7-day family food and water plan

A seven-day supply of food and water is the sweet spot for most families in Japan. Three days used to be the standard advice, but after larger disasters the government and many municipalities now suggest a week, because roads, water mains, and supermarket restocking can take that long to recover in a wide-area event. The good news is that a week's worth of supplies is very manageable once you break it down per person. This page gives you clear numbers, a shopping list, and a simple way to keep everything fresh.

How much water and food you actually need

Water is the priority. Plan for 3 litres of drinking water per person per day. That covers drinking and basic cooking; washing and toilet water is separate and can come from stored tap water or your bathtub. For food, aim for roughly 1,800 to 2,200 kcal per adult per day. During a stressful week you want food that is warm, familiar, and easy to prepare with little or no heat.

A balanced week leans on a few reliable building blocks: alpha rice (アルファ米) and 安心米-type just-add-water rice meals, retort curry, soup, and pasta sauce, plus canned goods like tuna, mackerel, corn, and beans. Round it out with crackers, energy bars, dried fruit, and a few comfort items. Rotate flavours so nobody gets tired of eating the same thing on day four.

Quantities by family size (7 days)

These are rough targets, not exact rules. Adjust for appetites, ages, and tastes. Households with a baby or toddler have different needs, so see baby and toddler emergency food for formula, water, and soft-food planning. If anyone in your home eats halal or vegetarian, check halal and vegetarian emergency food for suitable alpha-rice and retort options.

A simple shopping list

You can build a full week from an ordinary supermarket and drugstore run:

• Bottled water in 2 L and 500 ml sizes (small bottles are easier to share and reseal)
• Alpha rice / 安心米 in a few varieties: white rice, mixed rice (五目), and chicken rice
• Retort curry (mild and medium), corn soup, minestrone, and pasta sauce
• Canned tuna, mackerel (さば), grilled chicken (焼き鳥), corn, and mixed beans
• Crackers, rice crackers, energy bars, nuts, and dried fruit
• Instant miso soup, powdered drinks, and tea bags for morale and hydration
• A cassette gas stove (カセットコンロ) with spare canisters, plus disposable plates, cups, and a manual can opener

If you have a portable power station or plan to buy one, you can also run a small kettle or induction plate. Our power station calculator helps you size a unit for a few days of light cooking and phone charging.

Keep it fresh with rolling stock

The most common reason emergency food goes to waste is that it quietly expires in a closet. The fix is the rolling-stock method (ローリングストック): buy a little extra of the food you already eat, store it, and each month use the oldest items and replace them. Your stockpile stays fresh, familiar, and always current. It also spreads the cost over time instead of one big purchase. See the rolling-stock method for a month-by-month routine you can put on autopilot.

Where to buy, and a ready-made shortcut

You can assemble everything above yourself, and that is a great option. If you would rather skip the planning, a ready-made 7-day set bundles alpha rice, retort meals, and long-life water in the right proportions, with matched expiry dates so rotation is easy. It is a solid shortcut for a first stockpile that you top up over time.

Ready-made kits and long-life food:

Defend Future 39-item emergency kit安心米 (alpha rice)尾西食品 (alpha rice)Stock up on Amazon JapanStock up on Rakuten

Prices change; confirm on the product page. As of 2026-09-07.

Whichever route you choose, store water and food in a cool, dark place, note the earliest expiry date on a card taped to the box, and add a reminder to your calendar to check it twice a year. With a week of supplies quietly in place, a disruption becomes an inconvenience rather than an emergency, and that peace of mind is worth the small effort.