Japan Disaster Supplies: Build a Go-Bag and a One-Week Home Stockpile

2026年9月9日

Japan Disaster Supplies: Build a Go-Bag and a One-Week Home Stockpile

For most foreign residents in Japan, one pre-packed backpack is not enough. A practical setup has two separate layers:

A light go-bag for leaving home quickly
A larger home stockpile for living without water, power, gas, sewage, or normal deliveries
Personal supplies that public shelters may not have, including medicine, allergy-safe food, baby products, and pet items
Copies of important information that you can use even if your phone has no signal or battery

Tokyo’s official preparedness guidance recommends maintaining about one week of supplies at home. Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency also advises preparing a minimum set of portable items in advance rather than trying to collect them after an evacuation becomes necessary.

This guide is for foreign residents, students, workers, and families setting up a home in Japan. It is especially useful after moving, before typhoon season, or whenever household members, medication, dietary needs, or addresses change.

TOC

First, separate evacuation supplies from home supplies

The central decision is not what to buy, but where and how you may need to use it. Trying to fit a week of water and food into one backpack produces a bag that may be too heavy to carry safely.

Layer 1: Your go-bag

A go-bag, often called a hijō mochidashi bukuro (非常持出袋), is for urgent evacuation. Keep it near an exit where it will not be buried by falling furniture.

It should help you move safely, receive information, manage essential health needs, and get through the first part of an evacuation. It is not meant to contain your entire household stockpile.

Pack these essentials first:

Drinking water in small, portable bottles
Ready-to-eat food that does not require cooking
Regular medicine and a copy of prescription information
A small first-aid kit
A flashlight or headlamp
Spare batteries
A mobile battery and charging cable
A battery-powered or hand-crank radio
Masks, tissues, wet wipes, and a small towel
A portable toilet kit
Work gloves and sturdy footwear
Rain protection and season-appropriate clothing
A whistle
Some cash in small notes and coins
Copies of identification and emergency contact details

Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency includes food, water, first-aid supplies, a radio, clothing, masks, wet wipes, flashlights, cash, and copies of identification among its suggested portable supplies. It also stresses that the correct contents depend on the individual.

Layer 2: Your home stockpile

A home stockpile supports zaitaku hinan (在宅避難), or sheltering at home, when the building is safe enough to remain in. This can reduce pressure on evacuation facilities and may be more manageable for families, pets, or people with special dietary needs.

However, staying home is not automatically the safest choice. Leave if the building is damaged, there is a fire, a tsunami threatens the area, flooding or landslides are expected, or local authorities instruct residents to evacuate.

Your home supplies should cover:

Water
Food
Portable toilets and sanitation items
Lighting and communications
Safe methods for heating food
Medicine and health supplies
Warmth or heat protection
Household-specific needs

Tokyo’s official stockpiling guidance explains why this layer matters: roads and utilities may be damaged, deliveries may stop for several days, and residents whose homes remain safe may need to live there temporarily.

ここがポイント: Keep the go-bag light enough to carry. Store the heavier water, food, toilet supplies, and cooking equipment at home.

Calculate water before buying gadgets

Water is the item most likely to determine the size and weight of your stockpile. Tokyo’s preparedness material uses a planning figure of three liters of water per person per day.

That gives the following basic calculation:

One person for three days: 9 liters
One person for seven days: 21 liters
Two people for seven days: 42 liters
A family of four for seven days: 84 liters

This amount is mainly a drinking and basic food-preparation benchmark. Washing, toilet flushing, and other household uses can require additional water.

Store water in more than one place if possible. A single stack may become inaccessible after shelves fall or a room is damaged. Smaller bottles are easier to carry, while larger containers can be more efficient for home storage.

Check the printed storage instructions and best-before dates. Do not assume every plastic bottle is designed for many years of storage.

Plan for sewage failure as well as water failure

A common mistake is storing drinking water but forgetting that toilets may not work. Even if water is available, flushing can be unsafe when building pipes or public sewer lines are damaged.

Keep portable toilet bags, absorbent material, disposal bags, toilet paper, sanitizer, and deodorizing supplies together. Apartment residents should check building-management instructions after a major earthquake before flushing a toilet.

The correct quantity depends on household size and personal use. Count how many times each person normally uses the toilet in one day, multiply by the number of people and planned days, and add a margin.

Build a one-week food plan you will actually eat

The best emergency food is familiar food that can be stored, opened, and eaten under limited conditions. Expensive disaster-branded meals are optional, not the starting point.

