It was another bright and sunny day today, with pleasant weather and dry air. Japan is generally a country with high humidity throughout the year, so days like this—when the air feels dry—usually come only in autumn and spring. It’s often said that high humidity makes you feel more tired, so I really appreciate this kind of weather! 😅
Today, my town held its annual community-wide disaster drill. At 8 a.m., a siren and an announcement signaled the start of the drill, and various activities took place throughout the morning until around noon. The town is divided into smaller areas—about fifteen districts in total. Each district has an organization called a jichikai (neighborhood association), and people take part in the drill through their respective associations.Each jichikai is further divided into smaller groups called kumi, usually made up of about ten neighboring households. These groups help share local information and announcements. Each kumi has a leader, and the role rotates every two years. The gathering of these leaders forms the jichikai.
In my jichikai, we have a rule that when the siren sounds, each household should place a flag outside the entrance, like the one in the photo. This flag serves as a sign meaning, “Our household is safe!” in the event of a disaster. By the way, the word on the flag is “Kizuna,” which means “bond” or “connection.” Each neighborhood association is free to decide its own type of signal. Then, the group leader goes around to check the flags and reports the situation to the neighborhood association.After confirming that the situation is stable, those who are able gather at the neighborhood meeting hall—called the jichikaikan or kominkan—and then move together to the designated evacuation area decided by the town. These places are usually large, covered spaces such as school gymnasiums or public facilities. This drill also includes that part of the process.
In our neighborhood association, the evacuation site is the junior high school gymnasium (and sometimes the schoolyard as well). I didn’t participate in the evacuation part this time, but when I was the group leader in the past, I helped drive some of my neighbors there. At the evacuation site, we learn from the local fire department staff how to set up temporary cardboard shelters and how to use simple portable toilets.
Japan is a country where earthquakes occur frequently, so drills like this are held regularly. Especially after the Great East Japan Earthquake, people have become more aware of the dangers of tsunamis. In recent years, there has also been an increase in heavy rain disasters, so preparing for landslides has become equally important.Each town has a “hazard map” that shows areas more likely to be affected by such disasters. My town is located near both the sea and the mountains, so we must be prepared for both tsunami and landslide risks. Japan has many active faults throughout the country, and there are also many oceanic troughs offshore. These are major causes of frequent earthquakes. In particular, the risk of large earthquakes originating from these offshore troughs is increasing, which makes this kind of disaster training especially important. Households are also constantly encouraged to keep their own emergency supplies prepared. 🦺
