Disaster Prevention Handbook
for Foreign Residents in Kagoshima(English Edition)
長島町

出水市

伊佐市

阿久根市
湧水町

さつま町

薩摩川内市

霧島市

姶良市
いちき串木野市
日置市

曽於市
鹿児島市
志布志市

垂水市
鹿屋市
南さつま市

大崎町
東串良町

三島村
枕崎市

南九州市
肝付町
指宿市

錦江町

奄美市

南大隅町

龍郷町
大和村

十島村

奄美市

喜界町

宇検村
瀬戸内町
西之表市

中種子町

与論町

知名町

和泊町

天城町

屋久島町

南種子町

徳之島町

伊仙町

Prefatory Note
To protect yourself from disasters, it is important to have the mindset of “Protecting
oneself by myself”.
It is also crucial for those living in diﬀerent situations with regards to language andculture to keep good relationship with your neighbours.
For this purpose, this Handbook focuses on the essential information about disasters
in Japan, and how to form cooperative relationships with the local people.
Please make thorough preparations to protect yourself from disasters using this Handbook.

Kagoshima International Association

About Kagoshima Prefecture〇 Kagoshima Prefecture is located at the southernmost point on Kyushu, surrounded by the Paciﬁc
Ocean and the East China Sea.
〇 Kagoshima is a wide, long prefecture, with adistance about 600km from the northernmost to
the southernmost point. It also includes many
outlying islands, such as Tanegashima, Yakushima,
and the Amami Islands.
〇 The Kirishima Volcanic Belt runs through the centreof the prefecture from north to south, blessing theprefecture with 11 volcanoes and many hot
springs. This volcanic activity also resulted in a
multi-layered soil called shirasu which thickly
covers a large part of the ground.
〇 Kagoshima has a temperate to subtropical climate,resulting in a high average temperature in comparison to the rest of the country.

Main Disasters in Kagoshima Prefecture〇 Typhoons
There are many typhoons in Kagoshima Prefecture. They often occur from July to September, resulting in strong winds and heavy rainfall. This heavy rain can cause houses androads to ﬂood and mountain cliﬀs to collapse. Rivers can also overﬂow, and bridges may
break.
〇 Volcanic Eruptions
Sakurajima and other volcanoes can erupt, releasing ash and small rocks into the air. The
resulting volcanic ashfall can cause painful and itchy eyes.
〇 Earthquakes
When earthquakes occur, the ground will shake strongly. Things can fall over, and houses
and walls can be damaged.

1Things to prepare for an emergency
The following should be prepared in advance:
As food and drinks have expiration dates, be sure to check on them regularly.

① ʻEmergency Itemsʼ（things to take with you during evacuation）
国
本国
日
日本券
券
旅
旅

日
日本国

旅 本国
旅 券
券

J
NAPA
A
AP
PA J
N
JAAP
A
J

□Cash Card

□Drinks□Food□Medicines□Money□Residence Card(zairyuu kaado)□Bank Book

□Personal Stamp(inkan)□Clothes□A copy of your
Health Insurance
Card□Towel□Tissue Paper□Wet Tissue Paper □Toothbrush Set□Plastic Bags

□Masks□Flashlight□Menstruation
products□Batteries□Portable Radio/ Battery Charger□Passport□Underwear□Gloves□Helmet□Swiss Army Knife② ʻEmergency Items to Keepʼ（things to prepare in the case of disaster）□Water□Food□Paper Cutlery,
Plates and Cups

□Cling Film
/ Aluminium Foil

□Portable
Gas Stove□Toilet Paper□Blankets□Newspapers

Note: Items which are considered important will diﬀer from person to person.
Please prepare what is essential to you and your family.
- For example: a family with a baby will need diapers, powdered milk, feeding bottle, baby
food, etc.

2Locate an evacuation shelter○○学校

An evacuation shelter is a place where people can take refuge
temporarily.
People can stay here when a disaster seems likely to occur, when adisaster occurred and it is dangerous to stay at home, or if yourhome has been destroyed.