Tokyo promotes “everyday stockpiling,” also known as rolling stock. You keep extra quantities of normal shelf-stable products, use the oldest items in daily meals, and replace them during regular shopping.

Useful choices include:

Packaged rice that can be eaten after heating
Canned fish, meat, beans, fruit, and vegetables
Retort-pouch curry, soup, or other prepared meals
Crackers, cereal, energy bars, and dried fruit
Long-life milk or plant-based drinks
Instant soup or noodles
Nut or seed products, where allergies allow
Baby food or formula suitable for the child
Familiar comfort foods that require little preparation

Check the hidden requirements

A food item is not useful merely because it has a long shelf life. Before adding it, ask:

Can it be opened without an electric appliance?
Can it be eaten without heating?
If it needs water, have I included that water in my calculation?
If it needs a stove, do I have suitable fuel and ventilation?
Can everyone in the household eat it safely?
Will it create a large amount of waste?

Keep a manual can opener if any cans require one. Test unfamiliar products before buying a large quantity.

Prepare separately for dietary restrictions

People with allergies, vegetarian or vegan diets, religious food restrictions, swallowing difficulties, or medical diets should not assume that suitable food will be available immediately at a shelter.

Tokyo Stockpiling Navi specifically advises people with food allergies to prepare appropriate food in advance, check ingredient labels, rotate stock, and make portable options available. Keep the original packaging where possible so ingredients and allergen information remain visible.

For severe allergies, consider carrying a short explanation in Japanese and English. Medicine and emergency treatment devices should follow instructions from the prescribing medical professional.

Add power, light, and information tools

A working phone helps, but a phone alone is not a complete communications plan. Mobile networks can be congested, batteries run down, and charging may be unavailable.

Prepare a small set of tools with different failure points:

A headlamp for hands-free movement
An LED lantern for lighting a room
A charged mobile battery
Charging cables for each essential device
Spare batteries in the correct sizes
A radio that can receive local broadcasts
A paper list of important telephone numbers
A printed local map and evacuation information

Test every device. Confirm which batteries it uses and whether the radio can be operated without reading Japanese menus.

The Japan Meteorological Agency provides multilingual disaster information covering weather, heavy rain, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic activity. Bookmark the multilingual page, but also write down your municipality’s official disaster website and contact channels because evacuation information is issued locally.

Protect documents, money, and essential information

Copies and written details are more practical than carrying every original document in one bag. Losing all original documents during an evacuation can create a second problem.

Prepare a waterproof information pouch containing copies or records of:

Residence card or passport identification page
Health insurance information
Driver’s license, if relevant
Prescription details and medicine names
Emergency contacts in Japan and overseas
Household members’ names and dates of birth
Your address written in Japanese
Landlord, building manager, school, or employer contacts
Insurance policy and bank contact information
The location of your designated evacuation site

Protect sensitive data. Carry only what is needed, lock digital copies, and review who could access the pouch.

Cash can matter when card terminals, ATMs, or communications are unavailable. Keep a modest emergency amount in smaller denominations rather than concentrating a large sum in the bag.

Customize the kit for the people in your home

A standard checklist becomes useful only after it is adjusted to real household needs. Public assistance may not immediately provide a familiar brand, correct size, translated instructions, or medically appropriate substitute.

Medicine and health needs

Keep necessary medicine accessible and discuss emergency continuity with the prescribing clinic or pharmacy. Storage limits, refill rules, and temperature requirements differ by medicine, so generic stockpiling advice cannot replace professional instructions.

Also consider:

Glasses, contact-lens supplies, or hearing-aid batteries
Menstrual products
Denture supplies
Mobility aids
Written medical information
Masks and hygiene supplies
A thermometer and basic first-aid materials

Do not place temperature-sensitive medicine in a hot car or another unsuitable storage area.

Babies and children

Families may need liquid or powdered formula, feeding equipment, diapers, wipes, changing bags, child medicine, spare clothing, and a familiar comfort item.

If using powdered formula, include the water, fuel, and equipment required to prepare it safely. Review sizes and expiration dates frequently because children’s needs change quickly.

Pets

Prepare pet food, water, medicine, a carrier or leash, toilet supplies, vaccination information, and a recent photograph. Shelter access and pet arrangements vary by municipality and facility. Check local rules before a disaster rather than assuming a pet can stay in the same indoor space as its owner.

Older adults and people with disabilities

Plan around mobility, communication, power-dependent devices, continence supplies, and assistance during evacuation. Registering for local support may be possible in some municipalities, but eligibility and procedures differ.

Ask the municipal disaster-management or welfare office what programs exist locally. An employer, school, university, or care provider may have a separate plan as well.

