SAFETY

What to Do in an Emergency in Japan

You're unlikely to need any of this — but it's much easier to read calmly now than to look it up while something is actually happening.

The numbers to know

For an ambulance, call 119. For police, call 110. Operators may have limited English, but stay on the line — many dispatch centers can connect a three-way interpretation service. Staying calm and clearly stating the nature of the emergency and your location helps more than anything else in the first moment.

For non-emergencies

The #7119 emergency consultation hotline is available in English in Tokyo and a growing number of other prefectures, and helps you decide whether a symptom needs urgent care and which type of clinic to visit. Coverage isn't nationwide yet — if you're somewhere it doesn't reach, hotel staff or a nearby pharmacy are good first points of contact.

Travel insurance matters here more than you might think. Japan doesn't have universal free emergency care for non-residents — an ambulance ride and hospital treatment can be billed, sometimes substantially. Having insurance sorted before a trip, not after something happens, is the one piece of preparation worth doing in advance.

Passport, legal issues, or a serious situation

For anything involving your embassy or consulate — a lost passport, a legal issue, an arrest, a serious medical emergency — contact your own country's embassy or consulate in Japan directly. Search "[your country] embassy Tokyo" or check your government's travel-advisory site for current contact details, since these can change.

If you feel a strong earthquake

Japan is seismically active, and earthquakes of noticeable strength are a normal part of life there, not a rare event. Move away from windows and anything that could fall; if you're indoors, protect your head and neck — getting under a sturdy table if one is nearby — rather than immediately running outside. If you're near the coast and the shaking is strong or prolonged, move to higher ground promptly rather than waiting for an official tsunami warning, since a real warning can arrive after the time to act safely has passed. Hotels and train stations post evacuation routes — worth a glance on arrival rather than only in the moment.

Tabimado's AI concierge is built to answer exactly these kinds of questions clearly and without unnecessary alarm, in your own language, once the app is live.