Drills, Drills Drills
Japan is a country that has a lot of risk factors to living here. It has mountains which pose landslide risks. It is close to the warm oceans of the south which leads to typhoons. It's on the Pacific ring of fire which leads to earthquakes and volcanos. It invented the word tsunami so you know that's an obvious risk. Then there are the risks every place faces such as fire. Japan is a place that is at risk for a lot of things and it knows it.
They make sure you know it too.
I've experienced four typhoons since arriving in August. The first one is pretty spooky when you come from Canada. I've never experienced those howling winds before and they can really surprise you when they batter at your windows. A few big earthquakes have happened during my lifetime in Japan. In 2016 there was a magnitude 7 earthquake in Kumamoto. We all remember the large earthquake and tsunami in Fukushima back in 2011. They happen a lot. Perhaps too frequently for my family's liking.
What I've also learned in that time is that Japan is prepared and it is ready to help you prepare!
There are emergency kits you can buy everywhere. I have built my own and it includes food, water and other things. the only thing not inside of it is clothes because I'm wearing them.
Japan is also really into helping their schools prepare. So far I have gone through several drills at both of my schools, earthquake and fire. The earthquake drills are perhaps the most mind boggling. The moment the drill happens the students vanish. One moment you see them, the next they're on the ground underneath their desks. Japanese desks are built to fit a child underneath them and man these kids know how to hide themselves and fast!
Today at my elementary school we had a fire drill. It was quite different from anything I had experienced in Canada. In Canada when the fire alarm goes off you hear a loud piercing alarm. You get up, line up and leave the school in an orderly fashion. You walk down the stairs and to the field and continue to walk in a line. In Japan...things are slightly different. The schools on the main floor have a door to the outside so those classes exit directly out to the field. Most people in Japan carry a hand towel for drying their hands and now it's used to cover their mouth and nose. Once they're outside...they run. Quite literally. The kids pour out of the doors and sprint across the field to the other end and it is there that they gather and line up and do a head count. The older students come down the stairs in an orderly way but once outside they also run. Teachers run as well. It's quite the sight. The alarm inside the school also talks, giving a warning in words and not just an alarm.
It was rather surprising.
On top of that most cities in Japan have a speaker system. As I said before in my typhoon post it will often state messages about what's happening. Your phones also have a warning system. When the whole city has an earthquake drill every single phone starts chirping. The messages are bilingual and super important.
All in all, Japan really likes to practice for emergencies. It makes sense. It both makes living here better and also worse. Worse because it reminds you of the possibilities but better because you know that the government and public institutions take things seriously. They're ready and they want you to be too!
They make sure you know it too.
I've experienced four typhoons since arriving in August. The first one is pretty spooky when you come from Canada. I've never experienced those howling winds before and they can really surprise you when they batter at your windows. A few big earthquakes have happened during my lifetime in Japan. In 2016 there was a magnitude 7 earthquake in Kumamoto. We all remember the large earthquake and tsunami in Fukushima back in 2011. They happen a lot. Perhaps too frequently for my family's liking.
What I've also learned in that time is that Japan is prepared and it is ready to help you prepare!
There are emergency kits you can buy everywhere. I have built my own and it includes food, water and other things. the only thing not inside of it is clothes because I'm wearing them.
Today at my elementary school we had a fire drill. It was quite different from anything I had experienced in Canada. In Canada when the fire alarm goes off you hear a loud piercing alarm. You get up, line up and leave the school in an orderly fashion. You walk down the stairs and to the field and continue to walk in a line. In Japan...things are slightly different. The schools on the main floor have a door to the outside so those classes exit directly out to the field. Most people in Japan carry a hand towel for drying their hands and now it's used to cover their mouth and nose. Once they're outside...they run. Quite literally. The kids pour out of the doors and sprint across the field to the other end and it is there that they gather and line up and do a head count. The older students come down the stairs in an orderly way but once outside they also run. Teachers run as well. It's quite the sight. The alarm inside the school also talks, giving a warning in words and not just an alarm.
It was rather surprising.
On top of that most cities in Japan have a speaker system. As I said before in my typhoon post it will often state messages about what's happening. Your phones also have a warning system. When the whole city has an earthquake drill every single phone starts chirping. The messages are bilingual and super important.
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