What to Do When There Is a Flood | Japan 2026 JMA Alert Levels, Kikikuru and 119 Guide

If floodwater threatens your home, hotel, school or route in Japan, check the current Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warning and the municipal evacuation information for your exact location. Move away from low flood areas, riverbanks and exposed crossings before roads become submerged. Do not walk, drive or ride a bicycle or scooter through water covering a road. Fast current, open drains and damaged pavement may be hidden beneath muddy water. If officials issue an Evacuation Order (避難指示) at Alert Level 4, everyone in the affected dangerous area should evacuate by a safe route. Do not wait for Level 5.

Japan revised its heavy-rain, river-flood, landslide and storm-surge warning system on 29 May 2026. JMA’s new information includes the alert-level number in the warning name to align more clearly with the country’s five-level evacuation framework. This matters when reading a current map or an article written several years ago: a Level 3 Warning, a Level 4 Urgent Warning and a Level 5 Emergency Warning signal increasingly severe danger, but the weather service’s risk information and your municipality’s actual evacuation order serve different functions.

This guide helps residents, parents, students, travellers and workers in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Okayama, Kumamoto, Niigata, Chiba, Hokkaido and other areas. It explains JMA’s updated 2026 warnings, Kikikuru real-time risk maps, river flooding, safe shelter, children, trains, emergencies and recovery. For urgent ambulance or fire and rescue assistance call 119; for police emergencies call 110. This guide is not a live flood-depth report or the current evacuation order for a particular ward.

Quick answer: the twelve flood-safety decisions

1. Check the current JMA warning, issue date, named municipality and actual hazard: heavy rain, river flooding, landslide or storm surge.
2. Check the current municipality’s evacuation notices, which identify which neighbourhoods and residents must move.
3. At Level 3, older adults and others who need extra time should leave dangerous areas, while everyone else prepares to move as appropriate.
4. At Level 4, everyone in the dangerous area should evacuate. Do not wait for a Level 5 emergency.
5. If a safe route has already disappeared, seek the best currently available protected position, such as a suitable upper level away from floodwater and unstable slopes, and seek rescue guidance.
6. Never cross a flooded road, bridge, underground passage or underpass.
7. Avoid basements, underground parking areas and wet electrical rooms, even to retrieve a vehicle.
8. Use JMA’s Kikikuru maps and river information to understand evolving danger, but do not treat a map as a certification of street safety.
9. Protect children, older adults and people with disabilities with an evacuation plan they can perform before normal transport stops.
10. Call 119 for urgent rescue, fire or ambulance; call 110 for police.
11. Keep medicine, safe water, identification, phone, flashlight, shoes and relevant childcare or medical equipment ready.
12. Return only after the responsible authority permits access, and check building, electrical, road, water and sanitation safety.

These steps reflect JMA’s 2026 five-level risk guidance and its Emergency Warnings guide.

Why the warning reform in May 2026 matters

The Japan Meteorological Agency began operating the revised disaster-weather information system on 29 May 2026, following a review of how people understood the earlier warning framework.

The goal was to bring weather information about river inundation, heavy rain, landslides and storm surge into a clearer relationship with the five evacuation alert levels. The names of applicable JMA products now include level numbers.

An older article describing only a broad ‘heavy rain warning’ may omit an important current distinction between Level 3 and Level 4.

Use the 2026 information directly from JMA when planning your next move rather than relying on an outdated screenshot or translation.

Weather information and evacuation orders are different

JMA assesses meteorological and hydrological danger. Municipalities issue local evacuation information such as Level 3 Evacuation for Elderly Persons and Others and Level 4 Evacuation Order.

A JMA Level 4-equivalent weather warning may arrive before the local government finishes issuing a neighbourhood-specific instruction.

JMA explicitly advises people to consult Kikikuru, river levels and their surroundings to make protective decisions even if the municipal order has not yet arrived.

Do not assume an absence of a phone evacuation message overrides dangerous water already entering your street. The aim is to leave exposed areas before the route becomes dangerous.

Alert Level 1: review the possibility of future danger

At Level 1, the focus is awareness that weather may develop in a way that requires preparation.

Check how your home or travel route may be affected, identify flood-risk maps and consider what supplies or transport you would need if the warning rises.

For households with small children or people requiring accessibility assistance, early planning may be particularly valuable.

