Tokyo apartment emergencies for foreign residents

Save 119 for fire or ambulance and 110 for an urgent police response, together with your Tokyo address, building name and room number. In an emergency, call the service you need before waiting for the company you're renting from to answer a message.

For a property problem without immediate danger, use the apartment's emergency or maintenance contact. Say what happened, where it is happening and whether anyone is at risk. A gas smell, a leaking pipe and a forgotten key need different responses.

Save the daytime and after-hours contacts separately. Sakura House's emergency procedure, for example, directs residents to its sister hotel company outside office hours. Whoever answers may need to arrange a technician, so ask what you should do safely while waiting.

Calling for urgent help

Tokyo's ambulance instructions explain the 119 call and language assistance. Ask for your language, state the location and describe what has happened. Stay on the line and follow the dispatcher's instructions; don't delay the call because you can't prepare a complete Japanese sentence.

The Metropolitan Police Department's 110 guidance is for incidents needing an urgent police response. A lost wallet or an ordinary lockout without danger normally needs a different route, such as a lost-property report or the apartment's access procedure.

Keep the full address in Japanese and roman letters somewhere you can access without searching old emails. Include the floor, room and any entrance instructions. If you're alone, tell the dispatcher. If someone can safely meet responders at the entrance, ask the dispatcher whether that would help.

During an earthquake

The Tokyo Fire Department's advice is to protect your head and body, for example under a table or with a cushion, and not rush outside. Furniture and objects can fall indoors; glass and signs can fall outside.

Once the shaking stops, check for injuries and immediate hazards, then follow official broadcasts and building instructions. If the apartment is unsafe, leave by a safe route and use the appropriate local refuge. Don't assume a particular central-Tokyo address has no flood or tsunami risk without checking its official hazard information.

If gas has stopped, don't begin resetting equipment while you're still checking for damage. A gas smell changes the response entirely. The earthquake preparation guide explains what to identify before an earthquake, including exits and the apartment's emergency equipment.

A gas smell: inside and outside need different actions

Follow Tokyo Gas Network's gas-leak instructions. Do not use flames or operate electrical switches, including ventilation-fan switches. Move away from the smell and contact the gas emergency service.

For a smell indoors, the company instructs you to open windows and close appliance and meter gas taps. Do that only where you can reach them safely. If the smell is outside, its advice is to close doors and windows to keep gas from entering.

For Tokyo Gas Network, the gas-leak line is 0570-002299, available 24 hours. If that number doesn't work, it lists 03-6735-8899. Check the gas company serving your building at arrival, especially if it uses a different system.

Don't reset a meter when you suspect a leak, search for the leak yourself or turn a fan on to clear it. If there is fire or immediate danger, call 119 from a safe location. Tell the company managing your apartment once urgent help is underway.

Electricity has stopped

First observe what is affected without touching anything unsafe. Is one appliance off, one part of the apartment dark, or the whole building affected? Report any smoke, burning smell, sparks or water near electrical equipment as an urgent hazard.

For a possible ordinary overload, stop using the appliances that were running and consult the apartment's breaker instructions. Don't remove covers or repeatedly reset a breaker that trips again. If you can't identify the correct switch, ask the company managing the apartment for guidance.

Keep a torch accessible so you don't have to rely on the same phone for lighting and calls. Tell management if cooling, heating or medical equipment is affected and move somewhere safe if necessary.

If you have also received a supply-stop notice, mention it, but don't assume every outage is an unpaid bill. The utility notice guide covers checking payment and arranging reconnection. Those account procedures won't repair an electrical fault.

Water is leaking

Report a leak promptly, including its location and whether water is spreading. If you can safely stop the source using an identified tap or the apartment's labelled shutoff, follow the supplied instructions. Don't experiment with unidentified valves in a shared service cupboard.

Keep clear of wet electrical equipment. Move belongings only where it is safe, and use towels or a container for a small leak while help is arranged. Don't climb onto furniture or open the ceiling to investigate water coming from above.

Tell management if water may be reaching another room or floor. Send photographs and the time you noticed it. Report even a small drip so it can be checked before it causes more damage.

If you can't reach the rental company, use the building's emergency contact or the backup contact listed in your booking documents. Ask for an update on access and repairs. Keep the record, including any instruction to stop using a fixture.

You can't get back inside

Call the check-in or emergency number and explain whether the key is lost, inside, or not working. Ask about a spare, backup code or approved locksmith. Don't force the door. If an electronic lock has lost power, ask the rental company for instructions for that exact model.

Before hiring a locksmith, confirm with the rental company what the locksmith is allowed to do. A replacement lock is a separate decision from opening the door. The lockout guide explains how to check a locksmith’s quote.

Move somewhere safe while waiting. Don't assume a hotel or locksmith bill will automatically be reimbursed; ask what the company authorises and keep receipts. Immediate personal safety comes before settling the cost discussion.

Finding non-emergency medical care

For help locating a suitable facility, Tokyo's HIMAWARI medical-information service is available daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 03-5285-8181, in English, Chinese, Korean, Thai and Spanish. It is an information service, not an emergency dispatch line or a substitute for diagnosis.

Contact the clinic or hospital to confirm it can see you, the language arrangements and what to bring. Don't assume the nearest hospital accepts every unbooked patient or that a named hospital always has an English-speaking clinician available.

For an emergency, call 119 rather than shopping for a clinic or waiting for insurance approval. For other visits, the clinic guide explains payment and insurance-document questions.

Make the apartment easier to explain

Ask at check-in where the breaker panel, water shutoff, gas meter and safe exits are, and which you are expected to operate yourself. Photograph the labelled locations with permission. Leave restricted service areas to building staff.

Save both the rental company's contact and the building's emergency contact, with their actual hours. Ask what to do if the first contact doesn't answer. A daytime office number is useful, but it doesn't answer an after-hours question by itself.

After any incident, send a concise record: what happened, when, who attended, what they did and what remains unresolved. Confirm that the affected equipment is safe to use before returning to the usual routine.