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Landslide risk?
Hey everyone. New to living in Tokyo (Shinjuku-ku) as of this week. NERV keeps giving me alerts about heavy rain and la… Edit: thanks to a helpful commenter I have found the hazard map now! Thank you!
Hey everyone. New to living in Tokyo (Shinjuku-ku) as of this week. NERV keeps giving me alerts about heavy rain and landslide risk, saying that people are being encouraged to evacuate if their area is at risk of a landslide:
"The situation has become dangerous enough to require evacuation (equivalent to a Level 4 "Evacuation Order"). If you live in an area prone to landslides, such as near a cliff or at the mouth of a valley, please evacuate as soon as possible. Please pay attention to the latest information, such as evacuation advisories issued by local municipalities."
How would I know if my area is prone to landslides or if an evacuation advisory is issued? I assume it's not a blanket instruction for the whole of Shinjuku-ku but I can't seem to find any more specific information about which areas are affected. Thanks to anyone who can put my mind at ease - I don't really know what I should be doing!
The NERV alerts are intentionally broad because they're triggered by regional weather data, not local conditions. The actual evacuation orders from Shinjuku Ward come through their official disaster email system or the loudspeaker trucks, and they'll name specific chome or even street intersections. You can sign up for the ward's multilingual disaster email on their website, it's more useful than the generic alerts.
One thing people don't always realize is that Tokyo has thousands of designated "landslide danger spots" that are mapped and inspected regularly. Even if you're near a slope, many of those spots have had reinforcement work done. The real risk areas are the unimproved natural slopes in places like the ravine near Ochiai or the steep cuts along the Kanpachi-dori area. If you're in a newer building on flat ground near Yotsuya or the station, the alerts are just informational.
Your building manager or real estate agent should have a disaster preparedness card with your specific evacuation site. It's usually a school or park within a few blocks. Just knowing which one it is will save you the panic of figuring it out during an actual emergency.
fwiw the hazard map is great but also check the "土砂災害警戒区域" signs posted on utility poles and building walls around your neighborhood. they're small yellow or white signs with a map showing the specific danger zone boundaries for that block. shinjuku has them everywhere near the sloping parts of ochiai and nakai, but you won't see them much around yotsuya or the station area
for the actual evacuation orders, the ward's disaster prevention app (shinjuku bosai) sends push notifications in english down to the chome level. it's way more specific than NERV and it'll tell you exactly which streets are being asked to move. the loudspeaker trucks are in japanese only which is frustrating but the app has been reliable for me during the last few typhoons
one thing nobody mentioned - if you're in a newer concrete building with underground parking, those are usually built to handle heavy rain way better than the older wooden houses up in the hills. the landslide risk is mostly for the traditional housing on the slopes above nakai station, not the modern apartments near the main roads. still good to know your shelter location though, just in case
oh you already found the map good. one thing that might help - most combinis and apartments in tokyo have a little sticker or sign near the entrance showing your designated evacuation spot and the flood/landslide risk level for that specific block. check your building entrance or ask the management office
also worth knowing that the ku sends out those loudspeaker announcements in japanese only, but the disaster info app from tokyo metro (not NERV) has english push notifications for evacuation orders down to the chome level. i had it set up when i lived near higashi-nakano and it was way more specific than the generic NERV alerts
honestly if you're in the flatter part near shinjuku station or yotsuya you're prob fine, those alerts are mostly for the western hillside areas. just keep an eye on the ward's twitter or website during heavy rain, they post street-level updates there
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Where can I find crispy, pan-fried bacon similar to a certain international style?
if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping
kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.
tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.