I know anywhere in japan is actually NOT safe at all from natural disaster but it makes me thinking is there any town that hasnt have any natural disaster for quite a long time or a safe place in the countryside that never have a worse natural disaster such as earthquakes or tsunamis? whether is because of its geographically or other advance improvements that were made to prevent this and so far that i heard Tokyo is currently the safest from natural disaster thanks to the technology advancement but is there any other places or perhaps safer?Thanks
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We occasionally get questions here about disasters and like yourself, they come across as people experiencing some kind of anxiety about future events they can’t control. So I’ll answer your questions in a way that I think is helpful instead of scolding you for using this sub as a kind of therapy.
Disasters are inevitable, anywhere in the world, and with climate change they’ll become more frequent. Your survivability depends on two factors: where you are at the moment it occurs and your preparation level.
You can live in the most high tech quake proof apartment in Tokyo but if you’re enjoying gyoza tabehodai in some rickety shit shack when the big one hits there’s a good chance it collapses on you. If that’s the case it’s just fate and nothing could have prepared you for it.
If you are at home in your modern apartment and the big one hits, if you don’t have at least some drinking water stored away you run the risk of being trapped and dying of dehydration. All the latest building technology won’t prevent water and electricity from failing.
So… be prepared as best you can. Have at least three days supply of food, water, and necessary medication available. Try to live in modern housing. And have escape routes and evacuation centers memorized. If you follow these steps, anyplace in Japan is just as safe as Tokyo.
Shiga is relatively chill. The mountains protect it from typhoons and there’s not really any big fault lines there.
Honestly, it’s more down to the specific areas you live in, rather than the general location.
Don’t live in an area that’s near the sea level with a history of tsunamis. The whole of Japan quakes; live in a newer place. That’s one reason why Japanese build new houses so often. Don’t live near a slow river known to flood.
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Depends on what type of natural disaster.
Forest fires? Urban areas will be fine.
Tsumani? Obviously anywhere inland.
Typhoon? Towards the interior.
Earthquakes? Any newer building that’s up to code.
If you still want to be in Tokyo-to, then I never hear anything bad happening in Aogashima.
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Gunma usually gets off pretty light during earthquakes and typhoons.
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Just find a location that is flat, away from potential mudslides, always from flooding, and away from the coast line. Then find a place that is made within the last 10 ish years that’s made of reinforced concrete, not too many stories high. Also check out the foundation for odd settlement pattern that could affect the potential shifting of the foundation. When out and about, be aware of the weather. Flash floods are dangerous.
Just basics I can think of off the top of my head, definitely more to consider, but it’s some things to keep an eye out for.
Lol. You must be kidding
Anywhere along the sea of Japan is pretty safe.
Aomori? The highest risk there seems to be boredom
Even if your not hit with it directly, you will mostly likely be affected by the aftershocks.
In Tokyo avoid the eastern areas, specifically around the rivers. Its quite sandy ground there with a higher risk of ground liquification and higher amplitudes during earthquakes. West of Shinjuku is much more rocky and solid. Choose a newer building, west of Shinjuku, away from the coast.
Middle of Maebashi.
Kitakyushu
Nowhere is safe from typhoons.
well… disasters can happen anywhere.. i’m from a place in australia that is notorious for NOTHING EVER HAPPENING (good or bad lol) and even then, like 14ish yrs ago we had hail so bad that loads of cars were severely damaged. but it happened at night and them people are crazy morning birds so nobody was really injured coz they all asleep lol.
BUT that aside.. i lived in a country town in nara, in a flat area, for a yr and a half and literally nothing happened there. had half a thunderstorm for five minutes.. i like thunderstorms so i admit i was a bit disappointed that day lol.
and i only “experienced” an earthquake when there was a tiny hiccup somewhere around Gifu i guess?? .. i was up at like 3am on my computer and it felt more like someone had just bumped my futon lol i figured i must’ve been sleepy and dozing off so i went to sleep. next moment i wondered about that long enough to check any earthquakes and found out there was a very small one very far away shortly before i felt that bump. but i’m hypersensitive in general so normal folks prob wouldn’t have even noticed.
I would echo the sentiments others have already written. Coming from the West Coast of Canada, we always have a disaster plan.
I am sure there are other places similar, but I like Tochigi. No where near the ocean. For a tsunami to reach us would be a biblical sized disaster. At that point all bets are off.
Tochigi isn’t on a [tectonic fault line](https://www.nippon.com/en/features/h00234/) so the chances of a major quake originating here are lower than Tokyo. Although the buildings here are probably older and not as well prepared.
Recently flooding seems to be a bigger concern and with global warming I don’t think that is going away. [Tokyo is super prepared for floods](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/06/climate/tokyo-floods.html). But I have noticed Tochigi is beefing up some of the river banks here after the last big typhoon
Speaking of typhoons, no one here gets excited. For my first one I ran around battening down the hatches, picking up anything that could be blown around. Moving all my bonsai into the garage. My neighbours did nothing. I guess the trees and hills break up the wind?
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Mortality due to natural disaster is pretty rare or rather low when it happens for the most part, imho just don’t live near any nuclear power stations then you have nothing to worry about. Most important is to just be prepared, you will experience at least a few earthquakes most of which will be uneventful and maybe even fun. General rule is to store breakables as low as possible to prevent losing your fragile belongings and tv’s come with a earthquake mounting strap and sim card to warn you of incoming disasters as for other disasters like typhoons it will most likely just be annoying but unavoidable. But if you are scared of disasters why japan? Its like moving to Australia with an excessive fear of dangerous animals. Sorry this is just a joke but never live in fear of something that is inevitable or uncontrollable. Just do your best to be prepared.