When you hear “disaster preparedness,” you may feel that you ought to do something, but honestly, it can be hard to know where to start.
Until now, I had been preparing in my own way based on bits and pieces of information I’d heard. Then I came across an event that seemed just right, so I went along.
Here, I’ll introduce what the event was like and some disaster-preparedness knowledge.
The information presented here was accurate when this article was published in June 2022. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What Is the Mabi Fureai Festival?
The Mabi Fureai Festival was organized by the Okayama Promotion Headquarters of Kokumin Kyosai coop and the Okayama Prefectural Workers’ Mutual Aid Cooperative, with the aim of helping people learn about disaster preparedness while having fun.
The venue was the Marbie Fureai Center in Yata, Mabi, Kurashiki City.
Local food vendors lined the outdoor parking area, while the remaining parking spaces, indoor lobby, and Take Hall hosted a variety of hands-on activities, exhibits, and stage events.
Fun Space
Take Hall, on the first floor inside the Marbie Fureai Center, is a spacious hall with nearly 1,000 seats at full capacity.
Disaster-preparedness performances were scheduled onstage throughout the day, and the hall area, with its movable seating removed, was filled with hands-on activity booths and exhibits.
Stage: Bosai Petit! Dance
When I arrived at the festival, the Bosai Petit! Dance was already underway.
Pit-kun, the mascot of Okayama Co-op, was dancing with members of Okayama University’s dance club.
Bosai Petit! Dance is a dance created through collaboration between industry, government, and academia: the corporate sector, represented by the Chugoku-Shikoku Regional Headquarters of Kokumin Kyosai coop (industry); Okayama City, a government agency (government); and Okayama University, an educational institution (academia).
The dance was created to teach people how to protect themselves immediately when an earthquake occurs. It incorporates the movements “get low, protect your head, don’t move”—the ShakeOut drill.
ShakeOut means “shake off the earthquake!” and is apparently an earthquake-preparedness drill developed in the United States.
Other memorable elements included holding hands with the person next to you to symbolize helping one another, and using slow, deliberate movements to help people learn the ShakeOut drill.
Making an Emergency Toilet from Cardboard
At the booth just inside the Take Hall entrance on the right-hand side facing the stage, people were making emergency toilets from cardboard and garbage bags.
Whenever I stopped by to take a look, children around elementary-school age were listening intently to the instructions as they made one.
As I watched without interrupting the children’s activity, I began to understand the basic design.
An emergency toilet has two main parts.
One part holds the garbage bag, and the other is the outer structure you sit on.
Some steps involve using a utility knife, but even children were able to make one on their own.
When a disaster actually happens, knowing how to make even a simple toilet can make a big difference to your peace of mind.
After seeing all the disaster-preparedness information later, I thought that perhaps I should have properly tried the activity myself instead of acting like an adult and letting the children have a turn.
Exhibits
In addition to the activity booths, there were exhibits in Take Hall.
Alongside displays of emergency supplies and food, one exhibit that caught my attention was called “The Earthquake Timetable.”
This exhibit by the Children’s Disaster Preparedness Network Okayama divided the period from immediately after an earthquake until the third day into five time periods.
Actions to take during each period were summarized in concise, easy-to-understand bullet points.
Another exhibit, “Always Imagine ‘What If’ Disasters,” presented what children learn in disaster-experience programs as questions framed around “what if” scenarios.
Both exhibits covered disaster-preparedness knowledge that children actually learn.
Looking at the displays, I reflected on whether there might be things the children knew that adults didn’t.
In particular, I was reminded that when it comes to taking action, whether we keep it in mind in our daily lives affects how we respond in a real situation.
There were exhibits in various places outside the hall, too, and every time I glanced at one, I found myself surprised: “Oh, really!”
Listening to my eldest daughter, a middle school student who came with me, explain even more was enough to make me realize just how little I knew.
Delicious Space
The parking area had a dining space in the center, with vendors set up around it.
Most were businesses operating locally in Mabi and Funao.