Do not treat Level 1 as an instruction that all residents must leave. But do not postpone learning your evacuation route until the first flood is visible.

Good early preparation removes decisions that become difficult under rain, darkness or transport disruption.

Alert Level 2: confirm your evacuation actions

Level 2 advises residents to review their danger, route, safe destination and any planned movement.

At this stage, confirm whether the household lies near a river, low crossing or landslide path and whether an accessible shelter is available.

Check the suitability of train or bus transport if the family normally relies on it. A shelter may be open only under certain local conditions.

A Level 2 advisory is not a guarantee that every local road is safe; flooding can develop rapidly in exposed places. Do not enter water because the number on the map has not reached Level 4.

Alert Level 3: people needing more time should evacuate

Japan’s Level 3 (高齢者等避難) is especially important for older people, people with disabilities, households with infants or others who may need more time to travel.

Those residents in dangerous areas should begin leaving for safety under the municipal instruction, rather than waiting for the group of all residents to move.

Other people should prepare and may need to act earlier depending on local risk and the actual route.

A family with a wheelchair user may require a safe vehicle or assistance that is unavailable once a bridge closes. The strength of Level 3 is protecting people who need additional time.

Alert Level 4: everyone in dangerous areas evacuates

At Level 4, Japan’s evacuation system calls for people in affected dangerous locations to leave by a safe route.

JMA’s revised terminology includes relevant Level 4 Urgent Warnings, but it is vital to read the exact hazard and geographic area.

A resident on stable high ground outside the named risk area may have different instructions from a household beside a low riverbank.

Level 4 is the point by which residents in dangerous areas should have evacuated, not a suggestion to start observing whether the flood seems serious.

Level 5: immediate safety in a life-threatening situation

A Level 5 Emergency Warning indicates a situation in which a disaster may already be occurring or life may be in immediate danger.

This stage may be announced too late for normal travel. It does not mean that an ordinary evacuation bus or road is guaranteed to be available.

If dangerous floodwater blocks the exit, entering the current to reach an earlier destination may be deadly. Seek the best currently available protection and request urgent help.

Do not wait for Level 5 to decide to evacuate; take the relevant action by Level 4 or earlier as circumstances require.

How JMA’s new warning names work

Under the revised system, products include names such as レベル3大雨警報 (Level 3 Heavy Rain Warning) and レベル4大雨危険警報 (Level 4 Heavy Rain Urgent Warning).

Similar distinctions apply to relevant flood, landslide and storm-surge warnings, with a Level 5 Emergency Warning category for exceptional danger.

The actual notice may specify a river or municipality rather than all of Japan. Read the date, area and action before sharing the warning.

The JMA terminology guide sets out the different classifications. Learning a few terms prevents confusion during a genuine emergency.

Kikikuru: Japan’s real-time disaster risk map

JMA’s Kikikuru (キキクル) shows evolving dangers related to flooding, inundation and landslides using coloured map information.

It is useful because risk can differ sharply between neighbouring districts, river reaches and slopes.

Check the current map for the location where you are, not merely a city name in a regional headline. The map also has limits: it does not assess one building’s foundation or guarantee a particular underpass is dry.

Use Kikikuru as a decision-support tool together with official local instructions and actual physical danger.

The flood risk map and small watercourses

The JMA flood risk map can show where river and stream flood danger is increasing.

A small stream may rise rapidly after a local downpour even where the nearest major river has not yet reached a warning threshold.

Do not assume the entire river network is observed at identical resolution or that every culvert is displayed.

For decisions about crossing a road or moving children, the presence of fast water is enough reason to avoid the crossing regardless of its position on the map.

Heavy rain inundation can occur without a major river flood

Urban areas may flood when local rain overwhelms drainage, creating water in underpasses, basements, railway approaches and low intersections.

A flood risk map for one large river does not rule out sudden water pooling beside a shop or station.

Check current local rainfall warnings as well as river information. Avoid unnecessary driving during very intense downpours, particularly at night.

City flood safety depends on the actual drainage and road layout, not only the number of kilometres from a major river.

MLIT river information and water levels

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and relevant prefectural agencies monitor many rivers and issue river-related information.

The river disaster information portal can assist with understanding river levels and conditions.

A gauge shows water at a particular station, not the exact depth in your home. It may provide lead time for downstream communities, but conditions can change.

