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U.S.-Japan release collaborative video of support one year after Kumamoto earthquakes【Video】
- Krista Rogers
Apr 17, 2017 - Tweet
On the Road to Recovery: The People of America and Kumamoto Join Together is a beautiful clip that encourages the people of Kumamoto to be positive during recovery efforts.
- Japan, USA
- (disaster • Kumamoto • Kumamoto earthquakes • recovery • support • United States • video • YouTube)
Chilling Tokyo skyscraper sign shows just how tall the 2011 Japanese tsunami was
- Casey Baseel
Mar 8, 2017
Numbers alone can be hard to visualize, but this makes things terrifyingly easy to understand.
- Japan
- (2011 earthquake and tsunami • disaster • Ginza • Great East Japan Earthquake • Tokyo • tsunami • Yahoo! Japan)
Typhoon Lionrock delays production of Calbee potato chips
- Corey Gold
Sep 7, 2016
Typhoon Lionrock has destroyed this month’s special range of Calbee potato chips.
- Japan
- (Calbee • damage • disaster • food • food supply • Japan • potato chips • typhoon lionrock)
Kitty door placards from Japan don’t just look cute, they could save your pet’s life
- Casey Baseel
Sep 2, 2016
Magnetic notices convey a very important message about your cats for when you’re not there to speak for them.
Messages of support from Taiwan warm the hearts of Kumamoto earthquake victims
- Krista Rogers
May 6, 2016
Messagess of support, this time from Taiwan, keep pouring in following the deadly earthquake in Kumamoto.
From box to bed: This simple item is making life easier for Kumamoto earthquake victims
- Meg Murphy
Apr 28, 2016
With the ability to withstand the weight of up to 20 people, this bed doesn’t mess around!
- Japan, News
- (cardboard bed • disaster • J Packs • Kumamoto earthquakes • Survival)
Volunteer craftsman traveling to Kumamoto to repair earthquake-damaged family heirloom ceramics
- Casey Baseel
Apr 22, 2016
Plans to use traditional Japanese kintsugi techniques to make them look as good as new, or perhaps even better.
- Art, Culture, Japan, News
- (art • ceramics • culture • disaster • earthquakes • kintsugi • Kumamoto • repair)
Two of Japan’s biggest chains travel to disaster-stricken Kumamoto to hand out free beef bowls
- Casey Baseel
Apr 20, 2016
Mobile kitchens provide comfort food, in the truest sense of the word, for thousands of earthquake victims.
- Japan, News
- (beef bowl • charity • disaster • earthquake • gyudon • Kumamoto • Sukiya • touching • video • Yoshinoya)
Violent winds pound Tokyo, topple mid-construction nine-story building 【Video】
- Casey Baseel
Apr 18, 2016
Passersby witness frightening scene as it happens.
Single “Hebel Haus” is the only structure to defy the flooding of Japan’s Angry Demon River
- Krista Rogers
Sep 21, 2015
Last week, we discussed the possible etymology of Kinugawa (“Angry Demon River”), which has been the scene of intense flooding in eastern Japan this month. While the overflowing river has devastated the surrounding towns and landscapes in its wake, a single building in Joso City, Ibaraki Prefecture has been gaining particular attention for being the only structure within sight to stand firmly in place in the face of a deluge of muddy water.
Drones capture shocking footage of flooding in Ibaraki, Japan【Video】
- Fran W
Sep 15, 2015
When disaster zones are inaccessible by ground—such as the areas of Japan hit by widespread and deadly flooding last week—news broadcasters typically take to the air, relaying footage from helicopters. In the city of Joso, Ibaraki, news helicopters captured dramatic footage of rescue teams winching people to safety from rooftops on Thursday after the Kinugawa River burst its banks.
But helicopters can only get so close, and so authorities in Japan are now using drones to capture footage in disaster areas. The drones can fly closer to disaster-hit areas than a manned helicopter, offering a different and dramatic perspective.
And drones are not only being used to survey these areas hit by flooding and landslides; they are also starting to be used in rescue missions.
- Japan
- (disaster • disaster prevention • drones • flooding • Ibaraki • technology)
Tweet all the things! Japanese vs American reactions to earthquakes
- Evie Nyan
May 29, 2015
You might have heard that we experienced a magnitude-5.6 earthquake last week, which got everyone in the area a little shaken up (except for this super chill gorilla, of course). While Japan experiences earthquakes incredibly frequently, this one was a little bigger than usual, and had many in Japan diving for cover.
Oh, no, wait, they dived for their smartphones instead…
- Internet
- (disaster • earthquake • tweet • twitter)
Rescued dog becomes rescue dog as Hiroshima stray joins search for survivors in Nepal
- Fran W
May 5, 2015
In the wake of the massive earthquake that struck central Nepal last week, non-profit organisation Peace Winds Japan sent a small team of six rescuers and two specially trained dogs to help with the search for survivors.