Schools, gyms, public halls and other such buildings are used as evacuation shelters. You canﬁnd the evacuation shelters near you using the ʻHazard Mapʼ created by your municipality (seePage 5).
When your municipality releases evacuation information, go to your nearest evacuation
shelter.

Evacuation
Symbols:
Evacuation Shelter

Emergency Evacuation Shelter

Tsunami Evacuation Shelter

What are evacuation shelters?
〇 They are places that anyone can use (Japanese, foreigners,
tourists, etc.)〇 They are free to use〇 You can receive food, drink and blankets〇 You can ﬁnd out relevant disaster and livelihood information

Things to be aware of at evacuation shelters〇 There will be a registration desk where you will write your name and other required
information.
〇 Many people reside in the shelter at the same time so please cooperate with thosearound you.
〇 Please keep the toilet in a tidy state.
〇 Please separate garbage correctly.
〇 Although you can receive food, water and blankets, what you receive, how many, andwhen will be announced by the shelter. Please conﬁrm this with the shelter.
〇 Please bring items which are essential to you (e.g. medicine).
〇 There are shelters where you must take oﬀ your shoes.
〇 Do not speak in a loud voice.
〇 You cannot use ﬁre within a shelter.
〇 If there is something you do not understand or are worried about, please ask thosearound you.
〇 Please be careful about your health and the possibility of infectious diseases.

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Connect with local residents
in your neighbourhood.
When an emergency occurs, it is important to cooperate and help one another.
Having a good relationship with those in your community allows you to help one another intimes of trouble.
Here are some ways to get to know yourcommunity better:- Regularly greet and have exchanges withpeople living in your area.
- Participate in events occurring in your area.

- Participate in clean-up activities, festivals,
and other kinds of events to learn about theresidents in your area.
- Participate in disaster evacuation drills in yourarea. These drills are practices for what to do
to protect yourself in the case of a disaster.

Consultation Desk for Foreign Residents
The Consultation Desk for Foreign Residents distributes information and provides a consultation
service in various languages for foreign residents living in Kagoshima Prefecture.
Support is available for a wide variety of issues, such as status of residence, employment, medicalcare, welfare, education, child-rearing and disasters.
Address: Kagoshima Prefecture International Exchange Association, Kagoshima Prefectural Citizens
Exchange Center 1F14-50 Yamashita-cho, Kagoshima City,Japan 892-0816
Designated Hotline:070−7662−4541
e-mail：kiasoudan@gmail.com

facebook：○ Availability of Consultation Desk: Tuesdays to Sundays
Note: When Monday is a holiday, the Consultation Desk will be open.
In those cases, the Consultation Desk will be closed on the next working day.
The Consultation Desk will also be closed on 12/29-1/3.
○ Languages available at the Consultation Desk: Japanese, English, Vietnamese.
We can also use a multilingual interpreting call centre to provide services in the following
languages: Chinese, Tagalog, Korean, Indonesian, Nepalese, Khmer, Thai, Burmese, Portuguese,
Spanish, Malaysian, French, Russian, German, Italian, Mongolian, Sinhala, Hindi、Bengali.

4Gathering Information
Hazard Map
A Hazard Map is a map that shows higher risk areas
where disasters are likely to occur, and the locationof places such as evacuation shelters and hospitals.
Hazard Maps are created by municipalities, and you
can receive it from the municipality you reside in.
You can also view the Hazard Map on your local
municipalityʼs web page.
In the case of an emergency, you should prepare an
escape route to an evacuation location in advance.

Helpful Websites and Applications○ Websites where you can receive weather forecasts and other information- Japan Meteorological Agency (14 diﬀerent languages)
https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/kokusai/multi.html- Kagoshima Prefecture Disaster Information webpage (Japanese only)
http://bousai.pref.kagoshima.jp/pub_web/portal-top/○ Applications where you can receive disaster information:

Safety Tips

NHK World-Japan

Voice Tra（ボイストラ）○ The latest information can be obtained from sources such as TV, radio and the internet.
Please also be sure to check the information provided on the website of your municipality.

