[Experience Report] Reiwa 8 Kumamoto Earthquake: Stranded at Shin-Yatsushiro Station. Lessons learned during the 3 days it took to get home on my own

First, I would like to express my deepest sympathies to everyone affected by the Reiwa 8 Kumamoto Earthquake. Search and recovery efforts are still ongoing in the affected areas.

This article is a record by a traveler who just happened to be there. It is not a tale of heroism or a success story. However, I am writing this down while my memories are still fresh, thinking that what I was able to know, what I could not know, and how I made decisions in that extreme situation might be useful to someone someday.

I will state the conclusion first.I believe that what is important during a disaster is gathering information and making decisions.

July 28, 16:27 / Shin-Yatsushiro Station

I live in the Kansai region. After finishing a trip in Fukuoka, I was on the Kyushu Shinkansen heading to Kagoshima to visit my parents' home.

It was the very moment the train was about to leave Shin-Yatsushiro Station.

It was an incredible lateral shaking like nothing I had ever experienced. The person sitting in the seat on the far right across the aisle was lifted from their seat and slammed onto the floor. Fortunately, they did not seem to have any major injuries, but it was chilling to watch.

I was on the left side, so I was safe, but a carry-on suitcase from the overhead rack flew off and fell into the aisle. I can only say it was truly lucky that it didn't hit anyone. I shudder to think what would have happened if that had hit someone directly.

Honestly, I braced myself for a derailment.

(I learned later that this earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1, occurring in the Kumamoto region of Kumamoto Prefecture, with a maximum seismic intensity of 7 in Uki City and Hikawa Town. Yatsushiro City, where Shin-Yatsushiro Station is located, was right in the middle of the epicenter area.)

30 minutes inside the train

We waited inside the train for about 30 minutes by my estimation. The power outage stopped the air conditioning, and the inside of the train in July began to heat up rapidly. By the time the heat became clearly noticeable, we were allowed to disembark relatively quickly.

Looking back, this was very fortunate. There were cases where passengers had to spend the night inside trains that were stranded on the tracks.

Whether or not one could get off the train at an early stage was not something I could choose myself. However, as a result, I was able to start thinking about my next move early on. It was just that, but I think it made a difference in the three days that followed.

First decision: Secure drinks first

The first thing I did after getting off at the station was to secure drinks.

I purchaseda disaster-preparedness vending machineat the station, buyingone bottle of water and one bottle of tea. App payments were no longer working at this point, so I bought them with cash. Other vending machines were silent due to the power outage, and this was the only one that was working.

There are two lessons learned here.

• There are facilities that work even during a power outage. Be vaguely aware of where they are during normal times.

• Keep cash on hand. Even those who prefer cashless payments should keep a few thousand yen in cash tucked away in their wallets.

I finished the water that day, and the next morning, I refilled the empty bottle at the evacuation center before heading out.An empty container is, in itself, a piece of equipment.

As for the tea, I left it untouched. This would prove useful in an unexpected way the following day.

Two hours in front of the station

Although I had disembarked, there was nothing I could do from that point on.

In front of the station, all the passengers continued to wait for information from JR staff. I think it was abouttwo hours by my estimation. I don't remember the exact time. Should I move, should I wait, where should I go? It was a time of just waiting without knowing anything.

During these two hours, the communication situation became clear.

My smartphone had a signal, but the internet wouldn't connect no matter what I did. I think the lines were congested. On the other hand,voice calls worked.

Therefore, during this waiting time, I called my family to tell them only that I was safe and that I was currently at Shin-Yatsushiro Station. In the end, this was the right decision, as the internet remained unusable for a long time after this.

The waiting time was not a time to be idle, but a time to check if communication methods were alive, andto convey what needed to be conveyed to the necessary people, using the means that were connected, while they were still connected.time.

After some time had passed, we were guided to an evacuation center. It was a community center about a 10-minute walk from the station.

The night at the evacuation center

And when we arrived there, it was“Dismissed! Do as you please from here on!” It wasn't that someone would take care of us until the end. This was the moment the switch flipped, realizing that from here on, I had to think and decide for myself.

The community center gymnasium had no air conditioning, and we slept on the floor. Water and towels were provided (on a self-service basis). I believe the only food distribution was bread for the next morning.