Remarkably, one of the search dogs who was dispatched to Kathmandu is himself a former rescue: Yumenosuke, a stray dog saved from euthanasia in Hiroshima.
- Japan, S Asia
- (animals • disaster • earthquake • Hiroshima • Nepal • rescue dog • search and rescue • Yumenosuke)
Don’t forget: Yahoo! Japan to make disaster relief donation for every person who searches for “3.11” today
- Casey Baseel
Mar 4, 2015
Four years on, the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis that befell Japan’s Tohoku region on March 11, 2011 have very little effect on the day-to-day lives of most people in the country. The rolling blackouts have stopped. Batteries and bottled water are once again readily available. Trains are running, and whole cities aren’t spending hours walking home from work or school.
But while a return to normalcy is a desirable, and ultimately necessary, part of recovery, it’s also important to remember what happened. To stem the forgetfulness that often accompanies the later stages of coping with tragedy, on March 11 Yahoo! Japan will be making a donation to the Tohoku recovery efforts for every person that searches for “3.11” through the company’s search engine.
Japan Ministry of Defense develops tiny, grenade-shaped remote surveillance robot
- Master Blaster
Jan 1, 2015
The Japanese Ministry of Defense’s Technical Research & Development Institute (TRDI) appears to be nearing completion of the Throwable Type Reconnaissance Robot. It’s a little black orb about 50 percent bigger than a softball that Self-Defense Force members can simply toss into environments otherwise hazardous to humans and have a look around before taking action. It looks kind of awesome.
- Japan
- (cool • disaster • robot • search and rescue • technology)
Japanese politicians propose officially designating March 11 as Great East Japan Disaster Day
- Casey Baseel
Dec 26, 2014
This coming spring will mark four years since the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11, 2011. While that’s not nearly long enough for the those who experienced the tragedy first-hand to forget about the destruction, sadness, and fear, some politicians are concerned that in time memories will fade, which is why a bill is being introduced in the Japanese Diet to establish March 11 as an official day of remembrance of the disaster.
New Japanese battery only needs water to power up smartphones in a disaster
- Scott R Dixon
Sep 15, 2014
Sitting on several fault lines, Japan is no stranger to natural disasters and the havoc that ensues afterward. While these tragedies can’t be prevented, their effects can be lessened by making a disaster preparedness kit to handle several days without power or access to food and water.
A key item in these kits is usually batteries, and a Japanese company’s recent announcement about a new kind of battery is expected to completely change the way we prepare for disasters. Only needing to be filled with water, the “Mg Box” battery can be used to charge smartphones, and the invention has made the Japanese company’s stock skyrocket as investors rush to back the game-changing technology.
- Japan
- (battery • disaster • disaster preparedness • Furukawa Battery • technology • water)
South Korean ferry disaster to be turned into low-budget documentary next year
- Scott R Dixon
Jul 14, 2014
After a tragedy like the April 16 sinking of the South Korean ferry Sewol, many are left wondering how to appropriately commemorate the lives lost without forgetting the awful truth of the actual incident. Last week a South Korean newspaper revealed that a two-hour documentary about the accident is being planned to be released next year to coincide with the one-year anniversary. The film’s backers are relying solely on donations and are seeking just 400 million won (US$392,000) to finance the low-budget project. And with the entire country paying extremely close attention to every tragic detail to come out of the investigations surrounding the accident, this film is destined to be an instant hit in Korean movie theaters.
- Korea
- (accident • disaster • documentary • film • movie • Sewol ferry disaster • tragedy)
South Korean TV accused of faking footage of Sewol rescue diver
- Fran W
Apr 30, 2014
Further controversy has emerged surrounding the South Korean Sewol ferry disaster, as a TV crew is accused of setting up footage of a rescue diver. Korean media reports that a member of the rescue team who was not working at the time was put in a wetsuit and drenched in water to give the appearance that he had just come back from a dive. Media crews apparently said that a dry-haired diver would not be realistic and believable enough.
Pearl River Delta confirms recent risk ranking with severe hail storm
- Master Blaster
Apr 3, 2014
No sooner was it announced the third most at-risk area for natural disasters in the world than the Pearl River Delta in China was hit by extremely severe rain storms with giant hail and damaging winds. The region, which is composed of several major urban centers has experienced flooded subways stations, canceled flights, and destroyed shopping centers due to heavy downpours.
Some of these scenes have been recorded and shared online in video form.
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Japan ends tax-free shopping system for foreign tourists, new refund request system now in effect
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