If a major earthquake were to occur at this moment while you are watching TV, or while you are sleeping, would you be able to take the right action to protect your life? There are many dangers lurking in the actions we take in a moment of urgency. ■ Last October, the Greater Tokyo Earthquake of Magnitude 5+ Do you remember? At around 10:41 pm on October 7, 2021, an earthquake of magnitude 5+ occurred in the Tokyo metropolitan area. What actions did you take at that time? 15-year-old female student: "I was in the bathtub at that time. I got out and shouted loudly." Mother of two children in her 30s: "I couldn't move, so I thought I had to protect my children first. I just covered them." 50-year-old man: "I immediately remembered 3.11, but I thought it wouldn't be an earthquake of that magnitude, so I didn't do anything in particular." Woman in her 30s: "I might panic first." 43-year-old man: "I might end up doing the wrong thing." Wrong actions. The actions you do without thinking during an earthquake actually have huge dangers lurking. ■If a major earthquake occurs, do you do the following? ▼Look at the light on the ceiling to check for shaking▼Hold down a TV or furniture that is likely to fall over due to the shaking▼Open a window to secure an exit What do you think? Three actions that we tend to do without thinking are actually "absolutely not allowed." This is what crisis management advisor Nobue Kunizaki says. She has been researching disaster prevention from the perspective of women and consumers for over 20 years. Here are the three actions that disaster prevention expert Kunizaki says you should not do during a major earthquake, and why... ▼Look up at the light on the ceiling during a major earthquake: The violent shaking can cause the light to break and glass fragments to get into your eyes. ▼Open a window when it is shaking: There is a risk that the window glass will break and you will be injured. Furthermore, unlocking the window will make it easier for it to move, which will only increase the danger. The worst thing you can do is... Crisis management advisor Nobue Kunizaki: "Flat screens (TVs) are particularly prone to shaking, so people tend to hold them down. People inevitably react to things that are moving violently, so they just go for them." Instinctively ▼Holding down TVs, furniture, etc. is the most dangerous action. Crisis management advisor Kunizaki: "The risk of being life-threatening is really high. You could lose your life if you are crushed or pinched, so it's important to get away from (TVs and furniture) immediately." ■ Examining how dangerous it is to hold onto TVs and furniture What dangers have been revealed? Let's experience the dangers with earthquake VR developed by Professor Itamiya of Kanagawa Dental University. Caster Kuniyama: "I'm in the kitchen right now." Through the VR, you can see the living room. If you turn around, you will see the refrigerator and cupboards. Here, you will virtually experience a direct-hit earthquake of intensity 6+. Caster Kuniyama: "It's starting to shake. Ah, it's shaking! The furniture and TV have fallen over and from above, ah! (Plates are falling) The cupboard is falling towards me. The sofa has already been blown away." In a direct-hit earthquake of intensity 6+, all unsecured furniture becomes a "weapon." Professor Tomoki Itamiya of Kanagawa Dental University: "The fear of earthquakes is especially real in Japan, where the place is narrow and filled with furniture. There is a risk of furniture and heavy objects falling over. You can really feel that risk through VR." Caster Kuniyama: "Awareness of disaster prevention is on the rise right now. I want to secure the furniture in my house as soon as possible." ■Where is the best place to evacuate at home? The answer is the "hallway"? In the event of an earthquake, it is absolutely necessary to escape to a place where there are no objects that will fall or fly away. In order to prepare for this, it is necessary to "create a safe place." Caster Kuniyama: "We've been taught since ancient times to hide under a desk." Crisis management advisor Kunizaki: "If it's not secured, you don't know how a table will move. So, in my house, we've decided to evacuate to the hallway, which is a space with nothing placed there to protect ourselves." Corridors with relatively few furniture are ideal for evacuation. Therefore, he says it is important to keep things as little as possible in the hallway. What is the current state of the hallway in your home? By the way, if you evacuate to the bathroom, the door may not open and you may be trapped inside. That's why there's a special mechanism in the bathroom at Kunizaki's house. Kuniyama: "Oh, it can slide up." It's a custom-made door with an emergency exit that allows people to escape if they get trapped during an earthquake. Crisis management advisor Kunizaki: "It's definitely a good idea to have one in an apartment building. Unlike a detached house, it's much harder for voices to reach the outside." ■What to do if a major earthquake occurs while you're asleep A magnitude 7 earthquake while you're asleep at night. There's a facility where you can experience what that would be like. Kuniyama: "Earthquake, earthquake, earthquake, this is bad!" He tries to protect his head with a pillow, but... Kuniyama: "Ahhh!" "With all that violent movement up and down and left and right, I didn't know what to do. I would panic." Here's what an expert says about what to do first if a major earthquake occurs while you're asleep. Ikebukuro Disaster Prevention Center instructor Shibamori Akihiko: "It's important to put your head under the pillow, and then protect your body with your futon." ■Two things you should not do if a major earthquake occurs while you're asleep The golden rule is to get away from anything dangerous, protect yourself with a pillow or futon, and wait for the shaking to stop, but are you doing these things? ▼ Rushing to turn on the light ▼ Calling out to a child sleeping in another room It's true that you're concerned about your child's safety, but this is a big no-no. ▼ Rushing to turn on the light in the dark... there's a risk of stepping on a falling object and getting injured. It's important to protect yourself and not move unnecessarily until your eyes get used to the darkness. ▼ Calling out to children is also a dangerous action. Crisis management advisor Kunizaki: "If you're in a hurry and just call out their name, like 'X-chan!', your child will end up thinking they're being called. Even though that might be the safest place, they might go to a dangerous place." However, this doesn't mean you shouldn't call out to them at all. Crisis management advisor Kunizaki: "Give specific instructions. Is it to stay there or come over here? You need to have an idea of ​​how you're going to call out to them. It's better to think about things like telling them to stay there because their room is safe." Power outages also occur in major earthquakes. To prepare for this, it's important to have a light source available at all times. For example, a footlight that plugs into an outlet. Some can be used as flashlights if unplugged during a power outage. In addition, the light in Kunizaki's house may look like a normal light, but... Crisis management advisor Kunizaki says, "When it detects a power outage, it turns the lights back on immediately." It has a built-in power storage function, so it will automatically turn on even if a power outage occurs due to an earthquake. It will keep the light on for up to 20 hours. It is said that there is a 70% chance of a "Tokyo Metropolitan Earthquake" occurring within the next 30 years. This could happen anytime soon. When that happens, will you be able to take action to protect your life? ■To avoid making mistakes in your sudden actions Be aware of disaster prevention on a daily basis Caster Kuniyama: We've put together five actions that you should not do in the event of a major earthquake, as introduced in the video. What do you think, Ogawa? Caster Ayaka Ogawa: I felt that I would do all of these. Especially looking up at the lights. When an earthquake actually occurs in the studio, you look up at the lights to check the magnitude of the shaking. It's easy to do that, and if an earthquake occurs while you're sleeping, you won't be able to stay calm, so I thought that I would do both. Kuniyama: Sometimes children may call out by name, but it is important to give specific instructions. We have heard that the best place to evacuate is a hallway with few objects, but if there is no space in the hallway, it is important to prepare a safe place in the house beforehand where nothing can fall. As shown in the video, furniture can be a lethal weapon. There is a risk of furniture flying at you, so this kind of preparation will help protect you. Ogawa: In order to avoid making the wrong move in an emergency, it is important to accumulate awareness on a daily basis. Kuniyama: I have also tried to create a "safe place" at home, but I think that just remaining aware of it will make a big difference. Ogawa: It would not be strange if an earthquake were to occur at this very moment, so please practice and check it out. (10th 00:09)