Check the correct station, timestamp and current forecast before acting. A downstream rise may continue even when the rain at your house has stopped.

Why rain upstream matters

Water from an upstream catchment can reach a downstream town after a delay.

A river can keep rising under a clearer sky, and bridges or riverside roads may become unsafe before any water enters houses.

This is why river monitoring complements the local weather forecast rather than replacing it.

Do not stand on a bank or bridge to see whether the water is rising. Use official gauges and safe observation, not an exposed personal inspection of dangerous current.

Tokyo and the risks of urban underground spaces

Tokyo has dense rail transport, shops, buildings and underground passages. A sudden intense downpour can put water into low access points and basements.

Do not enter an underground shopping area or car park where water is already flowing down ramps or stairs. Staff may close entrances for life safety.

A station elsewhere in the city operating normally does not establish that a particular ground-level road remains safe.

Underground spaces can fill rapidly and may contain electrical and entrapment hazards.

Osaka, Kyoto and riverfront neighbourhoods

Large cities include low streets, riverside paths and transport infrastructure exposed to different flood mechanisms.

Visitors should check warnings for the actual ward and nearby watercourse rather than assume the hotel district and a distant tourist attraction are equally exposed.

Do not remain on a riverside path to photograph high water or attempt to cross a low footbridge.

A scenic route through a river embankment may be closed before the city centre experiences flooding. Respect barriers even if the pavement beyond them looks dry.

Hiroshima, Okayama and steep catchments

Parts of western Japan contain steep terrain, small waterways and populated valleys where heavy rain may create both flooding and slope instability.

A flood evacuation route should not lead beneath an unstable hillside or through fresh landslide debris.

Check both flood and landslide Kikikuru information, current municipality notices and road restrictions.

A safe higher location must be stable, accessible and outside the relevant hazard path, not just above the nearest riverbank.

Kyushu and heavy rain

Kyushu communities may experience intense rain from seasonal weather systems or tropical storms.

The hazard differs between low river plains, coastal settlements, mountains and urban areas. A warning for a prefecture does not necessarily affect every house identically.

Households beside narrow streams should know whether early evacuation is needed before runoff blocks access. A hotel guest may need to change a route well before the train is cancelled.

Location and access matter more than the broad regional weather headline.

Mountain landslides and river flooding together

Intense rain can both swell streams and saturate slopes. A higher location may be unsafe if it lies below a cliff or new landslide crack.

Avoid fresh falling rocks, shifted retaining walls, muddy debris and obvious ground movement.

If the original route is blocked, request updated local directions instead of climbing across a slide.

Floodwater and slope instability require a coordinated plan, rather than blindly running to the nearest uphill point.

Storm surge at Japan’s coast

Strong coastal storms may push seawater into low harbours, streets and estuaries. Waves can overtop seawalls and damage infrastructure.

Do not visit a waterfront to watch storm waves. A substantial building can still become unsafe if the lower floors and exits flood.

Follow the current storm-surge warning and locally designated safe area.

Coastal flood risks can continue after the strongest wind moves away, and a land warning does not describe every sea condition.

Never drive through floodwater

The actual road surface may be eroded beneath water, and current can push a vehicle into a deeper channel.

A driver should turn back at a safe location rather than attempt a familiar underpass because the map still displays it as open.

An SUV or taxi is not a guarantee of protection; another vehicle’s successful crossing may have occurred under different conditions.

The safest flood crossing is the one avoided until authorities confirm a safe dry route.

Walking and bicycles across flooded roads

Pedestrians and cyclists can lose balance in moving water or fall into hidden drains.

Do not remove shoes and wade across the street merely to reach a shop, station or friend. A change in water depth may be impossible to see through muddy current.

A child should never be sent to test a crossing for an adult.

The absence of a vehicle does not remove the danger of current, electric cables or damaged pavement.

An underground parking ramp during a storm

Water can rush down the entrance of an underground garage. Electrical equipment, charging facilities and rising water may combine into a severe hazard.

Do not go downstairs to retrieve a vehicle after flooding begins. Property can be replaced.

Building managers should close unsafe access and follow utility and emergency service instructions.

An underground parking area is a location to avoid during active inundation, not a refuge from the rain.

What to do if your building’s exit is already flooded

A household may receive an evacuation notice after floodwater has cut off the original route.

