Tokyo is the world’s most populous metropolitan area with over 35 million people. It has been the largest city in the world for decades and will retain this status until at least 2025 according to population data from the United Nations.

Tokyo is also the world’s largest metropolitan economy with a GDP of USD1.479 trillion at purchasing power parity in 2008, ahead of New York City and larger than many major countries.

Tokyo also boasts head quarters of 51 of the Fortune Global 500 companies, the highest concentration of any city in the world.

Sumida-ku area is a traditional shopping, entertainment and residential district of Tokyo. Currently, the area is being reviewed for use as the distribution system in time of disaster using the canal network. It is also home to Tokyo’s latest landmark building, Tokyo Sky Tree.

Construction of Tokyo Sky Tree will finish in December 2012.  At a final height of 634 meters it will become the highest radio tower in the world. Sumida ward office projects that visitors to Tokyo Sky Tree area will reach 5.5million per year. The economic effect is expected to be as much as USD 1billion per year. The grand opening is slated for spring 2012.

In 2006, the master plan issued by Tokyo mentions the importance of the canals and river system in Sumida-ku from the stand-point of tourism and as the distribution system in times of disaster. However much of the canal system had been buried over time as the expansion of land transportation made it obsolete.  It has been determined that this canal network and transportation will be essential in the event of a major earthquake.

Many of the canals have been redeveloped with wharves, water parks, commercial and residential projects.  This redevelopments is in a sense a re-birth of Tokyo. In the Edo-period when the canal system was used extensively Tokyo known as the ‘City of Water’.

Reference: 東京計画地図　（編：東京都市研究会）

Given the risks though it is always smart to be prepared. Identifying potential hazards ahead of time and advance planning can greatly reduce the dangers of serious injury or loss of life from an earthquake.  Here is a short list of activities you can do right now to make your family better prepared and safer in your new home in Japan.

Having a Plan

One of the most important things you can do for your family to prepare for an earthquake is to have a plan.  Your plan should include the following:

1.         Centralize important information: Create a binder of home and cell numbers of anyone important in your life including work, school, neighbors, friends, friends who speak Japanese, building manager, relocation company, doctors and vets.  This list should also include the phone numbers of friends and relatives outside of Japan.

Include a list of hospital names and addresses (with maps).  Photocopy all passports, alien registration cards, immunizations, medical insurance, driver’s licenses, insurance policy, etc… and place inside the binder.  You should also consider emailing a scanned copy of these documents to a trusted family member outside of Japan for safekeeping.

Important info:  to call emergency, dial 119

Medical information services in English: 03-5285-8181

2.         Create a family evacuation plan and go over it with all members of the family. You should establish family meeting points with alternative sites in case your original site is not safe.  Designate a person outside of Japan to be the coordinator of information – it may be the case that local calls in Japan won’t go through but you can call internationally.  Have all family members know to call this person to report their location and condition.

3.         Stock up on supplies.  If a large earthquake were to occur closer to Tokyo, it is possible you may be without water and electricity for some time.  It is also possible that you will not have access to ATM machines and that gas for your car may be hard to come by.

• water supply of 4 liters per person per day for 10 days
• food supply for one week (food that doesn’t need to be cooked)
• cash on hand – between 50,000 and 100,000 yen
• keep your car filled with gas at all times

4.         Earthquake Kits – pre-made kits are available for purchase at http://www.quakekare.com/earthquake.html, or you can put your own together from the following list.  All of these supplies can be found at Tokyu Hands and/or Daiei.

• fireproof backpack to carry all the items
• band-aids, gauze, cotton, bandage
• masking tape, medical tape, scissors, tweezers
• towel, cloth to cover head or wrap wounds
• face mask, gloves
• bucket, rope
• waterproof flashlight
• batteries (and adapter for mobile phone)
• matches, candles
• ground cover, plastic bag, rain coat
• water

You should also consider adding these items;

• paper and pens
• toilet paper, liquid soap
• formula, diapers and wipes (for families with small children)
• copiers of your passports and alien registration cards
• cash

Depending upon how many people in your family, you may need to have several of these kits.  It’s a good idea to keep one in your car and the others at home close to the entry hall for easy access.

