How Japan's evacuation system works
Two things about Japan's system surprise most visitors: there are two different kinds of “evacuation place”, and each place is approved per disaster type.
Evacuation sites vs shelters
- Emergency evacuation sites (hinan-basho) — places you run to to survive the danger itself: parks, school yards, high ground.
- Shelters (hinan-jo) — facilities where you stay afterwards if you cannot return home: gyms, community centers.
Many facilities serve as both, but not all. NIGEDOKO shows emergency evacuation sites by default, and can also display stay shelters (white circles on the map).
One place, different answers per disaster
Evacuation sites are designated separately for floods, tsunami, earthquakes, landslides, storm surge and large fires. A school yard can be ✅ for earthquakes yet ❌ for floods because it sits in a flood-inundation zone. Nationally, about 40% of designated sites are not designated for floods. That is why NIGEDOKO makes you check by disaster tab — the right answer depends on what is happening.
Some low-lying municipalities (for example Edogawa City in Tokyo) register no flood evacuation sites at all: their official policy is to evacuate out of the area before a major flood. If you see “no sites designated” for floods, that can be why — follow municipal guidance.
The 5 alert levels
| Level 1–2 | Advisories. Check hazard maps and how you would evacuate |
|---|---|
| Level 3 | Elderly and those needing extra time evacuate from dangerous places |
| Level 4 | Evacuation order — everyone leaves dangerous places |
| Level 5 | Disaster is occurring or imminent. It may be too late to reach a site — take the safest action you can |
Level 4 is the deadline, not level 5. Level 5 is not always issued at all.
Quick tips for visitors
- Phones in Japan sound loud emergency alerts automatically — take them seriously.
- Evacuation signs use a green “running person” pictogram; tsunami signs show a wave with a person running uphill.
- Site names are in Japanese. Open NIGEDOKO, use your location, and show the screen to hotel staff or locals if you need directions.
Check the sites around where you're staying →
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⚠️ “No sites designated” does not mean a municipality is unprepared — wide-area evacuation or other local rules may apply. This is reference information from an independent free tool; in an actual disaster, always follow official alerts.
Sources: Cabinet Office (alert levels), Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (evacuation-site open data, aggregated by NIGEDOKO)