Latest / Street Smart Naturalist / The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Transcript

The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami · Street Smart Naturalist

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: Greetings,
• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: this is David B.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: Williams and the podcast of my newsletter,
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: The Street Smart Naturalist,
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Explorations of the Urban Kind.
• 0:09
  Every week I share my observations and adventures with the
• 0:12
  human and natural world
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: around Seattle,
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Puget Sound,
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: and the Pacific Northwest.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Today's episode focuses on a recent trip my wife and I took to Japan.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: To learn more about my work, please go to my website, geologywriter.com.
• 0:25
  You will also find a link to my Substack newsletter and my
• 0:27
  previous four and a half
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: years of newsletters,
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: as well as images tied to this week's episode.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks again for joining me on this adventure,
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: and welcome to Podcast 45 of the Street Smart Naturalist,
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_00: The Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami,
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: October 6,
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: 2025.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_00: The contrast couldn't be greater.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: One moment,
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: I am in the Aiwate Tsunami Memorial Museum in Rikuzentakata,
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: Japan,
• 0:55
  watching videos of the great East Japan earthquake and tsunami
• 0:59
  as towering waves
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: wipe out town after town.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: I couldn't help but feeling that the river was a living beast,
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: malevolent and determined as it ripped through buildings,
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: surged up streets,
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: and wreaked unimaginable havoc,
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: death,
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: and destruction.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: The next moment,
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm a five-minute walk from the museum,
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: standing on a 41-foot high concrete seawall,
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: watching six-inch waves wash ashore,
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: their susurrating sound,
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: calming and benevolent.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: For the week leading up to this point,
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_00: Marjorie and I had been hiking the Michinoku Coastal Trail,
• 1:31
  which runs for 600 miles along the east coast of the northern
• 1:35
  part of Honshu,
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Japan's main island.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Our trip,
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: led by Walk Japan,
• 1:40
  covered parts of the trail from its northern point of Hachinohi
• 1:43
  to Kesinuma,
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: about 150 highway miles south.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: It was an amazing adventure along the coast with steep cliffs,
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: ridge walking,
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: rocky beaches,
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: small towns,
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: a blowhole,
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: lush forests and verdant ravines,
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: as well as good food and revivifying onsens.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: Part of the reason we chose this trail,
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: and a main reason exists,
• 2:02
  is that all of it passes through areas devastated by the Narch
• 2:06
  2011 earthquake and
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: tsunami,
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: which killed more than 20,000 people.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: More than 2,500 are still missing.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: One goal of the trail is to help introduce visitors to this region,
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: known as Tohoku,
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: which totals about 18% of the country with about 7% of the population.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: It is seldom visited by foreigners.
• 2:26
  The tsunami that hit the coast was generated by a 30-foot rise
• 2:30
  of the seafloor
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: during the magnitude 9.0 earthquake.
• 2:33
  That land shift displaced the water that created the tsunami
• 2:36
  that hit the coast.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: The same thing occurred in 1700 with the Cascadia subduction zone,
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: except this tsunami traveled at 500 miles per hour across the ocean.
• 2:47
  Some of the most striking aspects of our hike were the
• 2:49
  extensive seawalls,
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: such as the one in Rikazu-ten-Takata,
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: which had been built in response to the destruction.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Every town,
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: large and small,
• 2:59
  and even every little fishing port that we passed through had a
• 3:01
  seawall or other
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: similar protective structure.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: The concrete,
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: which could be 20 to 40 feet tall,
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: stretched for miles in larger bays,
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: wrapping the shoreline in a protective katoon.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: Smaller areas might contain only a finger or two of concrete,
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: helping to ameliorate the effects of a wall of water.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: In these locations,
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_00: additional protection came from massive,
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: up to 10 feet wide,
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: hollow tetrahedrons and tetrapods made of concrete.
• 3:28
  We also passed through several valleys where the seawall
• 3:31
  stretched from valley wall
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: to valley wall.
• 3:34
  At one,
• 3:35
  we passed through a tunnel in the wall,
• 3:36
  large enough for a big truck to pass through.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: A thick steel door blocked the seaward end of the tunnel,
• 3:42
  though there was also a human-sized door that you could pass
• 3:45
  through to reach the
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: sea.