5.  Make your home safer now – there are many things you can do right now to make your home safer in case of an earthquake.

• purchase braces with spring poles to secure large furniture (these can be purchased at Daiei or Tokyu Hands
• keep low furniture in the bedrooms
• place a pair of shoes near each bed to use to escape
• arrange items on decks and patios carefully

What To Do If You Are In An Earthquake

When an earthquake strikes you may not always be at home in your known environment.  Here are some tips depending upon where you are:

Residential Neighborhood:  keep away from brick and stonewalls and vending machines.  Evacuate to nearest open area.

At the office:  protect your head, beware of bookshelves, and find a safe place in a corridor or lobby.  Do not go in an elevator, leave by the stairs.

At a supermarket or store:  cover your head and get clear of aisle displays.  Do not rush for the exit but leave calmly.  Do not use elevators.

Underground in a shopping center:  seek shelter near a wall or large pillar.  Do not panic.  Follow instructions to an exit.  In case of fire, crouch down, cover your nose and mouth with your clothing or a handkerchief and crawl along the wall to an exit – follow the direction of the smoke.

In a train:  the train may come to a sudden stop.  Do not attempt to exit the train through the windows or try to release the doors with the emergency door release handle.  Follow the directions of the conductor.  Underground is usually safer than above ground.

Outside on a shopping street:  protect your head with a bag or briefcase.  Take refuge in a safe building or open space.  Stay away from vending machines and wooden structures.  Stay away from fallen power lines.

Driving in a car:  slow down gently and pull over to the left hand side of the road and stop the engine.  Do not leave your car until the earthquake stops.  Listen to the radio for information.  When you leave the car, close the window and leave the key and the doors unlocked.

Important Links:

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Earthquake Survival Manual:

http://www.seikatubunka.metro.tokyo.jp/index3files/survivalmanual.pdf

Disaster Message Boards:  in times of emergencies, cell phone carriers allow customers to post messages so that others know of their situation:

http://mb.softbank.jp/scripts/english/disaster_message/index.jsp

http://www.au.kddi.com/english/notice/saigai_dengon/index.html

http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/info/disaster/

Great news this month on the transportation front for central Tokyo residents. It was announced that a new breed of Keisei Sky Liner, the ‘Narita Sky Access’ will cut the time from Nippori Station to Narita Terminal 2 from 51 minutes to a mere 36 minutes. That’s a 15 minute improvement, for those of you averse to counting.

This makes for great press because Tokyo is widely seen as being inconveniently far away from it’s airport. But it doesn’t change the fact that Nippori is still pretty far North, although I suppose you could technically call it central Tokyo (if you really wanted to). But it’s still 23 minutes from Shinjuku and 30 minutes away from Shibuya by train, so you’re still looking at a full hour to get from the airport to the true heart of central Tokyo.

The fact remains that Tokyo is just really, REALLY big. And for the vast majority of people who live here, long trips to the airport are going to be a fact of life. If you live outside of the city’s 23 special municipalities, it’s going to be even longer. Consider the chart below which shows the distribution of most of the city’s population. Tokyo has about 13 million people, 8 million of which live in the 23 ‘ku’. Even for those in the center, the train ride is still quite long.

But every little bit helps, right? ’36 minutes’ does make for great headlines though! Ah well. There’s always Haneda…

Keisei.co.jp

Their new International Terminal is set to open in October and a few lucky visitors managed to get a sneak peek recently at how things have progressed at Haneda. I have to admit that it does appear pretty slick from the looks of things. The folks over at The Japan Times captured some video, so I’ll repost it here so that you can see things for yourself firsthand.

