How to pack a bug out bag, Japan style

On a sunny afternoon in March, after I’d wrapped up the school year at a Tokyo high school, I put the kettle on for tea in my kitchen in suburban Chiba Prefecture. Before it could boil, a tremor shook the building, and I turned the fire off. In the next moment, I braced myself in the kitchen doorway as the room changed shape, the building violently flexing. The din of crashing dishware, rattling everything, and the screaming of my neighbors was deafening. I kept saying to myself, “I’m not going to die.” When the main shake of the Tohoku Earthquake subsided, I dashed off a message on Facebook – “I’m sh*t scared, but I’m okay.” This was my first natural disaster experience. Was I prepared? Not really, and lucky to be far from the quake and tsumami's full fury.

I know that I should have prepared. After all, I come from Canada and live in Japan, and both countries are prone to seismic disasters, being located on the Ring of Fire. This region generates 90% of the world's earthquakes.

Japan is also a favorite target for typhoons. In autumn 2019, we experienced Typhoon Hagibis, a monster that battered the Kanto region and took nearlly 100 lives.

Tornados are a threat, too. Where I live, a tornado tore through southern Saitama Prefecture into northern Chiba Prefecture, shattering glass and ripping off roofs.

Prepare a Bug-Out Bag

My "bug-out" bag, emergency bag, carabiner and hair ties clipped on

My advice is prepare your own emergency bag. You can get ready made disaster bags, but I think it’s better to pack on your own. Your needs are specific to you, be you a family, a single person, female or male. It’s a good idea, too, to periodically go through the bag items to check for expiration dates, and know what, and how, you packed. You’ll need a nondescript bag, one that you can carry on your back, and is not enticing to thieves. Kids’ backpacks and book bags are good.

You've Already Got This

You’ll find lists of emergency bag contents all over the 'Net. NHK has a useful list of items for any disaster. You can even get most of your supply at a 100 yen shop. 

But you probably have the items on hand. I cobbled together much of my bag contents from around the house - lighters, sewing kit, bathroom bag, razors, bar soap, toilet paper, and the like.

And you'll need water proof packing. I buy brown rice in zip top bags and hoard them. With a sharpie, I wrote the contents on the bags.

Kitchen stuff

My thrifty lifestyle of furoshiki and recycled containers pays off. Furoshiki make good bags and even clothing and face masks in a pinch. Plastic containers and screw top aluminum bottles are good enough for the emergency bag.

Salad containers nested, holding supplies

Beyond the Bag

A lot of emergency bag lists suggest preparing a portable gas stove and cassette gas cylinders, food for three days, water, and amusements. These items require yet another bag. Keep a sturdy shopping bag or a few furoshiki with your bug-out bag for last minute packing for whatever you need to grab and go.

Furoshiki, first aid kit, and pouch with socks and undies

My kit is also digital. I photographed all my documents - bank books and cards, passport, zairyu card, employment contract, diplomas and degrees, and personal treasures. I keep the data on a USB drive in a waterproof bag. 

Have you prepared an emergency bag?