• 3:47
  A significant challenge of the seawalls is how these great
• 3:50
  behemoths of concrete
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: separate the sea from the land.
• 3:53
  The desire for protection seems to have won over the desire to
• 3:56
  be connected to the
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: water,
• 3:58
  often leading to communities with historical maritime
• 4:00
  livelihoods having to adapt
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: their life ways,
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: and I would imagine how they define themselves.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: And then there are the many animal species,
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: now effectively prisoned on one side or another of the seawall.
• 4:13
  The immense sea wells are not simply the product of the 2011
• 4:16
  destruction.
• 4:17
  They also result from tsunamis that have struck Japan
• 4:20
  relatively regularly,
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: more than a dozen since 1900.
• 4:24
  Because such events occur within human memory and in oral and
• 4:28
  written records,
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: they form a collective consciousness of a community which guides actions.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: Despite this information,
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Sadly,
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: people didn't react by getting to higher ground in 2011,
• 4:38
  but that quake and subsequent tsunami were also unprecedented
• 4:42
  as the largest in
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_00: recorded history in Japan.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_00: Some people,
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: too,
• 4:46
  worry that the new higher seawalls are no guarantee of safety
• 4:50
  and may in fact
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_00: provide a false sense of security.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Despite the extensive seawalls,
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: as I walked along the coast,
• 4:57
  I found it hard to realize the destruction because of the
• 5:00
  extensive rebuilding.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: In a way, that was a sign that so many buildings were so new.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: It was rare to see pre-2011 structures.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: But the videos and photographs we saw at the museum,
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: which showed many areas we had walked through in the previous week,
• 5:14
  clearly illustrated the unprecedented and previously
• 5:18
  unimaginable power and
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: devastation caused by the tsunami.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: It was truly sobering and sad to see and imagine.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Where this hit me most was at a cemetery near Jodogohama Beach,
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: one of the most beautiful spots on our trip.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: When the tsunami struck the coast,
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: not only did the water kill the living,
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: but in many places it unearthed the dead,
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: completely washing away cemeteries.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: In the years since,
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: people have collected many thousands of uprooted tombstones,
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: which have been relocated to the nearest cemetery,
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: where they remain,
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: orphaned from their original location.
• 5:51
  because there is neither time nor money to try and figure out
• 5:54
  where they came from
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: and to return them.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Seeing this small testimonial,
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: I couldn't help but weep for the dead,
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: for the survivors,
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: for the communities.
• 6:04
  I feel incredibly fortunate to have spent a week hiking the
• 6:06
  Michinoku Coastal Trail.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: So many amazing sights, locations, tastes, and new experiences.
• 6:12
  It was truly humbling to walk by the seawalls and to think
• 6:15
  about the devastation
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: and tragedy,
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: as well as the unbridled forces of nature of the earthquake and tsunami.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: On one level,
• 6:22
  it's hard to walk past the massive encasements of concrete and
• 6:25
  not wonder about
• 6:26
  what is being lost as the walls sever the connection between
• 6:29
  land and sea.
• 6:30
  But watching the videos of the tragedies,
• 6:32
  it's easy to understand why the walls have gone up.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: We all want to protect our homes and businesses and families.
• 6:39
  I often celebrate geology and the geological links between
• 6:43
  people and place,
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: but I also recognize its potential to change people's lives.
• 6:48
  It is important to be reminded of this fact and the awesome
• 6:51
  power that always lurks
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: below,
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: and not to think that we have dominion over the planet.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: Thinking otherwise is a sure way to disaster.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_00: Nature always bets last.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: Once again,
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: this is David B.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: Williams,
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_00: author and voice of The Street Smart Naturalist,
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: Explorations of the Urban Kind,
• 7:09
  a weekly newsletter and podcast focusing on the human and
• 7:12
  natural world around
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: Seattle,
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: Puget Sound,
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: and the Pacific Northwest,
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_00: and sometimes elsewhere.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_00: If you'd like more details about my books,
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: walks,
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: and talks,
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_00: and a link to sign up for my newsletter and podcast,
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: check out my website,
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: geologywriter.com.
• 7:25
  And don't forget to slow down,
• 7:27
  pay attention,
• 7:28
  and enjoy the world around you.