Among the many vendors, I’ll introduce Wohl Wollen, Coffee House Gojitoma, and Patisserie Le Vert.
Wohl Wollen
Wohl Wollen, a Western-style confectionery shop in Mabi, is known for the pointed roof shown in its illustration.
Two kinds of pie and cookies were displayed on the table, making a striking impression.
The item that immediately captured my heart was the chewy daifuku pie.
It combines representative sweets from Western and Japanese confectionery traditions.
I couldn’t help saying, “That’s unusual,” and the shop staff nodded and explained.
Believe it or not, what’s sticking out of the top of the pie is anko!
I love both Western and Japanese sweets, so I bought one without a second thought.
The pastry has a super-crispy texture that lives up to its fragrant aroma, followed by the chewy texture of the daifuku dough.
The anko sticking out of the pie brings the crispiness and chewiness together.
The three elements are perfectly balanced, making me eager to try the other sweets.
It made me want to visit the shop.
Coffee House Gojitoma
Even before heading to the festival, I was planning to try the hot coffee from Coffee House Gojitoma.
I asked for the 45th Blend, but was told that day it was only being used for iced café au lait.
I hesitated for a moment, but decided to try the 45th Blend beans.
The coffee’s deep flavor holds its own against the milk. Even after drinking it, the beans’ flavor and aroma lingered and rose through my nose.
It was around the time the sun briefly peeked through the lightly overcast sky.
With the sunlight making me feel almost sweaty, I wanted to savor it slowly, but before I knew it, I had finished it in no time.
The coffee’s aftertaste lingered, making me look forward even more to trying their hot blended coffee.
That day, coffee was served from a food truck bearing the shop’s logo.
The food truck was introduced after the disaster and proved useful. These days, it is apparently used mainly at events.
Having enjoyed an iced café au lait from the food truck, I decided that next time I would relax at the shop and have a hot blended coffee.
Patisserie Le Vert
The illustration of a bear making sweets alongside someone is for Patisserie Le Vert.
Beside the sign covering half the booth, a whole array of Western-style sweets was lined up, as if they had stepped right out of the shop.
In fact, there was also a refrigerator to the left in the photo, filled with several kinds of cake.
I quickly gave up on choosing and decided to ask the shop staff for their recommendations.
The staff told me that their top pick was the rice-flour Taiwanese castella, and that the chiffon cake was also popular.
I felt a sense of kinship with the staff member, who seemed to hesitate a little, going “Hmm…” before answering. It’s hard to choose, isn’t it!
The rice-flour Taiwanese castella was moist, fluffy, and soft!
As I eagerly popped the fluffy cake into my mouth, its just-right sweetness spread and melted away.
It was so gentle on the palate that I wanted to put another piece in my mouth right away, but it was quite filling.
It’s quite a luxurious experience to still want to eat more but be too full to do so.
I realized that the bear packaging, matching the sign, was a mark of the shop’s signature sweet.
An educational space!
The educational space was well equipped both in the outdoor parking lot and indoors.
Private Ambulance / General Incorporated Association epo Okayama Smile Project
In one corner of the parking lot, vehicles used in disasters were lined up.
A fire engine, a Mitsubishi Pajero in Self-Defense Forces specifications, and an ambulance.
As I photographed each one, I noticed the words “private ambulance.”
As I wondered whether I had ever heard the term “private ambulance” before, someone from the organization noticed my expression and explained it to me.
According to the organization’s representative, they introduced private ambulances to provide rescue and medical care as quickly as possible during disasters.
They respond anywhere in disaster-stricken areas, not only within the prefecture, without charging for their services.
I was surprised to hear that these activities are supported solely by donations from people who support their work.
Okayama’s first private ambulance, equipped with medical facilities comparable to those of public ambulances.
It is not yet widely known, but it also operates in normal times (fees apply depending on the service).
For example, it transports people living at home who require medical procedures, and participates in events as a mobile vehicle equipped with medical facilities.
