Sumimasen Guide
🌐 Language

Machine translations are made by Google Translate and may contain mistakes. Please check laws and prices (yen amounts) on the English page.

Home › Nationwide rules › Safety & health

Nationwide rule · Safety & health

What to Do in an Earthquake in Japan: A Visitor's Step-by-Step

A green tsunami evacuation route sign painted on the road
A tsunami evacuation route sign on the road in Kamakura (Kanagawa). The arrow shows the way to the evacuation site.Photo: DimiTalen, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Japan has a lot of earthquakes, and most of them are small. You might feel a gentle sway in your hotel room and notice that nobody around you seems worried. Still, it is worth knowing what to do in the rare case that the shaking is strong, especially if you are near the sea. The good news is that Japan has a nationwide early warning system, and the steps you need are short. This guide puts them in order, from a two-minute setup before your trip to what to do in the first seconds, near the coast, and afterwards. Everything here comes from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the Japan Tourism Agency and JNTO.

This page may contain affiliate links. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

  • A free app that sends earthquake and tsunami alerts in your language
  • What to do in the first seconds, wherever you are
  • Why you don't wait for a warning when you are near the sea
  • Where to get information and help afterwards

Before you go: two minutes of setup

When the alarm sounds or the ground starts shaking

An Earthquake Early Warning (Kinkyu Jishin Sokuho) is sent to TV, radio and phones as soon as a quake is detected. JMA explains that it can arrive a few seconds to a few tens of seconds before strong shaking, but close to the epicenter the shaking may arrive at the same time as the warning. Phones sound a loud alarm. When you hear it, don't look for more information first. Protect yourself where you are.

JMA's advice, place by place:

The first seconds, wherever you are What to do when an Earthquake Early Warning sounds or shaking starts In a room: protect your head, shelter under a table, don't rush outside, and don't worry about turning off the gas. In a store or public building: follow staff instructions and don't rush to the exit. Outdoors: watch for collapsing concrete-block walls, falling signs and broken glass, and take shelter in a sturdy building if one is close. On a train or bus: hold on tight to a strap or handrail. In an elevator: stop at the nearest floor and get off immediately. Driving: don't slow down suddenly, turn on hazard lights, slow down smoothly and pull over to the left. Near mountains or cliffs: watch for rockfalls and landslides. Hotel room or indoorsProtect your head, get under a table.Don't rush outside. Store, station, public buildingFollow the staff's instructions.Don't rush to the exit. OutdoorsAway from block walls, signs, glass.A sturdy building nearby is safer. Train or busHold a strap or handrail tightly. ElevatorStop at the nearest floorand get off immediately. DrivingNo sudden braking. Hazard lights on,slow down, pull over to the left. Near cliffs: watch for rockfalls.
From JMA's "Earthquake Early Warning: Dos & Don'ts" (checked October 2026).

JMA also notes that upper floors of a building can shake considerably more than the ground floor. If you are high up in a hotel, expect strong swaying, keep away from things that can fall, and stay where you are until it stops.

Near the sea: don't wait for the warning

This is the one part of the guide to remember even if you forget everything else. JMA's tsunami advice is simple: if you are in a coastal area and you feel strong shaking, or weak shaking that goes on for a long time, evacuate immediately to high ground or a tsunami evacuation building. Don't wait for an official warning, because a tsunami can arrive before warnings are issued if the quake is close to the coast.

For reference, JMA issues a Major Tsunami Warning when waves are expected to be higher than 3 meters, and a Tsunami Warning for waves of up to 3 meters. Both mean the same thing for you: leave coastal and river areas now. For beach safety in general, see our guide to swimming safely in Okinawa.

Near the coast when the ground shakes What to do near the coast after an earthquake The tsunami flag has a red and white checkered pattern. Step 1: you feel strong shaking, or long weak shaking, near the coast. Step 2: go to high ground or a tsunami evacuation building right away, on foot, without waiting for a warning. Step 3: stay there until the warnings are cleared, because waves come again and again. Tsunami flagRed and white checks.Seen it? Leave the beach now. 1. Shaking near the coastStrong, or weak but long-lasting. 2. Go up, on foot, right awayHigh ground or an evacuation building. 3. Stay until it's clearedWaves come again and again.
Based on JMA's tsunami guidance and tsunami flag page (checked October 2026).

After the shaking stops

  1. Check yourself and the people with you. If someone is hurt, call 119. Our guide to emergency numbers in Japan explains what to say.
  2. Follow staff instructions. In hotels, stations and stores, JMA's advice is to follow the staff and not rush to the exit.
  3. Get reliable information. Use the Safety tips app, or the Japan Visitor Hotline at 050-3816-2787. JNTO's Staying Safe in Japan page links to more resources.
  4. If mobile data stops working, look for the free Wi-Fi network "00000JAPAN". Under a scheme described by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, public Wi-Fi operators open it free of charge in a disaster. It has no password, so avoid entering passwords or card details while using it.
  5. Stay alert for more shaking. Large earthquakes can be followed by more strong ones. When the government issues a special advisory after a big quake, it asks people to stay ready to evacuate for about a week while continuing daily life.

What the numbers on the news mean

Japanese news reports earthquakes on JMA's seismic intensity scale (shindo), which describes how strongly the ground shook at each place, not the size of the quake itself. It runs from 0 to 7. At 3, most people indoors feel it. At 4, JMA says most people are startled. At "5 lower", many people feel the need to hold onto something, and dishes and items on shelves may fall. Two places in the same city can record different numbers.

Your two-minute checklist

  1. Install Safety tips and set your locations.
  2. Save 050-3816-2787 (Japan Visitor Hotline).
  3. Find the emergency stairs in your hotel.
  4. Alarm or shaking: protect your head first, then think.
  5. Near the sea and the ground shakes: go up, on foot, right away.

Knowing these few steps ahead of time means you won't have to work them out in a frightening moment.

Last reviewed: October 4, 2026. Please also follow instructions from local authorities and staff on the spot, and check the official pages below.

References

More nationwide: Safety & health

Photo credits

  1. A green tsunami evacuation route sign painted on the road. Photo: DimiTalen, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
  2. A white Japanese ambulance with red stripes. Photo: Crimage7777, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)
  3. A satellite image of a typhoon near Japan. Photo: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (title text added)

Card images combine these photos with the page title. Photos are used under their licenses (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); adapted images are shared under the same license as the original.