Value Village ／ Everyday know-how
This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete.
Most Japanese households keep a packed bag by the door or in a cupboard, and municipalities publish checklists for it. The idea has spread abroad — often as a survival kit for wilderness scenarios, which is not what the Japanese bag is for.
| Emergency bag (hijō-mochidashi-bukuro) | Home stockpile (bichiku) | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Leave the house within minutes | Survive at home when supplies are cut |
| Weight | Adult: about 10–15 kg maximum; less for elderly and children | No limit |
| Duration | First 1–3 days | At least 3 days; 7 days recommended (Cabinet Office) |
| Location | By the exit or in the bedroom | Kitchen, cupboard, car |
[Verify] Weight guidance and stockpile durations with the Cabinet Office disaster-preparedness site and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's "Tokyo Bōsai" guide.
If you cannot carry it down stairs and walk 2 km, it fails at its one job. Households do a walk test and strip it down.
Shelters usually receive food and water within a day. Medicines, glasses and documents are what nobody else can supply for you.
Batteries drain, medicines expire, children grow, seasons change. Japanese households check it twice a year, often on 1 September (Disaster Prevention Day) and 1 March.
One bag per adult, and a small bag for each child who can carry one. If one bag is lost or one person is away, the rest still have theirs.
Route to the exit decides the location: by the door, or beside the bed (earthquakes at night). Not in a room that may become inaccessible.
---
https://www.bousai.go.jp/kyoiku/keigen/gensai/index.html
https://www.bousai.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/1002147/index.html
https://www.jma.go.jp/jma/en/Activities/earthquake.html
⚠️ Editorial note: the source URLs above were identified by search. Our working environment cannot reach go.jp domains, so the contents have not been checked against the text. Verify every source before publication and record who checked it and when.
What we share here are ideas and everyday practices passed down among people living in Japan, together with general information drawn from public sources. They are not official recommendations, and they are not professional instruction. Practices vary between households and regions.
This is general information. Results vary from person to person and depend on your own conditions and surroundings.
Please decide for yourself, using your own judgement, whether any of this suits your situation. We cannot accept responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from following this article.
Always follow the instructions on any product you use, and never mix cleaning products. If you rent your home, check with your landlord before making any changes.
Tell us if this has changed
Approved contributions keep the contributor's name, shown in five languages.
Other languages：日本語 ／ 简体中文 ／ 繁體中文 ／ 한국어
Value Village is not a government body. Always confirm procedures on the official site.
Written by Value Village from public sources. Nothing here is reproduced from another site.