Editorial policy

So you can judge by what is written, not who wrote it: living skills shown with sources and steps, backed by what we have practiced and learned.

Sources

Steps and numbers come first from public agencies and expert bodies: in the U.S., for example, Ready.gov (FEMA) and the American Red Cross; in Japan, ministries such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).
A manufacturer's manual is the source for how to use that product.
When sources disagree, we say so and show which one we used. U.S. and Japanese guidance often measure different things, and we spell out the difference.

Dates

Every source at the end of an article carries the date we checked it. When guidance changes, we check again and log it in Updates.

What we've practiced and learned

Our articles combine the guidance with what we have practiced and learned ourselves. Steps and numbers come from sources, not from our experience; suggestions and views that go beyond the guidance are labeled "our suggestion" or "our view". The calculators work from the sources' numbers, not from our experience. When we add a dated record of something we tried, it carries the date, the kind of place, how long it took, and what didn't work. One record is one result; yours may differ.

Gear notes

We only write gear notes about gear we have actually used.

Safety

Articles about fire, blades, first aid, or exercise link to Safety. An article is never a substitute for training.

Corrections

Tell us through the contact form, choosing "Report a mistake".
We check it against the sources.
If it is wrong, we fix it and log what changed and when in Updates.

Advertising

See Advertising. Rankings and ratings are never for sale.

Growing some of your own food: containers, community gardens and soil safety

Starting with containers (sun, drainage, potting mix, watering), community gardens and Japan's citizen farms, testing garden soil for lead and EPA's advice by lead level, and not planting toxic look-alikes such as daffodils next to chives.

Cooking for a crowd: planning and food safety for big batches

USDA's volunteer guide to cooking for groups, the current safe minimum temperatures, the 2-hour and 1-hour rules, cooling, reheating and transport, plus Japanese disaster-cooking numbers for how much rice to cook and what not to serve.

Choosing a campsite: flash floods, dead branches, wind and rockfall

Where to pitch and where not to, from the National Park Service, NOAA and Japan's river authorities: dry washes and sandbars, hazard trees, rockfall, wind and lightning, a five-direction check, the three knots for pitching, and drying your tent before storage.

Sleeping warm: sleeping bag temperature ratings and sleeping pad R-values

What the comfort, limit and extreme ratings on a sleeping bag mean (ISO 23537-1), how pad R-values are tested (ASTM F3340) and why stacked pads add up, how altitude lowers the temperature, Japan's shelter bed lessons, and avoiding low-temperature burns.

Disaster camping: Japan's habit of practicing a night without power, water or gas

Japanese schools and families practice for disasters by spending a night on camping gear and stored supplies. What those programs do, how the idea fits Ready.gov and Red Cross advice, how to start with a few hours, a one-night checklist, and the safety rules.