It seemed a generator was running, and light from the outside lamps was entering the gymnasium. It wasn't pitch black. However, with the aftershocks continuing, the heat, and the hard floor, I could barely sleep.

And, I could hear the faint sound of a radio from somewhere. That sound still remains in my ears even now.

The fact that the internet was not connecting

Writing it down again, my situation that night was as follows.

• Internet: Completely down

• Voice calls: Working

• Radio: I did not have one

In short, I had almost zero means of actively seeking out information.

For example, during this earthquake, a tsunami advisory was issued for the Ariake and Yatsushiro Seas (lifted at 18:10). I didn't know that. In the end, nothing happened, and the evacuation center was inland, but the fact remains that I spent that time completely unaware.

When information is cut off, it means you reach a state where you don't even realize what you don't know.

That night, the person listening to the radio must have known more about the situation than I did, at the very least. That difference was bridged by a portable radio costing only a few thousand yen. I will definitely bring one next time.

I did have a mobile battery, however. Thanks to this, my smartphone didn't run out of charge until I checked into a hotel the next day. Additionally, at the evacuation center, I lowered the screen brightness to conserve power. During a power outage, the moment your smartphone dies, you lose your only remaining means of communication. It's a small thing, but these kinds of savings really add up.

This is because I kept opening my screen over and over, thinking, "Maybe the internet is back up now." In the end, it never connected once that day. The very act of checking for a connection that isn't there drains the battery. I am very glad I kept the brightness down.

July 29 Morning / "Seeking out" information

The next morning, I returned to the station.

If I couldn't look it up online, I had no choice but to ask people. And the place where traffic information is most concentrated is the station. This was the best decision I made this time.

The information I was able to get from the station staff was as follows.

• There are currently no plans for JR to provide temporary buses

• If I can get to Kumamoto City, the lifelines are still active, so I should be able to manage

• The airport is operational

And at the station, the current operating status was posted on paper. For someone like me who couldn't connect to the internet, this paper was my only primary source of information.

The content was clear. The Kyushu Shinkansen was suspended for the entire day between Hakata and Kumamoto, and between Kumamoto and Kagoshima-Chuo. Conventional lines were also suspended from the first train between Kumamoto and Yatsushiro on the Kagoshima Main Line.

Looking south, the Kagoshima Main Line was running as usual between Sendai and Kagoshima-Chuo. However, Sendai Station is about 100km away from here. Getting to the operational conventional line was impossible in the first place. In other words, all means of travel by rail were completely severed.

At this point, I gave up on returning to my parents' home in Kagoshima. I changed my destination to aim for the closer Kumamoto City, and from there, return to Kansai. At this point, the purpose of my trip shifted from "visiting home" to "getting home."

At the same time, there were things I understood from looking at the city.

• Rental cars, buses, hotels, and convenience stores were all closed

• Many taxi drivers were also taking the day off

It is obvious, but it is something we tend to forget.Everyone on the ground is a disaster victim. The assumption of normal times that "if you pay money, you can receive service" is completely wiped away.

And so, my strategy was decided once I realized these three things: "Help won't come even if I wait here," "The situation will improve if I head north," and "The airport is still operational."

The decision to walk

It is about 35 km from Shin-Yatsushiro Station to Kumamoto Station.

In high school, I attended a school that had an ascetic-like event where we were forced to walk 47 km every year. That is why I thought, "I can probably do 35 km." Honestly, I even felt a little bit of enjoyment.

And I didn't just walk blindly.I aimed for National Route 3. If I stayed along a main road, I might be able to hail a passing taxi. And if I made it north to a region with less damage, there might be a rental car shop in operation. It is simply because the probability of encountering a means of transportation is higher.

This was not a "plan to walk the entire way," but rather a "plan to increase the probability of encountering a better means of transport while walking." I was conscious of this.

However, there was something I realized as soon as I started walking.The road itself is a disaster victim. The pavement on the sidewalk was lifted, the shoulders had collapsed, and cones were placed everywhere. I had assumed that "as long as there is a road, I can walk," but that road is not necessarily safe. I learned this obvious fact only after I started walking.

Parting ways with the person I walked with

There was someone who sat next to me in the gymnasium of the evacuation center, and we talked about various things. That morning, I walked from the evacuation center to Shin-Yatsushiro Station with that person, and we both looked at that notice together.

