Hey everyone! It’s Zundamon, nanoda!
Today, September 1st, is Disaster Prevention Day, nanoda.
It’s the day when summer ends and our mood kinda shifts…
And it’s actually the best day to review your ‘preparedness’, nanoda.
But to be honest, I didn’t know anything about disaster preparedness, nanoda.
So today, I asked the most logical member of Zunda Union, Shikoku Metan, to be my teacher, nanoda!
Metan: “Oh my. It’s rare to see you bringing up disaster preparedness, Zundamon.”
Me: “I’m going to study hard today, nanoda! I even brought a notebook, nanoda!”
Metan: “…Let’s get started while that notebook is still blank.”
🗓 So, What is “Disaster Prevention Day” Anyway, nanoda?
Metan: “September 1st is Disaster Prevention Day. It was established in 1960 to commemorate the Great Kanto Earthquake, which occurred on September 1, 1923.”
An event from over 100 years ago became this special day… nanoda.
Metan: “That’s not all. This is also typhoon season. On the old calendar, it’s known as ‘Nihyaku-tōka,’ a day when people have traditionally been wary of wind-related disasters.”
Metan: “Also, August 30th to September 5th is ‘Disaster Prevention Week.’ It’s more logical to review your preparations over the course of a week rather than trying to finish it all today.”
There’s a whole week, nanoda!?
So I can just do the bag contents today, contact info tomorrow… and take it one step at a time, nanoda~.
Metan: “Exactly. The worst thing you can do is try to do it all perfectly in one day, and end up doing nothing.”
That hits a little too close to home, nanoda…
🌱 Just a Quick Word as Friends from Tohoku
Zunda Union has a lot of members with roots in the Tohoku region, nanoda.
So, talking about “preparedness” is a little bit special for us, nanoda.
Zunko-sama: “I’ve never once forgotten what happened in March of 2011.”
Zunko-sama: “But, you know… I don’t want to leave it as just a sad memory. I want to turn it into the strength to protect someone next time.”
Yeah.
So this article isn’t meant to make you feel down, nanoda.
If you can get just one more thing prepared today, that’s enough, nanoda 💚
🎒 Emergency Go-Bag Checklist, nanoda
Teacher Metan laid out all the contents of her emergency go-bag on the table for me, nanoda.
Metan: “The goal is to ‘survive the first three days on your own.’ What I’ve laid out here is roughly for one person.”
You can print this out, or just use your phone to check what you have at home, nanoda!
🍙 Food & Drink
- Drinking water (aim for 3L per person per day, for 3 days)
- 3 days’ worth of emergency food (instant rice, canned goods, crackers, nutritional supplements, etc.)
- Paper plates, disposable chopsticks, plastic wrap (to reduce the need for washing dishes, nanoda)
🔦 Light, Information, & Power
- Flashlight (ideally one per person)
- Mobile battery + charging cables
- Portable radio (hand-crank or battery-powered)
- Spare batteries
🩹 Health & Safety
- Personal medications & a copy of your prescription record
- First-aid kit (band-aids, antiseptic, bandages)
- Masks, alcohol sanitizer, wet wipes
- Work gloves, thick socks, raincoat
- Portable toilet (aim for 5 uses per person per day, for 3 days)
💰 Valuables & Records
- Cash (with plenty of coins. You can’t use cashless payments during a power outage, nanoda)
- Copies of your ID and health insurance card
- A paper memo with contact info for family and friends
🧸 Nice-to-Haves
- Large towel, emergency thermal blanket
- Plastic bags (various sizes)
- Permanent marker, duct tape
- A favorite snack, a small stuffed animal, a book you’re reading
Me: “That last one is a disaster prep item, nanoda?”
Metan: “Surprising, isn’t it? But during an evacuation, a sense of ’normalcy’ protects your spirit. It’s equipment to keep your morale from breaking. A very logical choice.”
