A workshop for international students, “Staying Safe in Japan: Learning and Sharing Disaster Culture,” was held on Tuesday, December 23, 2025, from 10:00 to 12:00 at “linkhub@” on the first floor of the East Building of the International Science and Innovation Building at Kyoto University.

The workshop was planned and run jointly by Associate Professor Dr. Tadashi Yamashita (School of Human Health Sciences), who served as the project lead, along with Junior Associate Professor Dr. Ayako Kohno (Dept. of Health Informatics, School of Public Helath), and Associate Professor Dr. Genta Nakano (Disaster Prevention Research Institute). Graduate students from the Human Health Sciences department and undergraduate students from the Department of Human Health Sciences and the School of Integrated Human Studies volunteered to help run the event. The Kyoto University Office of Institutional Advancement and Communications (IAC) also provided support for the event’s operation.

This project aimed to foster practical disaster preparedness skills among international students (undergraduate and graduate) enrolled at Kyoto University, allowing them to understand Japan’s disaster characteristics and disaster prevention culture, and to develop the ability to plan and implement disaster prevention actions appropriate to their own living environment. It also provided an opportunity for mutual learning about disaster prevention from a multicultural perspective and physical and mental health during disasters.

Approximately 20 international students from Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Taiwan, Mexico, China, India, Ethiopia, Myanmar, and Slovenia participated on the day. The large number of participants created a lively atmosphere at the venue. The workshop began with an image drawing exercise on the theme of “disasters.” Students then shared their experiences of disasters in their home countries and learned about Japan’s disaster prevention culture and basic knowledge. Students also held group discussions about specific actions and concerns they would take in the event of a disaster, and concluded with a group review and summary.

In the post-event survey, many participants commented that the workshop “helped me think about what I would do in the event of a disaster.” Positive feedback was also seen, including “I feel more confident in seeking information in the event of a disaster” and “Sharing disaster prevention cultures from different countries gave me new insights.” After the workshop, many participants felt mentally calmer about the disaster, and many said they would like to participate in similar events in the future and would recommend them to other international students.

Thank you very much to everyone who participated.