There is an area on the fourth floor that recreates a street from the Edo period. Clearly aimed at promoting Japan’s history and culture to tourists, it might be deemed a little extravagant by many. But hey, how many new airports these days don’t splurge on a little extravagance?

The new terminal’s opening is timed in parallel with the opening of Haneda’s fourth runway on October 21, which will accommodate more international flights for the airport. The terminal is five stories tall with a number of stores and restaurants to accommodate travelers. According to the folks over on Japan Probe the terminal also has quick access to Tokyo’s monorail, as they’re within about one minute on foot from the check-in counters.

by By Nam2@7676 on Flickr

Cross-section of Tokyo Sky Tree

Tokyo Sky Tree, set to be completed in 2011, has already claimed the title as Japan’s tallest building. This is no small architectural feat. From a layman’s point of view, one of the first things that comes to mind is the dangers of erecting such a tall structure in an location prone to so much seismic activity.

Certainly every structure must prepare for and guard against possible earthquakes, but Tokyo Sky Tree is one of the few mega-structures that is guaranteed to see them regularly.

Measuring in at 634 meters high, Tokyo Sky Tree is (like most structures that surpass the 600 meter mark) a broadcasting tower. It will have a restaurant and observation deck as well, but functionally it’s a broadcasting structure.

It will be a welcome addition to the Tokyo landscape, which some assert doesn’t really have an abundance of remarkable or iconic landmarks. You can bet that moving forward, Tokyo Sky Tree will become every bit as much a symbol of Tokyo as the Orient Pearl Tower is the icon of Shanghai.

Even though Tokyo Sky Tree is still not finished, both tourists and locals alike are flocking to Oshiage for a look. The structure will officially open to the public in the year 2012.

Ranked against other world structures, Tokyo Sky Tree comes just behind the Burj Khalifa, which measures an astounding 828 meters tall.

One wonders how much further the limits of human architecture can be pushed, because it seems that in recent years the title of the world’s tallest structure only lasts a few years before someone declares intentions to build something even bigger.

Wikipedia has an interesting photo gallery available for those who would like a glimpse of the ongoing construction process. For something a bit prettier, here’s a wonderful picture taken of the Sky Tree from Flickr user Doala:

Tokyo Sky Tree, from Doala on Flickr

As the population of Japan sees itself faced with an aging crisis, many are starting to realize that old traditions are also in danger of being lost. I was pleased to see that one blogger has taken it upon herself to do something about it, by blogging in English and telling the world about kimono culture in Japan.

She goes by the name of Shimo on her blog, which is titled (perhaps for search engine purposes?) ‘How to find Kimono in Tokyo‘. She features a ton of information about kimono for those who would like to learn more about that sort of thing. There are lots of photos on the website too if you enjoy visuals.

Shino even featured a prominent Kimono expert on her blog, who was (somewhat surprisingly) from the Netherlands, Berber Misuchi. Incidentally, she too has a kimono blog called Kimono and Kitsuke with an equally staggering amount of info.

Do you know of any other people or websites that are attempting to preserve endangered aspects of Japanese culture via the internet? Please share your links in the comments if you know of any.

But here’s one video that stands out among all the others. At least, it stands out to me. Entitled ‘Hayaku’, it’s more than just footage of Tokyo, but it also includes shots from Matsuyama, Imabari, Nagano, Gifu, and Ishizushisan. The camera motions are very impressive here, and I guess because I’m not a photographer I’m left here wondering how you can maintain such a steady, slow pan that still looks good once the movie is sped up later. Surely it must be some kind of automated mechanical function on a really expensive tripod, I guess.

Check out the Herzon-ish rolling clouds towards the middle of the clip, as well as the zippy boats quickly skimming the across the harbor at the end. All in all, this is a very beautiful clip. Shot with a Canon 5D.