Then, at the station, I simply told them, "I am going to walk to Kumamoto City from here. What will you do?" I left it to their own judgment. I believed that only they could decide whether they could walk or whether they should walk.

That person told me that it didn't seem like the situation would improve if they stayed there, and they decided to come with me.

However, once we started walking, it was a walk in extreme heat, and the person seemed to be struggling physically. We took two breaks along the way. This was when I gave them the tea I had left untouched. Even so, the situation did not improve, so for the third time, we stopped by a police box and asked them to arrange for the person to be taken to a hospital. From there, I headed north alone.

The option of walking is not a card that everyone can play.

This time, I was alone. That is why I could walk. If I had been with my family, I am sure I could not have made this decision. I would have definitely made a completely different choice to stay at the evacuation center.

"Accurately estimating your own physical strength" and "accurately estimating someone else's physical strength" are different skills. And I learned that the latter is far more difficult.

Even after I was on my own, I saw many houses along the way with collapsed roofs and crushed structures.The only reason I can think "I can get home if I walk" is because I don't live here. That is what I was made to realize.

When I looked up, a damaged train was left abandoned on the elevated tracks. It means there were people running there at that moment of the earthquake.

On the other hand, even though the road surface was cracked and heaved, cars were moving properly. When I saw that line of cars, I knew that my initial reading that "I might be able to hail a taxi along a main road" was not wrong.

I managed to catch a taxi

About 10km into my journey from the start, I happened to be able to hail a taxi.

However, the driver was reluctant to go all the way to the airport.He was worried about gasoline. he said.

So I asked him, “I don’t mind if you only take me as far as you can.” The driver then said, “I’ll try to make it to the airport.”

As a result, he was able to take me all the way to the airport. I was truly grateful.

During the ride, I learned from the driver about the severity of the fuel situation. Many people were sleeping in their cars, causing demand for refueling to skyrocket. Some gas stations had already run out of stock, he said.

Once he pointed it out and I started paying attention, it was indeed true. Some stations were closed due to earthquake damage, and there were long lines without exception at the ones that were open.Demand was increasing while the number of suppliers was decreasing. I finally understood the reality behind the concern about fuel.

The fare was a little over 12,000 yen.While I was in the taxi, I was able to get back online, and I was able to pay using PayPay.

The fact that my payment methods shifted from “app to cash to app again” symbolizes these past three days.Don’t rely entirely on just one method.

Once I was back online, the first thing I checked was LINE. I told my friends I had been traveling with to Fukuoka, as well as my family, my current location and my plans moving forward. In our phone call the previous night, I could only say that I was “safe,” but now I was finally able to share how I intended to get home.

When communication is restored, first update your own situation. Reducing the number of people who are worried was also necessary for me to move around freely.

And, the scenery from the car window made me realize just how massive the disaster I was in really was.

On the way, I saw a large commercial facility cordoned off with police tape. According to reports, there had been an explosion there, and there were casualties. I could tell even from inside the car that the response was still ongoing.

I could only just pass by. I was crossing this place with the sole purpose of “getting home.” That fact stayed with me for a while.

When I got off at the airport, the driver said, “I’m going to stop at a gas station on my way back.”

Because he took me to the airport, his fuel had definitely decreased. I hope he was able to wait in that long line and refuel safely. Even after I got out, I kept thinking about that for a while.

The next wall I hit at the airport

When I tried to secure a flight ticket at the airport counter, I was told—“All flights are fully booked for today.”

Come to think of it, that was obvious. There were many other people who had thought of the same thing.

At this point, I immediately switched gears.

I booked a flight for the next morning and used my phone, which had finally regained a connection, to look for a hotel.

There were absolutely no vacancies in Kumamoto city. I imagine many members of the press had checked in, but I don't know the reason. After searching persistently, I found a hidden gem of a place near the airport. It was a cramped room, like a trailer house, but it had air conditioning, a bed, and a shower. After spending the previous night sleeping on the floor of a sweltering gymnasium, it was heaven.

Eat something

After securing a place to stay, I had lunch at a restaurant inside the airport. This was my first meal since the disaster.

Honestly, I wasn't hungry. I think I was just too tense.