Do not attempt to walk through moving water solely to reach the designated distant shelter. Instead seek the best currently available protected location, such as an appropriate upper floor of a strong building, avoiding areas threatened by slope collapse.

Call 119 for urgent rescue and describe floor, building, people and access.

Late-stage protection may require a different action from the plan that would have been safest an hour earlier.

Why a closed road must remain closed

Floodwater can undermine bridges, culverts and road shoulders, leaving hidden voids.

Even when visible water recedes, structural assessment may be required before a route can reopen.

Do not drive around a police or road authority barrier because another traveller appears to have crossed.

An open navigation route and an authorised safe road are different things.

Emergency numbers 119 and 110

Japan’s official visitor emergency information confirms 119 for ambulance and fire, including rescue-related emergency requests, and 110 for police.

For a person trapped by rapidly rising water or a serious medical emergency, call 119 and give the exact ward, address, station exit or nearest landmark.

For urgent police assistance use 110. Do not use the visitor information hotline instead of ambulance dispatch for someone in life-threatening danger.

Emergency responders can only plan a safe route when the caller provides clear location and access details.

JNTO visitor hotline and language help

The Japan National Tourism Organization’s Visitor Hotline is 050-3816-2787, available 24 hours a day in English, Chinese and Korean.

It helps visitors with tourism and disaster-related information, but it is not the ambulance or fire emergency dispatcher.

Tourists should save their accommodation address in Japanese and know the nearest station exit or recognisable landmark.

Accurate location details can make a significant difference when the road network is being disrupted.

Japanese words that matter in a flood

Understanding a few public-warning phrases can help residents and visitors:

洪水 (kōzui) — flood or river-flood danger.
大雨 (ōame) — heavy rain.
警戒レベル (keikai reberu) — alert level.
高齢者等避難 (kōreisha-tō hinan) — evacuation for older people and others needing extra time.
避難指示 (hinan shiji) — evacuation order.
緊急安全確保 (kinkyū anzen kakuho) — emergency safety measures in imminent danger.
避難所 (hinanjo) — designated evacuation shelter.
通行止め (tsūkōdome) — road closed.

A translated alert should preserve the specific place, level and requested action, not only the dramatic headline.

Children and school supervision

A school may have a safe building while the road used by buses and parents is flooded.

Teachers should follow local education and municipal guidance, supervise students and communicate the safe collection arrangement.

Parents should not drive through a flooded crossing to retrieve a child who remains under appropriate supervision.

The school response must keep children safe in the building, on the route and during reunification.

Older adults and accessible evacuation

Level 3 is designed to give people needing additional time a chance to move before the danger becomes acute.

Families should identify accessible transport, suitable shelter, medical equipment and reliable helpers beforehand.

When requesting assistance, explain exactly who cannot use stairs, how many people are present and which road or bridge remains accessible.

A plan is incomplete if it assumes every person can quickly walk to the nearest public centre.

Infants and people with medical needs

Infants require age-appropriate feeding and clean water. Do not dilute formula or use flood-contaminated water.

People relying on dialysis, oxygen, medication or powered medical equipment may need early coordination if roads and electricity are threatened.

Keep essential prescriptions and documents ready before severe rain develops.

Medical continuity should be built into the evacuation decision rather than delayed until the normal route is closed.

Flood emergency bag for a Japan household

Essential medicine, prescriptions and medical information.
Safe drinking water and practical ready-to-eat food.
Identification and key contacts protected from water.
Phone, charger, power bank, torch and batteries.
Sturdy footwear, dry clothes, rain protection and hygiene supplies.
Infant feeding items and necessary caregiving materials.
Mobility, hearing, vision and other accessibility equipment.
A written assembly point and trusted contact outside the area.
Small cash, keys and essential pet items where practical.
The local municipal emergency contact and JMA information sources.

Prepare it in advance. Do not enter a flooding basement to retrieve a bag or delay an urgent departure to pack every possession.

Pets and livestock

People should plan for animal needs in advance, including suitable carriers, leads, food, water and authorised accommodation.

Farmers may need more time to protect livestock or move equipment where safe. Do not remain in a mandatory flood evacuation zone merely to rescue machinery.

After the flood, animal drinking-water sources and feed may be contaminated.

Pet planning should support, not delay, the safe movement of people.

Electricity, gas and flooded equipment

Floodwater can reach electrical panels, appliances and gas systems. Do not touch wet electrical equipment or fallen power cables.