5Key Japanese words to remember
Below are some useful Japanese phrases in the event of a disaster.
○ tasukete kudasai 助けてください
Please help me.
Head（頭）atama○ kega wo shimashita けがをしました
Ears（耳）mimi
I am injured.
○ (Body part) ga itai desu. （体の名前）が痛いですMy [body part] hurts.
○ kyuukyuusha wo yonde kudasai. 救急車を呼んでください
Please call an ambulance.
○ kaji desu. 火事です
There is a ﬁre.
○ shoubousha wo yonde kudasai. 消防車を呼んでください
Please call the ﬁre brigade.
○ koko ha (location) desu. ここは（場所）です
This is [location].
○ (~language) ga wakarimasu ka? （～語）が分かりますか？
Can you understand [~ language]?
○ (Location) wa doko desu ka? （場所）はどこですか
Where is [location]?
○ hinanjyo wa doko desu ka? 避難所はどこですか
Where is the evacuation shelter?
○ hinanjyo e ikitai desu. 避難所へ行きたいです
I want to go to the evacuation shelter.

Eyes（目）meNose（鼻）hana
Mouth（口）kuchi
Chest（胸）mune
Stomach（お腹）onakaHands（手）teLegs（足）ashi

Location names
Hospital（病院）byouin

Convenience store（コンビニ）conbini

Toilet（トイレ）toire
Drug store（薬局）yakkyoku
Mobile phone charging station（電話充電場所）
denwa jyuuden basho

Police Station（警察署）keisatsu sho

市役所

City Hall（市役所・役場）shiyakusho・yakuba

Public phone box（公衆電話）koushuudenwa

Noting down important matters andcontact details○ It is important to make notes during times such as when a disaster occurs or while escaping to an evacuation shelter.
○ Write down important information such as your name, nationality, passport number,phone number in advance. You can write this information on the blank space on Page 14.

6

Things to watch out for during a typhoon
Characteristics of a typhoon○ From July to October, the number of typhoons approaching
and landing in Japan increases. This results in heavy rains,
ﬂoods, gales, and storm surges.
○ In particular, Japan has many steep mountains and rivers
where heavy rains from typhoons and weather fronts are likely to result in landslides, debris
ﬂows and river ﬂooding. Such life-threatening natural disasters happen almost every year.
○ The impact of such typhoons is so great that not only it results in deaths and injuries, but
it also leads to widespread damages related to power and water outages.

What to do during a typhoon���○ Keep away from dangerous places such as coasts, ﬂooded rivers, cliﬀs and swamps
during heavy rains and typhoons.
○ Make sure to check the danger spots by using the hazard map created by the municipality, so that you can have a safe route when evacuating.
○ Before it rains or before the wind gets too strong, prepare the outside of your house bytightly closing windows and shutters, securing items that might be blown oﬀ by winds
or keeping them in your house and so on. Once the rain and winds have become
strong, doing such tasks outside will be dangerous.
○ To prepare for a possible evacuation, conﬁrm your emergency evacuation kit and checkthe evacuation site.
○ Help each other during an evacuation.

Understanding
the weather map○ In the weather forecast, the forecast up to 1 day (24hours) ahead of the typhoon is updated every 3
hours, and the forecast up to 5 days (120 hours)
ahead is updated every 6 hours.
○ This forecast will include the current position of thecenter of the typhoon (and its forecasted center
position and radius), along with the direction and speed of movement, air pressure at thecenter, maximum wind speed, maximum instantaneous wind speed and areas with storm
warning.
○ In Japan, typhoons are numbered. The Japan Meteorological Agency regards the earliest
typhoon that occurred after 1 January as the ﬁrst typhoon and assigns numbers to eachsubsequent typhoon accordingly.
○ Typhoons that occur in the vicinity of Asia are also given unique names (as proposed bymember countries on a rotating basis) based on agreements with each related country.

