Questions about Japan as a hazardous place

5 comments

1. Try asking on r/japanlife instead, as not many users here are residing in Japan itself

2. * **What does it feel like living in a hazardous place?**
   On a daily basis I don’t consider it as a hazardous place

   * **Are there are any earthquake/tsunami drills and if so how many would you say there are in a month?**
   My workplace has a building-wide fire drill once a year. They aren’t really earthquake/tsunami specific

   * **Do you feel safe, where you live, from earthquakes?**
   Yes. But there’s also the sense of nowhere being absolutely safe from earthquakes. When it happens,’it happens.

   * **If you were in Japan in 2011, how would you say the it is now compared to back then when it comes to earthquake defences?**
   People are a bit more knowledgeable about quakes and tsunamis, and sensitive to evacuation orders

   * **What keeps you in a hazardous place such as Japan?**
   How safe and convenient it is

   * **Have you ever thought of moving out of Japan due to the tremors?**
   No. It’s just part of living in Japan

   * **How do your friends feel about living in a hazardous place such as Japan?**
   Probably the same as me

   * **How frequent are earthquakes would you say?**
   Minor earthquakes are always happening. Every month or so you get one you can actually feel. Disaster class earthquakes happen every decade or so

3. **What does it feel like living in a hazardous place?** I’m used to it already. I also don’t find it that dangerous because I don’t live close to the ocean and buildings in Japan are designed so that they’re very resistant to earthquakes. Small earthquakes are nothing (just a little shake). Huge earthquakes like the one in 2011 are very rare.

   **Are there are any earthquake/tsunami drills and if so how many would you say there are in a month?** Once a year at my university.

   **Do you feel safe, where you live, from earthquakes?** As stated above, yes I do feel safe.

   **If you were in Japan in 2011, how would you say the it is now compared to back then when it comes to earthquake defences?** I’d say people are more cautious about tsunamis. Especially those near the ocean.

   **What keeps you in a hazardous place such as Japan?** As stated above, I don’t find the natural hazard that much of a threat to daily life. Plus, Japan is much safer place overall than the rest of the world if you consider crime rates and stuff.

   **Have you ever thought of moving out of Japan due to the tremors?** No I haven’t.

   **How do your friends feel about living in a hazardous place such as Japan?** Probably the same. People who just came to Japan and are from a country with no earthquakes freak out when the ground shakes a little, but most of them get used to it after a while.

   **How frequent are earthquakes would you say?** Sometimes there are periods when it happens a few times a week, but other than that it’s happens once or twice a month. This is only counting the ones you can actually feel. The huge ones like 2011 happens once every 10 or 20 years.

4. For Japan, earthquakes are not an option, so they learn to live with them. Most buildings in Japan are built to withstand fairly large earthquakes. Yes, earthquakes are unsettling but only rarely do they cause widespread damage.

   As a foreigner, it took me some time before the fear subsided. Eventually, though, it passes and you become prepared. Eventually, you feel safe…because you generally are…except if a major earthquake hits like the great Hanshin earthquake.

   Very few people, if any, leave because of the earthquakes.

5. **What does it feel like living in a hazardous place?**
   It doesn’t feel like a hazardous place; I would consider somewhere like USA far more hazardous on a daily basis

   **Are there are any earthquake/tsunami drills and if so how many would you say there are in a month?** Once a year at work, but most people try to avoid taking part. Sometimes I take family or visitors to a day out at a safety training center

   **Do you feel safe, where you live, from earthquakes?** Yes, as much as anyone can be.

   **If you were in Japan in 2011, how would you say the it is now compared to back then when it comes to earthquake defences?** Not that much changed materially, though we did have to buy emergency helmets at work straight after, but they have been lost since then. For the few years after, people were more serious about drills and precautions, but attitudes are about the same again now. I would imagine that those in a tsunami risk region are more likely to have risks in mind.

   **What keeps you in a hazardous place such as Japan?** I work here

   **Have you ever thought of moving out of Japan due to the tremors?** No

   **How do your friends feel about living in a hazardous place such as Japan?** I would think most would not like to live in a hazardous place, but would not consider Japan such a place.

   **How frequent are earthquakes would you say?** Very variable. Probably on average something I can feel about once or twice a month, but only indoors on an upper floor. Maybe a decent bit of building sway or a window rattler a couple of times a year and things falling off the wall even more rarely.