisco or LA. Things fall, just make sure you know to hide under a table when it happens and you’ll be fine. It’s also good to have an emergency bag with some snacks, bottled water and a first aid kit just in case you need it. The earthquakes become less scary the more frequent they are, you go about your day as usual, unless a big one hits and you live near the coast, then you will need to evacuate for tsunami if the sirens sound, indicating the wave is bigger than the wave barriers but that is rare. It’s all about being prepared! If you live somewhere a bit more inland it might give you more peace of mind. Like if you are interested in Tokyo area, maybe consider Saitama or Hachiojishi which are close by with easy and quick access to Tokyo but not so close to the coast.
You can’t deal with an earthquake beyond making specialized infrastructure, which Japan does. But ultimately it’s the kind of disaster that will kill you if it’s strong enough. I’ve experienced 5.5 magnitude earthquake on 33 floor, not a pleasant experience at all.
Dealing
I usually check the phone/computer to get more info on the quake. Then proceed with my day.
I’m Japanese, and I never recommend foreigners to live in Tokyo. Major earthquakes are expected to occur in the near future. If one strikes, fires could break out everywhere. People may get trapped in elevators or on trains, and widespread panic could follow, as there may be nowhere to escape.
My advice is to keep your belongings to a minimum so you can evacuate quickly to your home country in the event of a major earthquake.
Additionally, we have 54 nuclear power plants located along coastal areas. No one knows what might happen to them if another massive earthquake and tsunami hit again. Search the videos about the Fukushima nuclear accident, the Great Kanto Earthquake,The Noto Peninsula Earthquake and The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake on YouTube.
I’m not worried about it, and I was here in 2011.
Just rent a place in a newer building, keep some emergency supplies on hand, and go about your life as normal.
Had a few when I lived there. First was a bit scary as we don’t get them at all where I live. After that it was chill.