How Sand Compaction Piles Saved Tokyo Disneyland From Earthquake Damage
When the March 11th earthquake struck Japan, I was at Tokyo Disneyland. Inside the park, I saw absolutely no damage from the quake, but when I exited Disney and walked around the streets of Urayasu City, I saw quite a bit of cracked and damaged streets. The above photo, which I snapped in front of Maihama Station, demonstrates the effects of soil liquefaction:
The liquefaction left houses and power poles tilting in many areas.
Liquefaction occurs when saturated sandy ground, such as that found in reclaimed land and marshes, is loosened by a strong earthquake. The unconsolidated sand becomes like muddy water. This muddy water gushes up through cracks and opening in sidewalks and roads, and then drains away to leave the sand on the ground.
The latest earthquake caused ground subsidence of up to 50 centimeters, which destroyed underground water and sewerage pipes.
Reclaimed land usually stabilizes with time. Some areas along Tokyo Bay were reclaimed during the Edo period (1603-1867) and before World War II. However, the areas hit hardest by liquefaction during the March 11 earthquake had been reclaimed after the war with sediment taken from the seabed. In those areas, digging down a few meters will reveal a saturated sandy layer.
The Tokyo Disney Resort was also built on recently reclaimed land. Why did it not suffer from liquefaction?
The answer, as explained in this FTV news video, is sand compaction piling:
The sand compaction pile method, developed in Japan about 50 years ago, uses steel pipes to insert large amounts of compacted sand into the ground, strengthening relatively weak soil against liquefaction.
Sand compaction piles were placed under the Tokyo Disney Resort and Haneda Airport, and both survived the earthquake without suffering significant liquefaction damage.
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Categories: Technology
Hachiko Died of Cancer?
Urgent Breaking News! A team of researchers at Tokyo University has determined that the famous loyal dog Hachiko may have died of cancer….back in 1935.
The original medical examination that took place shortly after the dog’s death ruled that the filarial worms in his stomach were the cause of death. Because Hachiko’s was so famous, his body was stuffed and put on display at Tokyo’s National Museum of Nature and Science and his internal organs were preserved in jars.
Last year, a team of researchers decided to use modern medical technology to reexamine the dog’s organs. Using an MRI scan and some microscopes, they discovered cancer in Hachiko’s heart and lungs. The new finding means that Hachiko that filariasis and/or cancer caused the dog’s death.
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Categories: General Japan
iPod-shaped Hand Warmer
NTV news introduces the e-Kairo, a hand warmer that looks a lot like an iPod nano:
The device acts much like a normal “kairo” heat pack, providing about 3 hours of heating. It can be re-charged via a USB cable.
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Categories: Technology
Build Your Own Robot
DeAgostini Japan’s latest hobby project is Robo Xero, a cool build-it-yourself robot kit:
Like previous projects such as the samurai armor and aircraft carrier kits, it is sold as weekly packages that provide parts and instructions for each stage of construction. This robot is apparently sold as 70 kits, each with a retail price of 1,990 yen. Robots are not cheap.
Apparently it will also include software that helps you program customized movements of the robot. In the commercial, they even show the robot writing with a brush!
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Categories: General Japan, Technology
Project X Documentaries
If you want to learn more about the birth of Japan’s high tech industries, head on over to YouTube and check out some of the English language versions of N-H-K Project X documentaries that are available for viewing.
As an example, here’s their documentary about Toyota:
See more videos here.
[via Reddit]
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Categories: Japanese TV, Technology
Travel Washlet – The Portable Japanese Toilet Experience
Do you love Japanese washlet toilets so much that you can’t imagine using a restroom without one? Have no fear, somebody invented a portable washlet that you can use to spray water on your behind at any time and in any place of your choosing!
Here is a clip from a FTV show that introduces some Japanese people and foreign tourists to the invention. A couple skeptical foreigners are asked to try it:
One Australian guy really seems to like it.
If you’re interested in getting one of these, they do sell them on Amazon.
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Categories: Foreigners in Japan, Odd / Strange