Report a problem

What is the problem?

Could not attach a screenshot — send without it

Japan revises guidelines for sleeping in cars during evacuation

17.07.2026 00:10 1 min 3 sources
news.yahoo.co.jp JPN + 2 more
Japan revises guidelines for sleeping in cars during evacuation

In Brief

Toyota advises parking on high ground away from buildings and trees. Authorities consider thromboembolism risk after 2016 Kumamoto earthquake. Experts warn against cooking inside and recommend practicing overnight stays at home.

Japan is revising its approach to using cars and motorhomes for temporary shelter during natural disasters. Toyota has issued recommendations for choosing a sleeping spot in a vehicle during evacuation: the company advises parking on high ground away from buildings and trees, and creating comfortable conditions inside the cabin for extended stays.

After the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, cases of thromboembolism leading to fatalities were recorded. Authorities plan to incorporate experimental research findings into national evacuation guidelines.

A safety expert emphasizes: cooking inside the vehicle is prohibited, hazard maps must be checked, and local conditions should be considered. Practicing overnight stays in a car on one's home driveway is recommended as preparation.

Aggregated by OpenVan.camp from the public sources listed below, with AI-assisted translation and summary. We always link to the original source. Machine translation may differ from the original -- check the source for important details. Images and content remain the property of their respective owners. Copyright information

Story sources

Toyota on Choosing the Best Location for Sleeping in a Car During Evacuation

17.04.2026 news.yahoo.co.jp JPN Original source

Safe Use of Motorhomes for Evacuation

15.04.2026 minpo.jp JPN Original source

Disaster expert: How motorhome experience aids evacuation

05.03.2026 jafmate.jp JPN Original source

🇯🇵 Japan — fuel prices

Updated: 01.08.2026

Regular

$1.05 /l

JPY165.55 · €0.91/l

27 of 140

cheaper than 81% of countries

High-octane

$1.11 /l

JPY174.35 · €0.96/l

14 of 94

cheaper than 86% of countries

軽油

$0.96 /l

JPY150.84 · €0.83/l

20 of 141

cheaper than 87% of countries

Popular route

Distance

Fuel cost

~

Est. time

~

Quiz: test yourself
Guess the vanlife lingo — 3 quick questions
1 / 3
Q1 What does a VanSky Score of 85 suggest for a place this month?

Best regions in the coming days

Hokkaidō +18°·11 km/h
89
Nagano Prefecture +24°·30 km/h
76
Aomori Prefecture +22°·39 km/h
76
Fukushima Prefecture +24°·27 km/h
75
Iwate Prefecture +23°·33 km/h
74
Avoid now
Okinawa Prefecture +31°·27 km/h
27
Nagasaki Prefecture +33°·30 km/h
32

You May Be Interested

All News
JP Japan 2

Car Overnight Stays as Safe Evacuation: Experiments in Japan

Japan is conducting experiments on safe car overnight stays for evacuation after the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, which saw deep vein thrombosis cases. Results may inform national guidelines.

News from Japan

All News
JP Japan

Upgrading Titanium Coffee Gear for Camping

The author, an astronomy and camping enthusiast, purchased three titanium items for making coffee on the road: a filter, a kettle, and an alcohol stove from TITAN MANIA. He notes that titanium is lightweight, durable, and does not affect the taste of the drink. The entire kit fits compactly into a pouch that can be stored in a camera bag. The author also warns to use the alcohol stove only outdoors due to risks of carbon monoxide poisoning and fire.

Woman dies of suspected heatstroke in car after Japan earthquake

A 70-year-old woman in Japan died of suspected heatstroke after evacuating to her car following an earthquake. Temperatures in the area exceeded 38°C, and the inside of the vehicle was even hotter. The woman had been staying in the car for several days, afraid to return to her damaged home. Authorities urge evacuees to use designated shelters with air conditioning.

Install OpenVan.camp

Get quick access and offline reading.

Install on iOS

  1. 1 Tap Share in Safari.
  2. 2 Choose "Add to Home Screen".
  3. 3 Confirm by tapping Add.

Already installed

The app is already installed on this device.

Install from browser menu

Use your browser menu to install or add to home screen.

→ Glossary