Even so, I decided it was better to eat. "Eat when you can" is refueling for your next move. I don't think this was a situation where I should have relied on whether or not I felt hungry.

Walking to the hotel

On this day, I deliberately chose to walk from the airport to the hotel. It was about 6km and took an hour and a half.

I wanted to make sure I could get to the airport on my own in case no taxis were available the next morning.

After walking it, I was horrified. The road was downhill. In other words, if I had to walk the next morning, it would be a 6km uphill climb while carrying my luggage.

I had the hotel book a taxi to the airport for the next morning when I checked in. They told me, "It might not be possible due to the earthquake," but I was able to secure one without issue.

In the end, that hour and a half was a waste. Even so, I'm glad I did it. I learned what the "worst-case scenario" would be, gained peace of mind knowing I could manage even then, and was able to steel myself.

July 30th / Return

The next morning, I had the emergency bread I'd received at the evacuation center for breakfast, checked out, and took the taxi I'd booked to the airport. Then, I flew back to Kansai safely.

In the end, I never even set foot in Kagoshima. It turned into a round-trip homecoming.

Summary: 3 Principles of Information Gathering

1. The internet is down. Calls and radio survive. Even if you have signal bars, you might not be able to connect. In my case, the internet was completely dead, but voice calls still worked. And at the evacuation center, someone's radio kept broadcasting information. A portable radio costing a few thousand yen was the best solution that night.

2. Go to the "places" where information gathers yourself. Returning to the station was the right move. Traffic information gathers at stations, and daily life information gathers at government offices and evacuation center bulletin boards. Information won't come to you if you just wait.

3. Suspect that "there is information you aren't getting." At the time, I didn't know that a tsunami advisory had been issued for the Yatsushiro Sea right nearby. Situations that look calm are often the most dangerous. I should have operated on the assumption that there was definitely information I wasn't receiving.

Summary: 5 Principles of Decision Making

1. Have at least one 'basis' for your judgment before acting 'Lifelines in Kumamoto City are still working,' 'The airport is operational.' I started walking only after grasping these two facts. Moving without a basis is just gambling.

2. Understand that everyone on the ground is a disaster victim Rental cars, buses, convenience stores, and hotels will all stop. You must temporarily discard the assumption that 'money can solve everything.'

3. Do not bet on a single method Payment (app/cash), communication (internet/calls), and transportation (walking/taxi/airplane). If you have a backup for everything, you won't get stuck.

4. Replenish supplies 'before' you need them Get drinks as soon as you get off at the station. Eat before you feel hungry. If you wait until you need them and then can't find them, you will panic.

5. Verify the worst-case scenario in reality A 6km scouting trip taught me the reality that 'tomorrow will be an uphill climb.' Mental simulations tend to be overly optimistic.

If I were to review my belongings now

• Portable radio (I felt this most keenly this time. I will definitely include one next time)

• Mobile battery (This was the most effective item this time. Also, you can reduce usage just by lowering the brightness of your smartphone screen)

• Cash (A few thousand yen is enough. Keep it fixed in the back of your wallet)

• Shoes you can walk in (These become your lifeline while traveling)

• Empty plastic bottle (There are surprisingly many places where you can get water)

• Regular medication, simple food

Afterword

After writing this article, I was able to get in touch with someone I had parted ways with along the way.

They told me they received medical treatment at a hospital after that. They had considered returning to the evacuation center, but felt there was no point in staying there, so they decided to start walking again.

On the way, they were picked up by someone passing by who gave them a ride to the north. They spent the night at a different evacuation center, and the next day, they transferred between buses and the Shinkansen that had resumed operation, successfully making it back to Kansai.

We were in the same place, saw the same information, each decided to walk, and each returned via a different route. I was somehow happy about that, and I kept re-reading the message for a while.

Conclusion

It was a summer vacation I will never forget.

It might be inappropriate to call this a 'valuable experience' in front of those who suffered damage. Even so, I believe that what I thought and what choices I made during those three days are worth recording accurately.

I was just lucky. Being able to get off the Shinkansen immediately, finding a taxi, and finding a place to stay—I was helped by pure coincidence in every instance.

However, one thing is certain: whether or not you can seize those coincidences depends on where you are, what you know, and what you decide at that moment.

I sincerely pray for the earliest possible recovery of the affected areas.