Spend in the right order

A useful kit does not need to be purchased in one expensive shopping trip. Cover the failures that create immediate health and sanitation problems first.

A sensible buying order is:

Regular medicine, water, portable toilets, and ready-to-eat food
Light, batteries, phone charging, and a radio
Hygiene items, gloves, footwear, and weather protection
A safe cooking method and compatible fuel
Household-specific supplies for children, allergies, disabilities, or pets
Optional upgrades such as solar charging or specialized camping equipment

Start by checking what you already own. A normal backpack, flashlight, plastic bags, food wrap, towels, shelf-stable groceries, and camping equipment may already cover part of the list.

Prices vary by store, brand, capacity, season, and region. Instead of setting one national budget, divide purchases over several shopping trips and prioritize items that can also be used in daily life.

Use rolling stock to control waste

Write the oldest expiration month on a visible label or keep a simple phone reminder. Place newer goods behind older ones and use the oldest products first.

Review the stockpile at least twice a year and whenever someone joins or leaves the household. Also check it after using supplies during an outage, illness, or trip.

Store supplies where they remain reachable

A perfectly stocked cupboard is useless if a fallen cabinet blocks it. Spread essential supplies across safe, accessible locations.

Practical storage choices include:

The go-bag near the main exit
Shoes, gloves, and a flashlight beside the bed
Some water and food outside the kitchen
Portable toilets close to the bathroom
A small workplace or commuting kit
A compact car kit, if you drive

Avoid placing heavy water containers on high shelves. Keep exits clear, secure furniture, and protect items from heat, moisture, pests, and direct sunlight.

People in high-rise buildings should plan for stairs, lift shutdowns, and difficulty carrying water upstairs. Coastal, riverside, landslide-risk, and heavy-snow areas require different additions. Use your municipality’s hazard information to decide whether supplies should support rapid evacuation, staying home, or both.

Common mistakes to avoid

Most kit failures come from weight, incompatibility, or neglect—not from missing specialist equipment. Check for these problems:

Putting the full home stockpile into one uncarryable bag
Storing food that requires more water or fuel than planned
Buying devices without the correct batteries or cables
Forgetting portable toilets
Keeping all supplies in one room
Packing expired medicine or outgrown child supplies
Assuming shelters will immediately provide special food or pet accommodation
Relying only on a smartphone
Never opening or testing emergency equipment
Using a portable stove without following its ventilation and safety instructions

Run a short home test. For several hours, turn off unnecessary lights, avoid tap water, prepare one stockpile meal, use only stored charging power, and locate every item without searching online. The problems you find will produce a better shopping list than buying more gadgets at random.

What is national guidance and what changes locally?

Japan provides broad preparedness guidance, but evacuation operations and available support are managed locally. Your city, ward, town, or village determines shelter locations and communicates local evacuation instructions.

Confirm these points with your municipality:

Which evacuation site applies to each type of hazard
Whether the site is open before traveling there
Pet arrangements
Support for residents who need assistance
Emergency water distribution locations
Multilingual information channels
Local waste and portable-toilet disposal instructions after a disaster

Apartment management, employers, schools, and universities may also have their own assembly points, supply policies, and safety-confirmation systems. Those arrangements supplement local government instructions; they do not replace them.

Current status as of August 2026

The core preparation advice remains to maintain portable evacuation supplies and a larger household stockpile. Tokyo’s current English-language preparedness resources continue to promote everyday stockpiling and planning for approximately one week at home.

Disaster information systems can change. In 2026, the Japan Meteorological Agency published information about revised disaster-weather messaging, including English material. That update affects how residents interpret warnings, not the basic need for water, food, sanitation, medicine, and backup power.

Before relying on an old printed guide, check:

The latest Japan Meteorological Agency information
Your municipality’s current hazard map and evacuation pages
Your building’s emergency plan
Current instructions for medicine, batteries, fuel, and stored food

A practical 60-minute setup plan

You can create a workable first version today and improve it later. Use this order:

Choose one backpack and one home-storage area.
Put medicine, a flashlight, charging equipment, masks, cash, and identification copies in the bag.
Calculate seven days of water for the household using three liters per person per day as the planning figure.
Count seven days of food, including options that need no heat.
Calculate portable-toilet use for every household member.
Add dietary, medical, baby, disability, and pet supplies.
Bookmark official multilingual information and write essential contacts on paper.
Set two review dates each year.

Do not wait for a perfect kit. The most important next step is concrete: separate a carryable bag from your one-week household supplies, then test whether both still work during a power and water outage.

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