The every day disaster movie which is Japan

[Newportnobby]

That's one helluva landslide!!

[TrevL]

Terrible!  The driver of the little white car had a lucky escape!

[Bealman]

Where is that, Ian?

[railsquid]

Atami, for your reference on the coast southwest of Hakone.

Report in English: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/03/landslide-hits-popular-resort-town-in-japan-leaving-more-than-a-dozen-people-missing

Meanwhile, as Sunday morning viewing, NHK (the license-funded national broadcaster) is entertaining us with a programme discussing the thorny issue of returning home after a major earthquake in an urban area, which can cause problems as people will congregate at neuralgic points, causing all kinds of issues such as crowd crushes. Here a demonstration of what might happen on a crowded pedestrian bridge if one person panics:



Photos I took going home after the big earthquake in 2011, when the trains had stopped running (and most didn't start up until the next day):


P1040837 by Rail Squid, on Flickr


P1040848 by Rail Squid, on Flickr


P1040847 by Rail Squid, on Flickr


P1040856 by Rail Squid, on Flickr

[Bealman]

Eeek. 

[railsquid]

On the plus side, all this water means wildfires are not a major problem (and when they are, it's usually at the tail end of winter, which is when it's driest).

[Papyrus]

Terrible!  The driver of the little white car had a lucky escape!

My thoughts too. I was impressed by the nonchalant way he drove over the rubble! I hope he got to the bottom of the hill OK.

Stay safe!

Cheers,

Chris

[cmason]

@railsquid at least with the landslides there is a good chance of a long warning - here in Yokohama the alert system on the phones was yellling at us 01:16 and again 01:20 that there was Level 4 warning for flooding and landslides.

Of course floods and landslips are a big worry for us as we live 16th floor of 23. Of course that makes for soem rock and roll in a quake but its a modern bueilding and the compensators seem to work well - not like the experience the missus had when we were living in an older house other side of Yokosuka had on 3/11 ( I was away in Osaka ) or that I had in 1995 in Hyogo with the Kansai quake. 

Anyway I think the key here is modern buildings up to the latest building regs, especially the seismic standards, and either, if a tall structure, with suspension on footings to the bedrock if tall or, if a small dwelling, on higher ground away from the coast, away from slopes and away from floodplains. That way it only leaves the fauna (bees, snakes, centipedes, bears and wild pigs) to deal with ;-)

Oh - I forgot of course - volcanoes...

Cheers,

Colin.

[railsquid]

@cmason ooh I didn't realise there was someone else living in Japan 

Anyway I think the key here is modern buildings up to the latest building regs, especially the seismic standards, and either, if a tall structure, with suspension on footings to the bedrock if tall or, if a small dwelling, on higher ground away from the coast, away from slopes and away from floodplains. That way it only leaves the fauna (bees, snakes, centipedes, bears and wild pigs) to deal with ;-)

We've gone for the small dwelling on higher ground (which was never at any point in its history a water feature) away from the coast, away from slopes and away from floodplains option. Well technically the ground slopes down gently to the north and south, but that's because it's pretty much on a watershed. But far enough from the actual countryside for the fauna not to be an issue, apart from the odd altercation with buzzy black and yellow insects. Also reasonably distant (for Tokyo conditions) from neighbouring structures, which lessens the risk from fire. Touch wood and all that...

[cmason]

@cmason ooh I didn't realise there was someone else living in Japan 

@railsquid  Yep - there is also at least one more person (maybe not on NGF?) who is an NGS member who did a Japan article in the NGS Journal  recently. Tis a small world ( and not jut in N! - yeah, that was a bad "Dad Joke"... ).

[railsquid]

@cmason ooh I didn't realise there was someone else living in Japan 

@railsquid  Yep - there is also at least one more person (maybe not on NGF?) who is an NGS member who did a Japan article in the NGS Journal  recently. Tis a small world ( and not jut in N! - yeah, that was a bad "Dad Joke"... ).

Ah, that would be me, and (joins the dots) you messaged me on Facebook last year (but it took me 6 months to notice).

[cmason]

@cmason ooh I didn't realise there was someone else living in Japan 

@railsquid  Yep - there is also at least one more person (maybe not on NGF?) who is an NGS member who did a Japan article in the NGS Journal  recently. Tis a small world ( and not jut in N! - yeah, that was a bad "Dad Joke"... ).

Ah, that would be me, and (joins the dots) you messaged me on Facebook last year (but it took me 6 months to notice).

Ah - so we are truly few - although Maurice Osborne of Osborne's models who I have reason to correspon with from time to time ( I like his laser cut wooden kits ) tells me that Kato-san of Kato has visisted the UK to attend The International N-Gauge Show so maybe he can be brought on as an ally of an "NGF/NGS in Japan group".  Anyway, yep I messaged you and did see your eventual reply but then things got busy again. I will dig down and message you again.

Cheers,

Colin.

[railsquid]

@cmason ooh I didn't realise there was someone else living in Japan 

@railsquid  Yep - there is also at least one more person (maybe not on NGF?) who is an NGS member who did a Japan article in the NGS Journal  recently. Tis a small world ( and not jut in N! - yeah, that was a bad "Dad Joke"... ).

Ah, that would be me, and (joins the dots) you messaged me on Facebook last year (but it took me 6 months to notice).

Ah - so we are truly few - although Maurice Osborne of Osborne's models who I have reason to correspon with from time to time ( I like his laser cut wooden kits ) tells me that Kato-san of Kato has visisted the UK to attend The International N-Gauge Show so maybe he can be brought on as an ally of an "NGF/NGS in Japan group".  Anyway, yep I messaged you and did see your eventual reply but then things got busy again. I will dig down and message you again.

I did make the acquintance of Mr. Kato very briefly (and got him to pose with the NGF coach ), very nice chap.

[Bealman]

I remember that! You got a link to it, Ian? 

[Trainfish]

Like the link he put in his post you mean?