Among several words in their language, the Japanese have a unique feeling towards the word “Jishin” — which means earthquake.

As pictures from the Niigata prefecture, epicentre of the country’s latest earthquake, reveal, the quakes cause extensive damage to the country. But there can’t be a better evidence for the superior survival instinct and organisational skills of the Japanese than the way they handle this danger.

Located in the most earthquake-prone region of the world, Japan lives through earthquakes of smaller magnitude almost every passing week. “We do feel very often the ground shaking under our feet,” says Megumi Mori, a Japanese national currently living in Bangalore.

“Of course, when the shake is more violent than usual it makes us feel worried. On such occasions, we know exactly what to do and how to guard ourselves from the danger.”

She says the government in her country and local authorities play a major role in training their citizens to guard themselves from the falling debris.

“The trainers explain through demonstration as to how we should stay safe,” Mori says. “Of course, much of it is common sense. For instance, the best way one could protect himself from the falling debris is by staying under the table.”

C T Geetha, a Bangalorean who had lived in Japan for a decade, says earthquake is perhaps the sternest test for foreigners resident there to adapt themselves to local conditions. “We would practically feel smaller tremors almost once a week, but over a period of time we have learnt to get used to them,” Geetha recalls.

But we were frequently instructed to remain under the table during a severe quake, asked to always keep a bag with essential clothing, water and little things to eat, at the entrance of the house. Besides foreigners must also keep in the bag their passport, visa and the local residential details, she said.

During the Kobe earthquake, one of the worst natural disasters to have hit Japan in the 1990s, Geetha was in Japan and says the impact was felt as far as Tokyo, where she was based at that time. “It was early morning and I felt the tremor to be slightly stronger than usual. My children were sleeping in the next room and I was trying to prepare them for an emergency,” she recounts.

The most dangerous of earthquakes happened when Geetha was in the 11th floor of a building in Tokyo that swayed like a swing for several minutes. “All of us, including the locals, were quite alarmed for sometime. We kind of felt normal only when the swaying stopped completely,” she says.

“An earthquake is something most Japanese take in their stride, despite being very well prepared for it,” Mori says. “For instance, all  buildings in major cities can withstand severe quakes and even the old ones that are reported to have collapsed were made with lighter materials and so people who are caught under them can escape without  injuries.”

Such is the level of preparedness that the death toll in severe earthquakes like the one that hit the Niigata prefecture last week is often low. Of the nine dead in the region, all of them are over 70 or 80 years of age. Medical facilities are also geared up to handle an emergency and those suffering from minor fractures and bruise as a result of collapsed  buildings, are treated immediately.

Despite being part of the landscape, earthquakes also create fear and panic among local people, Geetha says. “If the minor quakes don’t occur for a long time, the worry is greater, as it would often mean a severe quake is imminent,” she notes.