The pamphlet I received described General Incorporated Association epo Okayama Smile Project as an organization specializing in disaster relief, working in response to disasters across Japan.
In addition to direct assistance during disasters, it provides physical and emotional support to disaster victims afterward, and holds study sessions and offers consultations for support workers.
If you see a private ambulance at an event or become interested in the activities of the General Incorporated Association epo Okayama Smile Project, please take the opportunity to learn more.
Disaster Search Dog Show / Peace Winds Japan, a Specified Nonprofit Corporation
In a space a little farther back from the vehicle display area, there was a lively-looking retriever with a glossy black coat.
While the handler was explaining, the dog sat neatly at their side, but its expression radiated a cheerful, friendly nature.
His name is Route.
Route’s lovable nature shone through in his demeanor, but his expression changed completely when the show began, simulating a disaster site and searching for a missing person.
While Route wasn’t looking, a child hid inside a blue box.
In the show, Route came along afterward and used a scent bag held by the hidden child to find which box they were in.
Route found the child with ease.
On the second try, he seemed to find the children while the handler was still explaining, “It’s difficult because the previous person’s scent remains…”
Almost at the same time as the handler’s signal, he quickly showed them the box where the children were hiding.
The work of Peace Winds Japan, a Specified Nonprofit Corporation spans the globe and covers a wide range of areas, including overseas humanitarian aid as well as disaster relief, under the motto “The right support for the people who need it.”
During the heavy rains in July 2018, support for disaster-stricken Mabi began immediately after the disaster.
Comprehensive, ongoing support has continued ever since.
Smoke Experience House / Kokumin Kyosai coop
The smoke experience house stood out in one corner of the outdoor area.
After hearing that the tent was filled with smoke recreated using water vapor, I felt a little reassured that it would be safe to go in with my child, and stepped inside.
The entrance and exit were in a straight line.
The distance was only about two or three meters.
I thought I could get out easily, but the moment I took one step inside, everything in front of me turned white, and I was shaken.
Even though I knew the exit was straight ahead, losing my vision made me lose confidence in my sense of balance and whether I was walking straight.
I couldn’t even judge the distance of a single step.
Just as I began to feel anxious about how long I was staying inside the tent, I made it out safely and felt relieved.
The next moment, I couldn’t help shivering at the thought: what if this had been real smoke…
From the Writer
Mabi, Kurashiki City, was struck by the heavy rains in July 2018.
The building still bears a record of how the Mabi Fureai Center was flooded to a depth of 3.9 meters at the time.
The center reopened in June 2021, about three years after the flooding, and this festival was its first disaster-prevention event.
It featured demonstrations of how to cook during a disaster using special plastic bags, as well as VR (Virtual Reality) experiences designed to be fun and accessible while giving people even a small taste of what it is like.
It was packed with so much disaster-prevention knowledge that there was far more than we could cover here.
At the same time, I felt it was also filled with the thoughts and feelings of many people about disaster preparedness.
In particular, I felt that the booklets, pamphlets, and flyers handed out at each booth represented the culmination of the experiences and feelings of people who had lived through disasters.
The knowledge and experience have been brought together so they don’t end with the event.
I had lacked confidence in my own disaster-preparedness plans, but I feel as though I now have a reassuring guide that makes me think, “With this, I’ll be okay!”
That said, you never know when or what kind of disaster might happen.
That’s why I think it’s important to incorporate preparedness into everyday life by regularly simulating disaster scenarios and learning protective actions as familiar, practical habits.
In a positive way, I’d like to take it easy and have fun learning dances with the children, while also making sure we stay mindful, little by little.
Besides this festival, talks and events on disaster prevention and mitigation are held.
Why not take part in one nearby as an opportunity to reflect on everyday life?
Mabi Fureai Festival Information
| Name | Mabi Fureai Festival |
|---|---|
| Date | May 21, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:40 p.m. |
| Location | 40-1 Yata, Mabi-cho, Kurashiki City |
| Website | Marbie Fureai Center, Ars Kurashiki |
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