Do not stand in water to operate a breaker. Seek qualified help and follow local utility instructions.

Never operate fuel generators or charcoal equipment indoors or in an enclosed garage because carbon monoxide may accumulate.

A power cut does not eliminate electrocution danger and should not create another poisoning risk through unsafe temporary heating or electricity.

Drinking water after flooding

Floodwater can contain sewage, chemicals, fuel or harmful microorganisms.

Follow municipal water supplier and public-health advice. Boiling may reduce certain microbial hazards under appropriate instructions, but does not remove many chemicals or salt.

Use verified safe water for infant feeding and food preparation and keep clean supplies protected.

Water safety remains important even after the visible street flooding disappears.

Food safety, cleaning and sanitation

Food exposed to floodwater or unsafe refrigeration may need to be discarded. Avoid tasting questionable food to test its safety.

Use proper footwear, gloves and safe hygiene during authorised cleanup. Keep children away from sharp debris, contaminated mud and unstable electrical installations.

Report serious diarrhoea, fever, infected wounds or other concerning symptoms to healthcare staff and mention floodwater exposure.

Recovery is a public-health task as well as a property-restoration task.

Mould and damp buildings

After significant flooding, damp walls, flooring and furnishings may develop mould.

Vulnerable residents, particularly those with respiratory conditions, may need alternative accommodation during extensive cleanup.

Avoid unqualified electrical drying equipment in wet spaces. Seek appropriate local guidance for safe remediation and disposal.

A room that looks clean may still need drying and inspection before it is safe for normal occupancy.

Businesses and delivery workers

Employers should monitor local warnings and grant workers authority to stop travel or exposed tasks before roads flood.

Delivery drivers must not be pressured to cross a submerged bridge or underpass. Restaurants and shops should check refrigeration and water safety before reopening.

A factory with a wet electrical room needs qualified assessment rather than immediate restart.

Business continuity begins with workers and basic infrastructure, then commercial operations.

Rail and tourism disruptions

A train, bus or flight may be delayed because of track, road or storm conditions.

A scheduled service elsewhere does not prove that the street between your hotel and station is safe to use. Check operators and local government information.

Tourists should not seek an unauthorised shortcut through a flooded path to meet a reservation.

Travel plans are flexible; a dangerous road crossing is not a reasonable way to preserve a booking.

Remote areas and mountain roads

Mountain villages and tourist areas may have limited alternative roads.

A landslide, rockfall or flood may isolate a community even when buildings remain undamaged. Keep sufficient medicine and a communication contingency.

Do not cross fresh slope debris or use a road restricted by police or road management crews.

Avoid becoming another stranded traveller when the community needs responders to reach people already in danger.

Disaster alerts and misleading screenshots

A JMA map from before May 2026 may use different terminology. A recent map can also be shared without its timestamp or the named locality.

Verify the original source, issue time, hazard and actual municipal instruction before forwarding.

Do not tell an entire prefecture to evacuate solely because one river reach has a high warning. Equally, do not ignore an official local order because another city remains dry.

Accurate geographic and temporal context makes warnings genuinely helpful.

After the water recedes

Roads may remain undermined, buildings may have wet electrical panels, and drinking-water systems may require testing.

Wait for current access clearance and inspect the property cautiously. Serious wall cracks, sagging floors or unsafe electrical systems need qualified review.

Do not return only because the river looks lower in a social-media photograph.

Safe re-entry involves the area, building and utilities separately.

Scenario 1: a Level 3 notice for older residents

Imagine a family in a flood-prone Japanese ward receiving a Level 3 municipal notice. One grandparent uses a wheelchair and needs extra travel time.

The family follows the accessible route and leaves early instead of waiting for Level 4.

This is a fictional teaching scenario, not a current Tokyo notice. The lesson is the extra lead time at Level 3 is intended for people who need it.

Scenario 2: a Level 4 evacuation order

A riverside household receives an Evacuation Order at Level 4 while the road remains dry.

They take the prepared bag and move promptly to the safe destination. They do not wait for Level 5 or for water to enter the house.

The lesson is the safest normal evacuation happens before the route becomes dangerous.

Scenario 3: a flooded underpass

A driver in Osaka reaches an underpass where rainwater covers the road, though GPS still suggests the route.

