SafeStayJapan.com is designed to help travelers understand natural-hazard risks around hotels and destinations in Japan.
The disaster-prevention information displayed on our map is based on official data published by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) through the Real Estate Information Library.
SafeStayJapan.com does not independently predict natural disasters or classify locations as simply “safe” or “dangerous.”
Instead, we make official Japanese disaster-prevention data easier for international travelers to explore alongside hotels, landmarks, stations, airports, and other destinations.
1. Our Data Source
The following disaster-prevention information displayed on SafeStayJapan.com is based on data obtained from the MLIT Real Estate Information Library:
- Landslide hazard areas
- Tsunami inundation areas
- Designated emergency evacuation sites
These are not hazard areas created or independently assessed by SafeStayJapan.com.
Our role is to present official Japanese data in a way that is easier for travelers to understand and use when choosing where to stay.
Source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), Real Estate Information Library
2. Landslide Hazard Information
The Landslide layer displays officially published information relating to areas designated for potential landslide hazards.
These may include risks associated with debris flows, steep-slope failures, landslides, and related hazards.
SafeStayJapan.com converts and displays this data on the map so that travelers can see how designated hazard areas relate to hotels and destinations they are considering.
The boundaries shown on the map are based on official data. They are not independent risk assessments made by SafeStayJapan.com.
3. Tsunami Hazard Information
The Tsunami layer displays official tsunami inundation information obtained through the MLIT Real Estate Information Library.
These areas are based on tsunami scenarios and assumptions used by the relevant Japanese authorities.
Actual tsunami height and inundation may differ depending on the earthquake, source location, local topography, coastal defenses, and other conditions.
Being outside a displayed tsunami inundation area does not guarantee that a location is free from tsunami risk.
4. Designated Emergency Evacuation Sites
SafeStayJapan.com also displays information about officially designated emergency evacuation sites.
The source data may indicate the types of disasters for which each location has been designated, including:
- Earthquakes
- Tsunamis
- Floods
- Landslides
- Storm surges
- Inland flooding
- Large-scale fires
- Volcanic hazards
When “Tsunami,” for example, appears for an evacuation site, it means that the location is designated as an evacuation site for tsunami events.
It does not mean that the location is guaranteed to be safe from every possible tsunami.
During an actual emergency, always follow the latest evacuation instructions issued by local authorities and other official sources.
5. Hotels and Location Information
SafeStayJapan.com combines disaster-prevention information with hotel and location information to make it easier to understand the area around your accommodation.
Hotel locations, place names, stations, airports, landmarks, and other location information may be provided through external mapping and location services.
Facility information can change over time, and SafeStayJapan.com cannot guarantee that all hotel or location information is always complete or up to date.
6. Google Maps
SafeStayJapan.com uses Google Maps Platform to display its interactive map and certain location-related features.
However, Google does not provide the landslide, tsunami, or emergency evacuation site data displayed by SafeStayJapan.com.
These disaster-prevention datasets are obtained from the MLIT Real Estate Information Library and overlaid on the map by SafeStayJapan.com.
In other words, the base map and the disaster-prevention information come from different data sources.
7. How We Process and Display the Data
Official government datasets are not always provided in a format optimized for a traveler-friendly interactive web map.
SafeStayJapan.com may therefore process the original data into formats suitable for web display, including converting data formats, dividing large datasets, or generating map tiles.
The purpose of this processing is to make the original information easier and faster to view online — not to change the meaning of the source data or create our own hazard assessments.
Small differences in boundaries or positions may occur due to data conversion, coordinate systems, map scale, or the way information is rendered on screen.
For important decisions, we recommend checking the original and latest information provided by the relevant Japanese authorities.
8. Data Updates
Official disaster-prevention datasets may be updated over time.
SafeStayJapan.com aims to keep its information useful and reasonably up to date, but we cannot guarantee that the data displayed on this website will always reflect the latest version available from the Japanese government.
This is particularly important during an actual disaster.
SafeStayJapan.com is not a real-time emergency information service. Always give priority to current warnings, evacuation orders, and other information issued by Japanese authorities.
9. What SafeStayJapan.com Is Trying to Do
Our goal is not to divide Japan into “safe” and “dangerous” places.
Natural disasters involve uncertainty, and no location can be guaranteed to be completely safe.
Instead, we want to help answer a much more practical question:
“I’m thinking about staying at this hotel. What natural hazards are shown around it, and where could I evacuate if something happened?”
By bringing official Japanese disaster-prevention data together with hotels and travel destinations on one map, SafeStayJapan.com aims to give international travelers more information before deciding where to stay.
That is the idea behind SafeStayJapan.com.