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SOS · Matsuri

Emergency mode

The first page to open in a disaster. Open it once and it will open again even with no signal.

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📞 Emergency numbers

050-3816-2787Japan Visitor Hotline (JNTO)24 hours, 365 days / English, Chinese, Korean · +81-50-3816-2787Disaster message board (web171)Disaster message board (online) — web171.jp

🏫 Nearby shelters

Designated emergency evacuation sites are places to escape to temporarily to save your life. Always check that a site covers the current disaster (e.g. tsunami).

Save a region (for offline use)

Save the prefectures you are travelling to so you can find evacuation sites without signal or location.

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⚠️ What to do first

What to do if a disaster strikes in Japan. Stay calm and act.

Earthquake

Protect yourself first; act after shaking stops.

✓ What to do

  • Protect your head and take cover under a sturdy desk
  • After shaking stops, check and turn off any fires
  • Open doors/windows to secure an exit
  • Put on shoes to protect your feet from glass/debris

✕ What to avoid

  • Don't rush outside (beware falling objects)
  • Don't use elevators
  • Stay away from block walls and vending machines

Tsunami

Get to high ground immediately.

✓ What to do

  • Evacuate to high ground at once if you feel strong shaking or hear a tsunami warning
  • Go as high and as far as possible
  • Head to a tsunami evacuation building or tower
  • Don't return until the warning is lifted

✕ What to avoid

  • Don't go to watch the sea or rivers
  • Don't evacuate by car (you may get stuck in traffic)
  • Don't assume one wave is the end

Typhoon & heavy rain

Stay inside. If told to evacuate, move while it is still light.

✓ What to do

  • Check weather and local evacuation information often
  • Stay inside a sturdy building, away from windows
  • If an evacuation order is issued, leave before dark and before the storm gets worse
  • Charge your phone and prepare water and food

✕ What to avoid

  • Don't go to look at the sea, rivers or channels
  • Don't walk or drive in strong winds
  • Don't stay in basements or low-lying areas

Large-scale fire

Stay low, avoid smoke, evacuate.

✓ What to do

  • Shout "Fire!" and call 119
  • Stay low and cover your mouth and nose
  • Feel the door for heat before opening it
  • Once you've evacuated, don't go back

✕ What to avoid

  • Don't use elevators
  • Don't move upright through smoke
  • Don't go back for belongings
Other disasters (flood, landslide, volcano)

Flood

Evacuate early, before flooding.

✓ What to do

  • Check weather/evacuation info and leave early
  • Move to an upper floor of a sturdy building
  • Wear sturdy shoes and easy-to-move clothing
  • Check the hazard map for flood zones in advance

✕ What to avoid

  • Stay away from swollen rivers and channels
  • Don't stay in basements or low areas
  • Don't walk or drive through flooded roads

Landslide

If you notice warning signs, move away from slopes.

✓ What to do

  • In heavy rain, move away from slopes and cliffs early
  • Evacuate to an upper floor on the side away from the slope
  • Watch for signs like muddy springs or rumbling
  • Evacuate when a landslide warning is issued

✕ What to avoid

  • Don't stay near cliffs or retaining walls
  • Don't use swollen streams as evacuation routes
  • Don't ignore warning signs

Volcano

Move away from ballistics/pyroclastic flows; follow instructions.

✓ What to do

  • Evacuate per eruption warnings and local instructions
  • Protect your head with a helmet or hat
  • Use a mask/cloth to avoid breathing in ash
  • Evacuate avoiding downwind areas and valleys

✕ What to avoid

  • Don't approach the crater or valleys
  • Don't linger under ash-laden roofs
  • Don't keep contact lenses in

👉 Point-to phrases

If you can't speak Japanese, show this screen to someone nearby.

  • 避難所はどこですか?

    Hinanjo wa doko desu ka?

    Where is the evacuation shelter?

  • けがをしています。

    Kega o shite imasu.

    I am injured.

  • 助けてください。

    Tasukete kudasai.

    Please help me.

  • 救急車を呼んでください。

    Kyūkyūsha o yonde kudasai.

    Please call an ambulance.

  • 日本語が話せません。

    Nihongo ga hanasemasen.

    I don't speak Japanese.

  • 英語が話せる人はいますか?

    Eigo ga hanaseru hito wa imasu ka?

    Is there anyone who speaks English?

  • 家族(仲間)とはぐれました。

    Kazoku (nakama) to hagure mashita.

    I got separated from my family (group).

  • 水と食べ物はどこでもらえますか?

    Mizu to tabemono wa doko de moraemasu ka?

    Where can I get water and food?

  • 薬が必要です。

    Kusuri ga hitsuyō desu.

    I need medicine.

  • スマホを充電できる場所はありますか?

    Sumaho o jūden dekiru basho wa arimasu ka?

    Is there somewhere I can charge my phone?

  • 大使館に連絡したいです。

    Taishikan ni renraku shitai desu.

    I want to contact my embassy.

  • 私は外国人の旅行者です。

    Watashi wa gaikokujin no ryokōsha desu.

    I am a foreign traveller.

📡 Latest disaster information (when you have signal)

Check official multilingual pages for the latest warnings, earthquakes and tsunami.

📲 Add to Home Screen (iPhone)

  1. Tap the Share button (square with ↑) at the bottom of Safari
  2. Choose “Add to Home Screen”, then “Add”
  3. While you still have signal, open it once from the Home Screen icon

On iPhone, the Home Screen app keeps its own offline copy, separate from Safari. Open the icon once while you have signal.

Android

  1. Tap the menu (⋮) at the top right of Chrome
  2. Choose “Add to Home screen”