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Japan means different things to different people. One may wonder at the neon canyons in Tokyo's Shinjuku district, while another may be awed by the country's abundant natural beauty. Visitors see historic iconography — kimono and kabuki, sumo and sushi — juxtaposed with state-of-the-art technology.
But there's another, more visceral facet to life in Japan: earthquakes. Earthquakes are a fact of life for all who live in the Japanese archipelago. They can level buildings, knock out power, derail trains and crumble bridges. They can also conjure tsunami, giant waves capable of massive destruction. Perhaps most frightening of all, earthquakes are unpredictable. Though science has revealed their causes and limited their effects, we cannot know exactly when the earth will start to shake.
Everybody's heard of earthquakes. You might have even experienced one. But what causes them? What determines if a quake will merely be a minor tremor or cause a major loss of life and property? Learn the inner workings and characteristics that fuel one of nature's most powerful forces.
Japan is an ancient land of culture, tradition and language. Among its most impressive treasures are its pagodas. The five-story pagoda at Horyuji Temple is perhaps the best example, an aesthetic and engineering marvel in Nara, south of Kyoto, that has endured 1,300 years of earthquakes. What are the secrets of its longevity?
The Japanese penchant for finding solutions to everyday problems is famous around the world. Not surprisingly, scientists in this land of earthquakes are hard at work on new technologies to fortify buildings against the country's biggest natural threat. And the methods they're using are ingenious, to say the least.
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Updated May 16, 2008