7Things to watch out for during heavy rains,
ﬂoods, and landslide disasters
Characteristics of heavy rains,
ﬂoods, and landslide disasters○ In Japan, heavy rains often occur due to the rainyseason from May to June, typhoons from July to
October, and autumn rains in October.
○ If a large amount of rain falls over a wide area withina short period of time (within hours to several days), rivers may rise or embankments may
break, resulting in water damage (inundation or ﬂooding).
○ Floods may cause the ﬂoor of houses to be submerged when located near rivers and in
low-lying areas.
○ In addition, the rains might cause landslide disasters such as the collapse of mountains,
cliﬀs, and debris ﬂows.
○ Roads and bridges may become impassable, and the usage of the Shinkansen and railroads
may be restricted due to heavy rain.

What to do during heavy rains���○ During heavy rains and typhoons, keep away from dangerous places such as coasts,
ﬂooded rivers, cliﬀs, and swamps.
○ Make sure to check the danger spots by using the hazard
map created by the municipality so that you can have asafe route when evacuating.
○ To prepare for a possible evacuation, conﬁrm your emergency evacuation kit and check the evacuation site.
○ Help each other during an evacuation.

Types and precursors of landslide disasters
RockfallLandslide・Water gushes out from the cliﬀ
・Cracks appear in the cliﬀ
・Pebbles fall from the cliﬀ
・Unusual sounds coming fromthe cliﬀ, such as those of a treeroots being
severed・Water in wells and swamps
becomes muddy
・Cracks appear in the ground・Water spurts out from sloped
surfaces
・Cracks appea
in houses
and walls
・Houses,
walls, trees
and utility poles start to tilt

8

Debris ﬂow
・Mountain rumblings
can be heard
・The waterlevel ofthe riverdrops eventhough it continuesto rain
・The river water suddenly
becomes muddy and driftwood
starts appearing in the water・There is a smell of rotten soil

Things to watch out for during an earthquake
Characteristics of an earthquake○ The surface of the ground will shake. With large earthquakes, even standing will bediﬃcult.
○ When an earthquake occurs, it is important to not panic
and protect yourself wherever you are.
○After a large earthquake, many aftershocks (earthquakesthat follow after the largest shock) can occur.
○After a large earthquake, tsunamis (large waves) can
occur.

What to do during an earthquake
When insidea building

When insidea car

When ina city���

Hide underneath a
desk and protect yourhead

Secure an exit route(eg. by keeping
doors open)

Do not panic and rush toturn oﬀ your stove orother appliances whichuses open ﬂames, but
protect yourself ﬁrst.

Do not panic and rush
to go outside. Whenescaping, make sure
to put on your shoes.

Do not panic and stopsuddenly

Head to the side of theroad and turn oﬀ your Keep your keys in yourcar
car engine

Get out of your car andescape on footProtect your head andbe careful of falling
objects such as window
glass or billboards

If you are in anelevator,
get oﬀ at the nearest
ﬂoor

Escape to an open
space, and be carefulof nearby walls andvending machines,
which can be dangerous

Do not go near broken
electrical lines～ Early Earthquake Warning ～An Early Earthquake Warning is an advance notiﬁcation that provides information about an incoming
large earthquake.
A warning sound is broadcasted at the same time on TV, radio, mobile phones (that can receive breaking news reports), municipality disaster prevention radio stations, and other platforms. There is also an
Early Earthquake Warning app that you can receive notiﬁcations from.
There will be few seconds after the notiﬁcation appears and before the strong tremors begin. Therefore,
it is important to remember what to do in the event of an earthquake, so you can take prompt actions
to protect ourselves.

