As part of their preliminary study, the students learned about the types of natural disasters that commonly occur in Japan and the measures to take against them, reaffirming the importance of being prepared.

On the day itself, a special “Disaster Prevention Day” lesson and hands-on activities were held for all classes.

For the practical activities, each class moved to a nearby park, where—thanks to the cooperation of firefighters and ward staff—the students experienced an earthquake simulation vehicle, fire extinguishers, a smoke-filled house, and more.

With the earthquake simulation vehicle, they were able to experience shaking up to intensity level 7. Some students, feeling such strong shaking for the first time, couldn’t help but cry out. Students from countries where earthquakes are rare appeared nervous even before getting on, but after the experience, they said, “If something like this actually happened, it would be way too scary,” truly realizing how frightening earthquakes can be.

During the fire extinguisher activity, the students learned how to use an extinguisher for initial response in case of a fire. They were also taught the importance of shouting “Fire!” loudly to alert people nearby before using it, and they engaged in the activity with great seriousness.

In the smoke house activity, they learned about the dangers of smoke during a fire and practiced the correct posture for evacuation, gaining hands-on knowledge about how to escape safely.

In addition, during class time they sampled emergency rations like canned bread and created simple disaster preparedness items, allowing them to deepen their understanding of disaster prevention in an enjoyable way.

Throughout the day, the students listened attentively to the explanations provided by the firefighters, making it a valuable opportunity to heighten their awareness of disaster preparedness.