Tokyo – Travels With Matt Blog

What to Do If You Experience an Earthquake in Japan: A Traveler’s Guide

Japan is one of my favorite places in the world, but there is one reality every traveler should understand before visiting: Japan has earthquakes.

The recent earthquake in the Kumamoto area is another reminder of that.

On July 28, 2026, a powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan, reaching a magnitude of 7.1 and maximum intensity of 7 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale. The earthquake caused significant damage and disruption across the region.

That doesn’t mean you should cancel your first trip to Japan. Far from it.

But if you’re traveling to Japan for the first time, you should know what to do if the ground suddenly starts moving.

The good news is that Japan has extensive earthquake preparedness systems, early-warning technology and procedures designed around earthquakes. And as a traveler, there are a few simple things you can do to make the experience much less stressful.

The First Place You Return To

Every traveler has that place.

The one they find themselves returning to every single trip.

Not because it’s the biggest attraction. Not because it’s the most famous.

But because somewhere along the way, it became part of their story. For me, Japan has two of those places.

Tokyo, the Second Time Around

The first time you arrive in Tokyo, it hits all at once.

The size. The movement. The constant flow of people and sound and light. It’s exciting, but it’s also a lot to take in. You’re figuring things out in real time—how the trains work, where to go, how to move without getting in the way. Every step feels new, and every decision takes a little more effort than it should.

You’re in it, but you’re still adjusting.

The First Konbini Run in Japan

Every trip to Japan begins with a small ritual.

It doesn’t involve a famous temple or a well-known landmark.

It starts at a konbini, convenience store.

The First Train Ride After Landing in Tokyo

There’s a moment at the start of every trip to Japan when it suddenly feels real.

For me, that moment doesn’t happen at the airport.

It happens at the train station.

What 20,000 Steps a Day Does to Your Mind in Japan

One thing I didn’t fully understand before traveling to Japan was just how much walking I would do.

You hear people say it all the time. Bring comfortable shoes. You’ll walk more than you think. But it doesn’t really register until you’re there, moving through the cities day after day, watching the step count climb higher than it ever does at home.

Twenty thousand steps becomes normal.

And strangely enough, it never really feels like a burden.

A City That Made Me Miss Japan (For a Moment)

I didn’t expect to miss Japan while standing in the middle of Dublin, but it was fun experience.

The Day I Stopped Trying to See Everything in Japan

There was a moment in Japan when I realized I wasn’t trying to see everything anymore.

A Meal I Didn’t Plan in Japan

Some of the best moments in Japan are the ones you don’t plan.

This night in Shinjuku was one of them.

The Space Between Destinations

When people talk about travel in Japan, they usually talk about destinations.

Tokyo. Osaka. Kyoto. A specific temple, a neighborhood, a restaurant worth waiting in line for. Those places matter — but the longer I spend in Japan, the more I realize that the parts that stay with me live in between.

What I Learned by Staying Longer in Japan

Most trips are built around highlights.

You arrive with a list, move quickly, and measure success by how much you managed to see before it was time to leave. That approach works, especially in a place like Japan where every city feels dense with experiences. But on my two-week trip in 2025, something different happened — not because I saw more, but because I stayed long enough for the country to stop feeling new.

I spent a full week in Osaka. Not hopping between cities. Not treating it as a base for day trips. Just staying. And that decision quietly changed everything.

A Neighborhood I Didn’t Plan to Love

Some places win you over immediately. Others do it quietly, without asking for attention. Yanaka-Ginza was the second kind.

I didn’t arrive there with expectations. It wasn’t high on any list, wasn’t framed as a must-see, wasn’t something I had been imagining before the trip. It was simply a stop along the way, a neighborhood I was passing through rather than aiming for. A tour to get away from Shibuya and the neon-light streets, a change of pace.

And maybe that’s why it stayed with me.