9Things to watch out for during a volcano eruption
Current situation of volcanoes in Kagoshima○ There are 11 active volcanoes in Kagoshima prefecture, accounting for 10% of the 110
active volcanoes throughout Japan.
○ Out of these, ﬁve volcanoes (Mt Kirishima, Sakurajima, Satsuma Iojima, Kuchinoerabu
Island, and Suwanose Island) are being observed and monitored by the Japan Meteorological Agency 24 hours a day, under the category of volcanoes under constant observation.
○ Sakurajima is still active today, and there is a large amount of ashfall when it erupts. The
area where the volcanic ash falls depends on the wind direction; it tends to fall in the direction of Kagoshima City in summer and in the direction of Osumi in winter.
○ During an emergency when Sakurajima is likely to have a large-scale e ruption, evacuation
information and ashfall forecasts will be announced on TV and radio.

When a volcanic
eruption occurs

噴煙volcanicsmoke
噴石
cinders

火山灰volcanic ash
土石流
debris ﬂow
降灰
ash fallWhat to do during an eruption

溶岩流
lava ﬂow

���火砕流
pyroclastic
ﬂow○ When there is volcanic activity, it is important to evacuate as soon as possible. In
particular, it is too late to evacuate after pyroclastic ﬂows and volcanic bombs haveoccurred. Obtain accurate information from the meteorological observatories and aim
to evacuate from dangerous places promptly.
○ If ash gets into your eyes, wash it out with clean water without rubbing. If it is diﬃcult
to remove, please see an ophthalmologist. For people wearing contact lenses, it isadvised to take preventive measures such as removing contact lenses during ashfalls
to prevent scratches on the eyes.
○ If you have respiratory symptoms resulting from inhaling ash or have any otherconcerns, please consult with your nearest medical institution.
○ Avoid vehicles such as cars, motorcycles, and bicycles as much as possible as their front
visibility and braking performance will be poor due to the ash.

10What to do when the weather worsens
Timeline leading up to a disaster(typhoon, heavy rain, ﬂood, landslide disaster)

Alert Level

Time leading up
to a disaster

Rain, river and mountainconditions

Weather Forecast（According to the Japan Meteorological Agency）

Evacuation Information（According to your municipality）

・Forecast of heavy rain, typhoons etc
will be shown on the news
The weather
seems likely toworsen

The weather
worsens1
Probability of Warnings

・Severe rainfall
・Water begins tocollect on the ground・River water level
increases

2
Heavy Rain Advisory
Flood Advisory
Begin evacuation preparations

・Severe rainfall
・Water begins tocollect on the
groundA disaster seems
・River water level
likely to occur
increases

3
Heavy Rain Warning
Flood Warning

Evacuation of
the Elderly, etc

・Small debris falls from mountains
・Water spurts out from mountainslopes
Before a disaster ・River water volume
swells and seems
occurslikely to overﬂow
・Mountain rumblings
can be heard

4

Landslide Alert Information
etc

Evacuation Instructions
to be taken
Be sure to evacuate by Alert Level 4

5・Rivers overﬂow
・Mountains collapse
・Roads become
A disaster occurs
blocked due tolandslides

Heavy Rain Emergency
Warning

Emergency Safety Measures
to be taken

11What you should do

・Check the contents of your emergency bag
・Prepare in advance any medicine that you regularly take・In the event of a typhoon, bring in anything that might
be blown away by the wind・Check the TV, internet and other sources for informationon the weather
・Charge your mobile phone in advance・Check the hazard map for the location of and directions toyour nearest evacuation shelter
・Frequently check the TV and internet for weather andevacuation information
・For those where travel may take longer, such as families
with children or the elderly, begin your evacuation toa safe location early・Evacuate to a safe location
・For those whose houses are safe, do not evacuate andstay at home・If evacuating, be sure to contact family members etc

