A Kindai University student, Tsuyoshi Kitahara, has developed a gamified evacuation drill simulating a nighttime earthquake and tsunami. The first trial took place in Shimizu district, Kainan, Wakayama Prefecture, involving residents practicing escape with a simulated disabled person. Participants highlighted the need for better preparedness amid a potential 48-minute tsunami arrival.
In Shimizu district, Kainan, Wakayama Prefecture, Kindai University senior Tsuyoshi Kitahara, 21, conducted the first trial of his "cooperative night escape game." The area faces a potential 8-meter tsunami from a Nankai Trough earthquake, with a 1-meter wave forecasted to arrive in 48 minutes.
Addressing 25 participants—residents, high school students, and prefectural staff—at a community center, Kitahara questioned: "You might feel 48 minutes is long enough to escape, but is that really the case?" The goal was to foster constant evacuation awareness.
In groups of five, one member simulated physical disability using sunglasses and earplugs. They cleared pre-placed obstacles like fallen roof tiles and trees while climbing steep, unlit slopes. Shining flashlights, they warned each other: "Watch your step, there’s a gap here," or "This path isn’t any good for evacuation."
Upon reaching the higher ground evacuation site, participants shared insights, such as "We want to interact more on a routine basis to be ready to give each other help in emergencies" and "We should install more streetlights."
A 17-year-old from Kainan Senior High School said: "I didn’t have gloves and had trouble removing obstacles. It was good to learn what’s necessary during an evacuation."
From Higashinada Ward in Kobe, Kitahara grew up with disaster education drawing from the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, which killed 6,434 including related deaths. Studying architecture and urban development, he started a live-in survey in Shimizu—plagued by vacant houses—in June, inspired by a resident's request for a nighttime drill.
"I was impressed with the residents in Shimizu who interacted with each other, helping each other to do the drill," Kitahara said. "I want to use the insights gained to revise the practical disaster mitigation manual."
The drill illuminated nighttime evacuation challenges, enhancing local preparedness.