The driver stops and turns back safely instead of entering water.

The lesson is navigation software cannot show hidden water depth or eroded pavement.

Scenario 4: floodwater blocks the planned exit

A household’s ground-level route becomes flooded before they can leave. One person wants to walk through moving water to reach the shelter.

The family instead seeks a suitable protected higher location with rescue access and calls 119 for urgent guidance.

The lesson is late-stage protection must adapt to actual conditions rather than force an unsafe earlier plan.

Scenario 5: a hotel guest receives an outdated alert screenshot

A tourist sees a warning image sent by a friend that uses an old title and does not show the date.

They check the current 2026 JMA warning, Kikikuru and local authorities before making a travel decision.

The lesson is the latest official system and exact location matter more than a dramatic forwarded image.

Scenario 6: a school is safe but the road is not

A school remains on high ground while its bus route crosses a flooded stream.

Staff supervise pupils and arrange a safe reunification process; parents do not drive through the water.

The lesson is a safe building does not automatically make every journey to it safe.

Scenario 7: a river remains high after rain stops

A family sees clear skies but learns from the current river gauge that water is still rising downstream.

They remain clear of the riverbank and continue following the municipal notice.

The lesson is upstream rainfall can affect a community after local weather improves.

Common flood mistakes in Japan

“The 2026 warning system is identical to the old system.” JMA changed its relevant information on 29 May 2026.
“A JMA Level 4 warning and a municipal Evacuation Order are the same exact message.” They are related but issued by different authorities.
“Level 3 means older residents should wait.” People requiring extra time in dangerous areas should evacuate.
“Level 4 means I can postpone departure until Level 5.” Evacuate dangerous areas by Level 4.
“Level 5 guarantees a bus or road is still available.” Dangerous conditions may already have developed.
“Kikikuru certifies every building as safe.” It is a risk map, not a structural inspection.
“A major river gauge covers every urban drain.” Small-channel and local runoff hazards differ.
“Clear skies mean downstream river levels are falling.” Upstream water may still arrive.
“A high-clearance car can cross fast water.” Current and road failure can sweep vehicles away.
“Walking through water is safer than driving.” People can fall into hidden drains or be swept away.
“I should retrieve my vehicle from a flooding underground garage.” Entrapment and electricity are serious hazards.
“A warning must appear on every phone before water can be dangerous.” Delivery and local hazards vary.
“119 is Japan’s police number.” 119 is ambulance and fire; police is 110.
“The visitor hotline is an ambulance dispatcher.” Call 119 for urgent medical or rescue assistance.
“Boiling removes fuel or all chemicals from floodwater.” It does not remove many chemicals.
“A dry street means every building can reopen.” Check structure and utilities.
“Every shelter is always open.” Confirm current municipal operations.
“An outdated screenshot is a current government order.” Verify the date and location.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do first if flooding threatens me in Japan?

Check the current JMA flood and heavy-rain risk, follow your municipality’s evacuation instructions and avoid floodwater and low crossings.

Did Japan change its flood-warning system in 2026?

Yes. JMA began its revised five-level warning system on 29 May 2026 for relevant heavy-rain, river-flood, landslide and storm-surge risks.

What is Alert Level 3?

It is the stage when older residents and others needing more time should evacuate dangerous areas, with everyone else preparing or acting as needed.

What is Alert Level 4?

At Level 4, everyone in dangerous areas should evacuate. Do not wait for Level 5.

What is Alert Level 5?

It indicates imminent or ongoing life-threatening danger requiring the best possible immediate protection. Safe normal evacuation routes may no longer exist.

Where is the Kikikuru map?

At JMA’s real-time risk map.

What emergency number should I call for flood rescue in Japan?

119 for fire, ambulance and urgent rescue requests. 110 for police emergencies.

Is there English-language assistance for tourists?

JNTO’s visitor hotline 050-3816-2787 provides round-the-clock multilingual visitor information and disaster assistance, separate from emergency dispatch.

Is it safe to drive across a flooded road?

No. Unknown-depth water and current can hide damaged road surfaces and deep drains.

When may I return after a flood?

Only after local access clearance and relevant checks of the building, electricity, gas, water and sanitation.

Official Japan flood sources and related eduKate guides

Editorial review: 13 November 2026. General flood safety information only. Check live JMA, municipality and emergency instructions for current conditions.