・Quickly evacuate to a safe location
・Protect yourself

12Disaster-related Japanese words
ひ

なん

じょ

避 難 所（hinanjo）Related to Evacuation Shelters
きゅう

すい

給

しゃ

水

ひ

さい

被

りょう

食

はい

糧

た

炊

water truck者hisaishadisaster victim

給shokuryohaikyu

food distribution

しtakidashi

soup kitchen (emergency food distribution)
gymnasium

きゅう

配
だ

き

たい

kyusuisha

しゃ

災

しょく

車

出

いく

かん

体

育

館

taiikukan

公民館

kouminkan

こう

みん

たい

かん

ふう

しん

ろ

たい

Public Hall / Community Centreふう

台 風（taifu）Related to Typhoons

台 風 の 進 路

taifu-no-shinro

typhoon path風速fusokuwind speed域bohuikistorm area

潮takashiostorm surge

水

kozui

ﬂooding害doshasaigai

landslide

河 川 の 増 水

kasen-no-zosui

swollen river

河 川 の は ん 濫kasen-no-hanran

ﬂooding of a river危

位

kikensuii

dangerous water level

水shinsui

ふう

そく

ぼう

ふう

暴

いき

風

たか

しお

高
こう

ずい

洪
ど

土

しゃ

さい

砂

か

せん

か

せん

き

しん

がい

災

ぞう

すい

らん

けん

すい

険

い

水

すい

浸
しん

ど

震

電

teidenpower outage

水dansuiwater outage

旧fukkyurestoration

すい

ふっ

きゅう

きん きゅう

じ

しん

そく

ほう

緊 急 地 震 速 報
うん

きゅう

けっ

こう

ふ

つう

運

地 震（jishin）Related to Earthquakes
earthquake intensity

だん

復inundation

shindo

でん

断

しん

度

てい

停

じ

kinkyu jishin sokuho
こうつう

early earthquake warning

交 通（kotsu）Related to Transportation

休

unkyu

suspension of public transportation

航

kekko

cancellation of ﬂight/ferry

通

futsu

road blockage

めtukodomeroad closure

運転を見合わせる

unten-o-miawaseru

suspension of operation

迂路

ukairoroad detour制tsukokisei

traﬃc control

欠
不
つう

通

うんてん

こう

行

み

う

つう

通

ど

止

あ

かい

こう

行

回

ろ

き

規

せい

13

Memo for Disaster Management※Treat this page with care

In preparation for a disaster, it is important to consider how tocontact loved ones back in your home country.
For those who live with family here, it is also necessary to consider
how to meet up in the event of a disaster.

Please ﬁll in the blanks below:
名前／Name
国籍／Nationality
血液型／Blood type
アレルギー／Allergies
いつも飲んでいる薬／Medicine that you take regularly
在留カード番号／Residence card number
パスポート番号／Passport number etc
住所／Address
電話番号／Phone number
大使館 / 領事館 連絡先
Embassy / Consulate contact information
学校 / 職場 連絡先
School / workplace contact information
家族の連絡先（海外）
Family contact information (overseas)
知り合い / 友人 連絡先
Acquaintance / friends contact information
家族の集まる所／Reunion place for family
鹿児島県外国人総合相談窓口
Kagoshima Prefecture Consultation Desk
for Foreign Residents

TEL 0 7 0 - 7 6 6 2 - 4 5 4 1
e-mail k ia soud a n@gmail.c om

14In the event of an injury, ﬁre or accident:
For ﬁres andambulances:call 119For accidents
and incidents:
call 110○If there is a ﬁre and you want to○If an accident or incident has

call the ﬁre brigade.

occurred, and you want to quickly○If you have a serious injury orcontact and/or notify the police

illness and want to call an
ambulance.
＊Both the numbers「119」and「110」are free of charge.
＊When calling, please keep calm without panicking.

「Disaster Prevention Handbook for Foreign Residents (English Edition)」
Published August 2022
【Publisher】 Kagoshima International Association
1F 14-50, Yamashita-cho, Kagoshima City, 892-0816, Japan.
TEL: 099-221-6620
URL: http://www.kiaweb.or.jp/

This handbook was created with funding-support from CLAIR (The Council ofLocal Authorities for International Relations).
15