tsunami 津波
Mother Nature’s way of testing Japan’s urban planning. These giant waves are no joke, but Japan has perhaps the world’s best tsunami preparedness system.
How to survive:
- If you hear tsunami warnings (津波警報 tsunami keihō), get to higher ground immediately
- Follow evacuation signs (避難 hinan)
- In a flat coastal area? Remember that vertical evacuation often will be necessary
Tsunami is one of the few Japanese words adopted globally without translation, proving some concepts are so perfectly names they need no improvement.