Metan, you’re so cool, nanoda…
🍡 Can Zunda Mochi Be Emergency Food, nanoda?
At this point, I came up with an invention that will go down in human history, nanoda.
Me: “Metan! Let’s put zunda mochi in the emergency food stash, nanoda!”
Metan: “Rejected.”
Me: “Why not, nanoda~!?”
Metan: “Because it doesn’t keep. Fresh zunda paste won’t even last half a day at room temperature. It’ll just turn into a disaster at the bottom of your go-bag.”
N-No way…
But after thinking for a moment, Metan said this, nanoda.
Metan: “…Vacuum-sealed mochi blocks, sugar, and dried edamame would keep, though.”
Metan: “You can just make zunda mochi with those on the day you get power and hot water back. Preparing for the ‘day you can return to your usual flavors’ is a fine form of preparedness, too.”
Metan…!
You really are kind, nanoda~! 💚
🔁 I Started a Rolling Stock, nanoda
Metan: “The reason your emergency food is five years past its expiration date is because you lock it away in a ‘special box’.”
Oof, that stings, nanoda.
That’s when Metan taught me about the rolling stock method, nanoda.
- Buy a little extra of the canned goods, retort pouches, and snacks you normally eat.
- Eat the oldest items first as part of your regular meals.
- Buy more to replace what you’ve eaten.
- Go back to step 1.
That’s all there is to it, nanoda!
- Keep an extra 3-day supply of canned goods and retort pouches.
- Arrange your storage so the “oldest items are at the front.”
- Check all the expiration dates once every six months.
Metan: “It’s hard to keep up with special tasks, but anyone can manage to do a little extra of what they normally do, right?”
You’re a genius, nanoda…!
By the way, I started my rolling stock with zunda-flavored snacks, nanoda.
…It’s a secret that they were all gone in three days, nanoda.
📞 Decide on Communication Methods, nanoda
This is actually the part that Metan said was most important, nanoda.
Metan: “During a disaster, you should assume phone lines won’t work. Preparedness means making plans based on the assumption you won’t be able to connect.”
Here’s what we decided at Zunda Union, nanoda.
- Decide on one method to report your safety to family and friends (e.g., Disaster Emergency Message Dial 171, disaster message boards, social media).
- Decide on two “meeting places” (e.g., a nearby evacuation shelter and a relative’s house farther away).
- Write down important contact info on paper and carry it with you (so you’re okay even if your phone battery dies, nanoda).
- Actually walk the route to your evacuation shelter at least once.
- Secure your furniture and check the safety of the area where you sleep.
Metan: “That last item may seem minor, but it’s incredibly effective. Remove anything from around your bed that could fall on you in the middle of the night. That alone can change your survival rate.”
Me: “I have a mountain of zunda mochi by my pillow, nanoda!”
Metan: “…That would probably be fine even if it fell on you.”
💚 Today’s Summary, nanoda
Teacher Metan’s lesson was super easy to understand, nanoda!
- September 1st is Disaster Prevention Day. August 30th to September 5th is Disaster Prevention Week, nanoda
- The goal is to ‘survive the first three days on your own,’ nanoda
- Your emergency go-bag needs water, food, light, power, medicine, cash, and a portable toilet, nanoda
- With a rolling stock, you can prepare just by doing your regular shopping, nanoda
- Decide on communication methods and meeting places ‘assuming you won’t be able to connect,’ nanoda
You don’t have to do everything today, nanoda.
Just do one thing today. That’s what’s most important, nanoda.
You can see the profile for my teacher, Metan, on the Shikoku Metan page, nanoda.
Me, the student, am on the Zundamon page, and all our members are introduced on the Character Introduction page, nanoda!
If you have any of your own preparedness tips, I’d love it if you’d secretly share them with us on X at @zunda_union, nanoda.
I hope everyone is safe and sound for next year’s Disaster Prevention Day.
This was Zundamon, nanoda~! 🌱