Emergency and safety

Finding a doctor who speaks your language

JNTO's directory lets you search by language, speciality and location. Bring your passport whether or not you have travel insurance — most hospitals expect payment in full, by cash or card, at the time of treatment.

If an earthquake hits

Protect your head first and get under a desk or away from anything that can fall. Do not run outside until the shaking stops — Japanese buildings are engineered for this and indoors is safer. In a lift, press every floor button and get out at the first one that opens. If you are on the coast and the shaking is strong, move to high ground without waiting for a warning.

Safety tips disaster alert app

A free app from the Japan Tourism Agency that pushes earthquake, tsunami and weather warnings in your language. Install it before you arrive — the earthquake early warning it carries reaches you seconds before the shaking, and ahead of any Japanese-language broadcast.

Lost property

Japan returns lost items at a rate that surprises most visitors. On a train, contact the railway's lost property centre; in a shop or venue, ask there; on the street, try the nearest koban (police box). Items are transferred to the police after a few days, so it is still worth asking even a week later. If you lose your passport, file a report at a koban and take the receipt to your own embassy or consulate.

Your own embassy or consulate

Your first call for a lost or stolen passport, an arrest, or a serious accident. Contact details differ by country and change over time, so look yours up on your own foreign ministry's site before you travel and write the number down. Most countries run a separate 24-hour emergency line.

JNTO Japan Visitor Hotline

The official multilingual line for any travel trouble — accidents, sudden illness, lost items, disaster guidance. If you do not know which number to call, start here.

24 hours, every day