Can the Namazu save us from the earthquakes?

by Eleonora Anello

Earthquakes can not be expected but their devastating effects can be contained, especially through communication and information. The first step to prevent the massacres is to communicate which approach has to be taken in case of earthquake.
Japanese have understood it since many years: the anti-earthquake drills and mass propaganda implemented in a systematic manner by Japanese government are often seen by tourists as bizarre and folkloric behaviours, while on the contrary they represent the excellence in prevention and there is a "Japanese model" exported worldwide.
Large-scale information is made by using leaflets, manuals and comics; the creation of paths and clearly visible escape routes through signage and detailed planning of post-earthquake evacuations; the construction of seismically-safe structures and the distribution of survival kits in offices, homes and shops. Everyone has always at hand (pasted at the door or under the table) the famous "anti-earthquake kit" that allows to survive a few days under the rubble waiting for relief: it contains a radio, torches, gauzes, plasters, water, energy bars and a whistle to be found by rescuers.

It is known everywhere that the prevention of earthquakes is now part of Japanese culture. In all cities, for example, the prefectures have established pathways to be followed in case of emergency, indicated by a permanent marking. Citizens are organized by districts, and in case of catastrophic event, they know, without waiting for relief, the exact point where they can group together and wait for instructions.

Iconography-guide is represented by Namazu, a huge cat-fish that in Japanese mythology is able to rise earthquakes: the animal indicates the major arteries that, in the event of a disaster, will be closed to traffic and reserved to the circulation of means of assistance.

There is also a national system of warning signals, conveyed mainly by radio and TV, that is activated shortly before the expected earthquake. Finally, as far as the legislative level is concerned, in all real estate agencies there is a specific section which must explain to buyers the anti-seismic measures that equip the entire building.