View Survival:Emergencies
If you call the police (110), the fire department or an ambulance (119) you need to give your name, address, and telephone number along with the nature of the emergency and the address and telephone number at the site of the emergency.
Ambulance
Emergency transportation to a hospital is available 24-hours for free. You must give them your health insurance information, so make sure it is handy. If the ambulance staff does not speak English, they have a manual in eleven different languages that they will use to diagnose your problem.
Preparation for emergencies
‘Disaster’ sections of Japanese department stores house fire extinguishers, safety helmets, flashlights, first-aid kits, and emergency food rations. Schools and companies hold fire or earthquake drills once a year. To participate in local fire or earthquake drills, contact your ward office.
Earthquakes
Japan hosts one tenth of the world’s active volcanoes and Tokyo is located on land particularly prone to earthquakes. The worst damage is not caused from earthquakes themselves, rather from the fires that follow them. Make sure you have fire extinguishers available and switch off the gas at the mains whenever you are not using it, as gas is the biggest cause of fires during earthquakes. Plan beforehand where to meet and how to make contact with your friends or family in Japan. There are evacuation areas throughout Japan: make sure you know where the nearest one is. If an earthquake happens, put out any fires and switch off the gas at the mains. Find a place away from falling objects such as under a doorframe, under a table or desk, or in a small room (they are stronger than large rooms) such as inside your closet or in the bathroom. Open a door as soon as possible because doors often warp and cannot be opened after an earthquake. If you live in a city, resist the urge to run outside where you will be surrounded by falling broken glass and lumps of concrete. Switch on your radio or television, if they are working, to get information.