What should I do if an earthquake happens during my trip to Japan?

Drop, cover, and hold on during the shaking. Once it stops, don't assume you can simply return to your hotel — trains often halt system-wide for safety inspections, and stores may close due to power outages. Head to the nearest designated evacuation shelter instead, where local residents gather and help each other figure out next steps like contacting accommodations or finding food and water.

Do trains stop running after an earthquake in Japan?

Yes. After a strong tremor, train operators typically halt all service along an entire line for safety inspections, not just the affected section. This can take hours, so you may not be able to simply ride back to your hotel right away.

Does Google Maps show earthquake evacuation shelters in Japan?

No. Japan's designated evacuation shelters are a separate, government-maintained dataset from Japan's Geospatial Information Authority (GSI), and are not included in Google Maps' point-of-interest data.

Should tourists walk back to their hotel after an earthquake in Japan?

Not immediately. Without working transit, open stores, or knowledge of which streets are safe, walking toward a familiar location can put visitors further from help rather than closer to it. The standard approach is to go to the nearest designated shelter first, where information and assistance tend to concentrate.

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Travel prep

What to Do If an Earthquake Hits During Your Trip to Japan

Japan is one of the safest countries in the world to visit — but it's also one of the most seismically active. If you're planning a trip, an earthquake is one of the few genuinely unpredictable risks you'll encounter, and most travel guides skip it entirely. This guide covers exactly what to do, in plain English, without the panic.

Is Japan actually dangerous because of earthquakes?

No — and yes, in a specific way. Japan's building codes, early-warning systems, and disaster infrastructure are among the best in the world. Small tremors happen constantly and are rarely dangerous. The real risk for tourists isn't the shaking itself; it's not knowing what to do or where to go in the rare event of a large quake, especially in a country where you don't speak the language and don't know the neighborhood.

Locals grow up doing earthquake drills in school. Visitors usually have none of that context. That gap — not the earthquake risk itself — is the thing worth preparing for.

Before your trip: 3 things worth doing in advance

Know the difference between a tremor and a warning. Japan's Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system pushes alerts to phones seconds before major shaking starts. If your phone buzzes with an unfamiliar alarm tone, that's it — drop, cover, hold on, immediately.
Save offline information. Don't rely on finding a signal or a working search engine mid-event. Bookmark or screenshot the nearest evacuation points around your hotel and any area you'll be spending a lot of time in.
Set your phone's emergency settings. iPhones and Android phones sold internationally can usually still receive Japan's J-Alert emergency broadcasts once you're on a local network — check this is enabled before you land.

During an earthquake: the actual steps

Indoors: Get under a sturdy table or against an interior wall, away from windows and tall furniture. Don't run outside during the shaking — falling glass and signage are a bigger risk than the building itself in most modern Japanese construction, which is built to strict earthquake standards.
Outdoors: Move away from walls, vending machines, and power lines. Cover your head with a bag or jacket.
On a train: Trains in Japan are built to stop automatically during a strong quake. Stay seated, hold on, and wait for staff instructions — don't try to open doors yourself.
In a store or station: Staff are trained for this. Follow their direction rather than the crowd's instinct to bolt for the exit.

After the shaking stops: what actually happens next (and where you should go)

Here's what most guides don't tell you: the hour after a major quake is often more disruptive than the quake itself.

Trains and subways stop — and stay stopped. After a strong tremor, operators halt all trains for safety inspections along the entire line, not just the affected section. This can take hours. You may not be able to simply ride back to your hotel.
Stores and convenience stores close. Power outages, shelving damage, or staff being sent home mean the konbini you're used to relying on may be shuttered, sold out, or cash-only with long lines.
Walking back to your hotel alone isn't the safe default it feels like. Without transit, without shops open, and without knowing which streets or buildings are safe, wandering toward "somewhere familiar" can put you further from help, not closer to it.

This is why the standard advice in Japan isn't "get back to safety" — it's "get to the nearest designated shelter first." Shelters are where local residents gather, where municipal staff and volunteers set up support, and where people help each other sort out what to do next — whether that's contacting your hotel, finding water and food, or just waiting somewhere with other people until trains resume. You don't need to have a plan the moment the shaking stops. You need to know where to go so you can make a plan.

This is also the part Japan's formally designated national network of over 88,000 earthquake evacuation shelters （指定緊急避難場所）covers, across all 47 prefectures — specific, government-designated locations chosen for safety and capacity, not random parks. The problem for visitors: this data is scattered across prefectural government sites, mostly in Japanese, and Google Maps doesn't include it — it's a separate, government-maintained dataset, not something that shows up when you search "shelter near me." Even The Japan Times' own disaster preparedness guide advises knowing your evacuation routes in advance, on the assumption you won't be able to rely on your phone or a working search engine mid-disaster.

That's the specific gap QuakeShelter is built to close — a map you've already loaded, showing your nearest designated shelter, so getting there doesn't depend on a working search engine, an English-speaking stranger, or guessing. It's an independent, non-government tool built specifically for travelers, not a substitute for official alerts or on-the-ground instructions from staff or authorities. See your nearest shelter →

One design choice worth explaining: access has to be arranged before you land, not after. This mirrors how travel insurance works — once an event is happening, it's too late to buy coverage for it. Trying to browse, sign up, and pay for a new service in the minutes after a major quake, on a shaky connection, in a country whose infrastructure is likely under load, isn't realistic. Preparing a few minutes before your flight is.

The bottom line

You're extremely unlikely to experience a serious earthquake during a normal trip to Japan. But "unlikely" isn't "impossible," and the cost of five minutes of preparation before you leave is a lot lower than the cost of confusion during an actual event. Know the drop-cover-hold basics, know how your phone will alert you, and know — before you need to know — where your nearest evacuation point is.

If you just want the general prep information without needing the shelter map itself, there's also a free earthquake safety guide on the site covering emergency numbers and how to reach your embassy.

New to planning your trip? Start with our full Japan travel tips guide, covering visas, transport, connectivity, and everything else you need before you go. Getting ready for departure specifically? See the full Japan pre-departure packing checklist, which covers this alongside documents, connectivity, and what to pack vs. buy there. For the bigger picture on safety beyond earthquakes, see is Japan safe for tourists?

This article is independent travel information and is not affiliated with the Japanese government or Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI). Shelter location data is sourced from GSI's publicly available designated evacuation site dataset.