Five years have passed since the July 2018 Heavy Rains, and some people may be letting their awareness of disaster preparedness fade.
However, Japan remains a country prone to disasters due to its geology and climate, and news of earthquakes and floods from across the country is seemingly endless.
On November 23, 2023, Kurashiki City held an outdoor event, “Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair,” at Mizushima Central Park, where people could learn about disaster preparedness while having fun.
Here is an introduction to disaster-preparedness initiatives undertaken by government agencies and private companies that were featured at the “Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair.”
The information presented was current when this article was published in December 2023. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is the Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair?
What is an outdoor event where people can learn about disaster preparedness while having fun like?
Here is an overview of the “Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair.”
Overview of the Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair
The “Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair” was held at Mizushima Central Park on November 23, 2023.
This event focused on disaster preparedness and featured booths not only from organizations involved in disaster response, such as fire departments and the Self-Defense Forces, but also from private companies.
Forty-nine booths were set up throughout Mizushima Central Park, showcasing disaster-preparedness initiatives based on each organization’s activities and business.
There were also activities such as experiencing water being sprayed from a fire engine, and every booth was designed to help visitors learn about disaster preparedness while having fun.
The venue was bustling with families, and approximately 15,000 people visited.
Purpose of the Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair
Five years have passed since the July 2018 Heavy Rains, and awareness of disaster preparedness is beginning to fade.
For this reason, Kurashiki City has continued to hold events to raise awareness of disaster preparedness in order to protect residents from disasters.
Past public-awareness activities on disaster preparedness have included lectures and drills, but the city wanted more people to learn about disaster preparedness.
The “Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair” was planned with the aim of helping people learn about disaster preparedness while having fun, so that people from diverse backgrounds would turn their attention to disaster preparedness.
Features of the 2023 Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair
The first Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair was held at Kurashiki Mirai Park in November 2022.
For its second year in 2023, the venue was moved to Mizushima Central Park with the aim of raising disaster-preparedness awareness throughout Kurashiki City.
Mizushima was selected as the host location as a first step toward sharing information across the entire city.
Another feature of the 2023 Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair was the participation of food vendors.
During the July 2018 Heavy Rains, food vendors, including food trucks, came to evacuation shelters as volunteers and served meals.
In 2022, Kurashiki City also signed an agreement with the Japan Food Truck Association, a general incorporated association, establishing a system that allows food trucks to enter evacuation shelters during disasters.
The “Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair” invited food vendors to participate so that visitors could experience what meals might be like during a disaster.
A firsthand report from the Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair
I visited the “Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair” to learn about disaster preparedness.
Along with scenes from the venue, I’ll introduce some of the exhibits and booths.
Fire engines unique to Mizushima
Entering the venue through the south entrance of Mizushima Central Park, visitors are greeted by a large fire engine.
The vehicle on display closest to the entrance was a type called a large chemical fire engine.
This fire engine is dispatched to fires at oil complexes and is equipped with special equipment designed for fires at factories where enormous quantities of hazardous materials are stored.
A large high-angle water tower fire engine and a foam concentrate transport vehicle were also on display, bringing together fire engines unique to a disaster-preparedness event held in Mizushima.
Fire engine water-spraying experience
Visitors could hold a hose extending from a fire engine and spray water at a target.
The nozzle, which shoots out a powerful stream of water, is like a giant water gun to children. It may well appeal to their playful side.
Many families lined up to try the water-spraying experience.
Giant trucks active in disaster-stricken areas
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force displayed a giant vehicle used to transport supplies and for other purposes.
The “3 1/2-ton truck,” with its high load capacity, plays an important role in delivering relief supplies to disaster-stricken areas during emergencies.
Its tires, which are about as tall as a child, are impressive.
The area was full of children enjoying the view from the driver’s seat.
Learning about the relationship between space development and disaster preparedness
KDDI Corporation, a telecommunications company, introduced Starlink, a satellite broadband internet service developed by the American company SpaceX.
During disasters, communications infrastructure such as terrestrial base stations may be damaged, making it impossible to deliver information via ground-based facilities.
A key feature of communications via space is that it allows contact with disaster-stricken areas regardless of the damage on the ground.
An internet connection is possible as long as you have an antenna for communicating with satellites and a power source.
It turns out that space development, which we might have thought had nothing to do with our daily lives, can be used as communications infrastructure to protect our lives during disasters.
Disaster-preparedness activities by a tobacco manufacturer
Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) displayed a diorama made of cardboard depicting the terrain of Kurashiki City as a whole. Using the diorama, they explained the risks of disasters associated with different types of terrain, focusing on flooding, landslides, earthquakes, and tsunamis.
Because the terrain is visible, visitors can intuitively understand the dangers of flooding, liquefaction, landslides, and tsunamis.
JT runs the “Rethink PROJECT” nationwide, working with local communities to address social issues related to disasters, the environment, and inequality.
In the field of disaster preparedness, JT holds disaster-preparedness classes using cardboard dioramas and continues awareness-raising activities to foster a sense of self-help (protecting your own life yourself).
“Iza! Kaeru Caravan!”: Learn about disaster preparedness while having fun
“Iza! Kaeru Caravan!” is an activity where children can learn about disaster preparedness while having fun.
The Caterpillar Smoke Evacuation Time Trial, in which participants get inside a loop like a caterpillar track and race against the clock as they roll forward, is an event designed to help them learn how to evacuate through smoke produced during a fire.
Other activities included an event where participants made a simple stretcher from a blanket and a card game for learning about disaster preparedness.
In 2005, ten years after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, “Iza! Kaeru Caravan!” was launched to ensure that the lessons learned from the disaster would not fade away.
Since its first event in Kobe, the program has spread nationwide, offering people the chance to experience disaster preparedness while having fun.
Theatrical disaster-preparedness learning
Kurashiki City College’s Children’s Theater performed the puppet show “After the Rain at Amefuri Pond.” Through the puppet show, university students teach children the importance of disaster preparedness.
Visitors could also get a close-up look at activities rarely encountered in everyday life, such as drone-based disaster rescue operations and rescue demonstrations by the fire department’s rescue team.
Visiting the Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair
Before visiting the “Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair,” I couldn’t imagine what an outdoor disaster-preparedness event would be like.
When I actually went, I saw various organizations and companies working on disaster preparedness from a wide range of perspectives.
Disaster preparedness encompasses many systems that protect our lives when disasters strike.
It was an opportunity to learn how our lives are protected by society as a whole.
Articles about the Kurashiki Disaster Preparedness Fair
FY2023 Kurashiki Disaster Prevention Fair Information
| Name | FY2023 Kurashiki Disaster Prevention Fair |
|---|---|
| Date | November 23, 2023 (Thursday, national holiday) 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. |
| Location | Mizushima Central Park |
| Admission (tax included) | Free |
| Website | Kurashiki Disaster Prevention Fair |
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