February ①Do you have a fire alarm system installed in your home? ②Yokohama Chinatown ③A Little Helping Hand (3)

The main cause of death in house fires is failure to escape in time.
Fire alarms are required by law to be installed in all homes. They automatically detect smoke and heat generated by a fire and alert you with a sound or alarm. If you haven’t installed one yet, please do so as soon as possible to save your life and that of your family in the event of a fire!

The remaining sparks from a cigarette butt in an ashtray continued to smolder and caught fire. It ignited some nearby garbage, filling the room with smoke and setting off the alarm.

After cooking fish on the grill, this person forgot to turn off the flame. The oil in the grill burned, causing smoke and setting off the alarm.

Someone was heating up some fried food in a toaster oven and went off to do something. Smoke came out of the toaster and the alarm went off.

There are many unique shopping streets in Naka Ward. This month, we will introduce Yokohama Chinatown, one of the most popular tourist spots in Yokohama. Learn more about Chinatown, a shopping district with a history of more than 150 years since the opening of the port, and discover something new about this fascinating area of town!

Mr. Takaya Terukazu, chairman
The name Ichiba-dori (Market Street) comes from the fact that, from around 1921, the street was lined with a variety of stores, including butchers, fishmongers, specialty shrimp stores, fruit and vegetable stores, dry goods stores, and tableware stores. These stores served Chinese restaurants and local residents and were open only in the mornings, and people therefore called it a morning market. As time went by, the general stores withdrew and Chinese restaurants increased in number, becoming the area of town you see today.
In addition to the four major Chinese cuisines of Beijing, Shanghai, Cantonese, and Sichuan, Taiwanese restaurants are also located here.

Ms. Soki Ma, chairman
This is one of the oldest shopping streets in Yokohama Chinatown, with a long history going back many years. Here, you can immerse yourself in the history of not only Chinatown but also Naka Ward as a whole, as there are monuments to the birthplace of newspapers and the birthplace of rugby, not to mention the popular Chinatown sightseeing spot, Kanteibyo.
In addition to restaurants, here you will find various stores including tea stores, hardware stores selling woks and other items, florists, barber shops, electronics stores, and food stores.

Mr. Nobumasa Takahashi, Chairman of the Board
There are many Chinatowns in various countries, but only the Chinatown in Naka Ward is visited by so many people from their own country. Our brand vision is “Yokohama Chinatown, a town full of repeat visitors.” To achieve this goal, we are working together to ensure the safety and security of the community. I hope that Naka Ward residents will visit Chinatown many times and find five or six favorite restaurants that they can use for different occasions.
The corners of the area occupied by Chinatown are located in the north, south, east, and west directions, which fits in well with the urban planning of Chinatown based on the Feng Shui concept. The Choyomon, Suzakumon, Enpeimon, and Genbumon gates, which guard the north, south, east, and west sides of the city, are painted in blue, red, black, and white according to the Feng Shui concept. In addition to these four gates, there are ten other gates with elaborate designs in Chinatown. Please stop and take your time to look up at them.
This Chinese New Year, for the first time, objet d’art lanterns will be displayed outside Chinatown, and there will be a stamp rally to coincide with this. It will be a great opportunity to discover stores you didn’t know existed, rediscover the charm of places you know, and get to know the area better. And I’m sure you’ll come to love Yokohama even more!

[Lisa, a junior high school student from the U.S.]
The other day, my house suddenly shook, and I was so surprised!

Where is the nearest evacuation shelter to my home?

By the way, my friend’s family was having trouble knowing what to do in the event of a major disaster...