• JETRO’s How to set up a business in Japan
• Nagoya International Center’s outline of setting up a business
• wa-pedia’s Setting up a business in Japan
• Danny Choo’s explanation of sole proprietorship
• Japan Guide on sole proprietorship

But by far one of the most thorough explanations is one recently posted by Michael Werneburg, describing in great detail how he launched the online business that he currently operates. Here’s a short excerpt:

[W]e started hunting for an engagement ring. We did the rounds of specialty stores in places like Ginza, Okachimachi, and Omotesando. But we also did a lot of research on the Internet—we’re that kind of couple.

What we found was surprising. Prices here in Japan were far higher than they were outside the country. And despite the high prices, we rarely met any sales staff who made it clear that they knew what they were talking about. Frequently, they couldn’t describe the qualities that set one stone apart from those around it. – How we built a business in Japan

Once Michael recognized the need, he started the wheels in motion to bringing these savings to customers here in Japan. In short the result is Caritas.co.jp, Michael’s new online engagement ring store. But for the longer and far more interesting version, drop over to his blog and give the entire post a read.

If you’re thinking of starting a business in Japan – particularly an online one – it’s a case study worth looking at for sure.

North Americans might find that getting a drivers license in Japan is especially daunting. It sometimes takes people months just to get accustomed to the reverse flow of traffic while walking. Driving is a different story, of course, and once you’ve been here for a while you should be able to graduate to a more high-powered mode of transport.

While Tokyo’s trains and buses are excellent, some people prefer a car for moving around their local area, so obtaining a driver’s license is key. Unfortunately, like many things in Japan, the rules for expats who aspire to drive here are always in flux so checking online for the most up-to-date tips and tricks is always a wise idea.

Here are a few websites that had some useful information that might help you on your quest to become king of the road, Japan style:

• Living in Japan Guide – Driving simulators: This is an interesting strategy that never would have occurred to me, but looking at it there’s no deny that it’s very clever. By plugging in the geographical coordinates of your local driving center (i.e. where you’ll be doing your road test in Japan) you can use various online driving simulators to do a few laps of the course before the day of your exam.
• The Japan FAQ – Japanese Road Signs: Of course, if you plan to take a Japanese road test you’ll have no other choice but to learn all the Japanese road signs. Other useful resources abound online so be sure to take advantage of them. The Shizuoka government has more than a few Japanese traffic signs listed on their website as well.
• Basic guidelines and information for driving in Japan: The e-Ibaraki Report has a good write-up outlining some details regarding driving in Japan. Rather than simply reprint that here, we encourage you to go check it out on their website. And, as you might expect, Wikipedia has a little information too.

If any of our readers out there have taken a Japanese driving test in recent years and wouldn’t mind sharing their experiences in the comments, I’m sure it would be a great help to many.

Picture via mcbbutler

In the interests of getting your Japanese up to speed both before and after your arrival, studying up on your nihongo by listening to as much Japanese as you can is certainly a big help. Japanese TV is always a smart idea, but if you’re not in Japan yet you can always try radio. And to that end, we’re going to list out a few of our favorite online Japanese radio resources.

Until just recently finding Japanese radio on the net was a chore. But then radiko.jp came along, and suddenly everything was ok. If you haven’t tried this streaming radio web service, do be sure to check it out. There you can find an assortment of the most popular radio stations all in on place: TBS, Tokyo FM, and Nikkei just to name a few. And if you are still in Europe or North America, you should have a chance to hear to Japanese late night radio which is a little quieter and has a lot of talk radio shows which should improve your listening.

Besides radiko, there are a bunch of other solid resources out there as well, some of which you can bring into iTunes and create a playlist with:

• Jpop radio stations
• japangaku’s list of stations
• Japanese radio at radiotime

For those who aspire to record radio in iTunes for playback later on, you could try something like snowtape or audio hijack.

And of course there are always podcasts as well, which if you go into iTunes and enter the Japanese iTunes store, you’ll be sure to find more than a few.

Photo via Marcus Bollingmo on Flickr, CC license