Topic 8A: Urban Japan

EFFECTS ON URBAN JAPAN

By Lillie Callow

The history of urban development in Japan has successfully risen in a reasonably steady however inconsistent manor that is reflective of the land it is suited on, people and their qualities,  as well as part interests in worldwide conflict.

Japan makes up a series of islands located on the east coast of China, South Korea and Russia and is surrounded by both the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan. Japan has been formed as a result of it’s position on “the ring of fire” fault line, meaning it has been erected off the back of volcanos and their eruptions over time. Due to the movements of the earths crust and the tectonic plates the island of Japan is said by John Clague, a professor at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, that, "In a sense, Japan is a country that's got a huge problem." This plate is not only the biggest but it is also the fastest moving of the 9 plates that make up the earths surface. In its history, Japan has had many earthquake and consequential tsunamis. In march 2011; earthquake Töhoku occurred causing over 15,890 deaths and destroying many cities in the wake as a result of the seismic activity and the tsunamis that followed. CNN reported further that this was not only the largest quake recorded in japan but it was also the 4^th largest quake recorded since the beginning of seismic activity logging. As a result of this, the Japan of today must be fully adaptable to these unpredictable conditions; the infrastructure has to be developed to withstand relatively small and large movement on the surface. In conjunction with this, the buildings and structures of today in urban communities must withstand the topographical landscape as well as the seasonal typhoons that sweep through the country. The planning and layout of urban japan must consider and adapt the best measures that account for such possible natural destruction.

According to World Bank data, Japans population has developed from 92 million people in 1960 to a growing 127 million people in 2013. The buildings in urban areas like Tokyo are highly dense and it is evident throughout the history of Japan that living in small spaces is common, and that most people prefer sharing rooms amongst family members for sleeping. “Lack of privacy, for many house sharers, is the least of the disadvantages” as the “valued feature of this ‘mixed sleeping’ is the sociability it affords”(Dore, 1958). The evidentially chaotic nature of Japan’s urban culture is a direct reflection of their ethics and values. These themes are directly seen in Tschimoti’s 1964, impressionistic, film “On The Road: The Document” which depicts the daily movements of members in Tokyo’s community in the 60’s. Despite the lack of words in the film it is clear that respect and organisation play a huge part. It is recorded that in this other wise mostly “secular society” (CNN, 2011) their religions do play some, but not a large part in the design and layout of an urban city as efficiency and quality is of higher standard to most of the Japanese people. This is best seen by westerners when in Japan through their transport systems and locally made products. Japanese public transport is some of the cleanest, safest and most punctual transport in the world according to the Japan Guide Book (2015) and it has been recognised this way for many years. It is clear from this that urban Japan has been heavily shaped by its nature of hard work through ethics and its large population.

The urban direction of Japan has also been shaped heavily through its efforts in war. It has been most evident, mainly in their efforts in World War Two that ended after 6 years in 1945 and saw the dropping of 2 atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the Americans. In these bombings over 200 cities were damaged, where 115 of them required “post war reconstruction planning” (Noriki, 2003). Pre-war planning and construction in Hiroshima can be reflectively seen as “military, educational and industrial” however it was later decided post war that the “pre-war city had been faulty” and so the new planning designs that took place considered the needs and wants of the people much more despite the “tight financial conditions” (Noriki, 2003). There was an inflow of suggestions from the public as their attitude was inspired by the devastation. There was much debate about the preservation of remaining houses in Hiroshima that still stood, but had been severely damaged by the bombings, however the special significance that stood around them was one that must remain.  Hiroshima decided to “make the best of its waterways by creating landscaped river parks” which have now become unique across all of Japan (Noriki, 2003). From here they made a further emphasis in their designs based on that of ideologies based out of Europe. Typical to Japan the Peace memorial constructed in memory of the droppings included fin architecture, designed by Tange Kenzo. New residential quarters were constructed as well as a blind eye approach to illegal construction and land use to “help with housing shortages and encourage economic recovery” which assisted in the reconstruction of the city over a shorter period of time. Basic reconstruction of Hiroshima was completed 13 years after the devastation occurred. In this, “land readjustment assured the creation of trunk roads, parks and green areas, property lines were realigned and new housing filled every remaining space” ((Noriki, 2003). These were the bare minimum requirements of the city but they had made a progress based on betterment of the previous city and were able to shape their urban development and surrounding to progress living conditions for the future.

Upon reflection it is clear that the development of Japan’s urban regions has undergone many different aspects on its road to where it is today. Reflective of this it heavily considers the values of the community and their ethics, the typography and unpredictable nature of the land as well as its history amongst the trauma of war.

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

Do you think the cost, innovation an constant destruction of building in earthquake/tsunami prone areas are considered:

• Sustainable? – in terms of loss of material through knocking down structurally unsafe buildings
• Economically stable? – In terms of how much is costs to keep re building al the time
• Socially acceptable? – In terms of danger
• Looks ta Christchurch in NZ and whether they could be learning off the adaptations in Japan. Should they be reconstructing back where the city originally was? Or should the be considering moving it away (like the did with Hiroshima)

Do you think that the whole town of Hiroshima should have been preserved as it was for memory and reflection sake?

REFERENCES:

• http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/ringfire.htm
• http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e641.html
• http://www.wa-pedia.com/history/origins_japanese_people.shtml
• http://www.gdrc.org/uem/observatory/jp-overview.html
• http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/science/japan-sits-atop-deadliest-section-of-ring-of-fire/article572438/
• http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/17/world/asia/japan-earthquake---tsunami-fast-facts/
• http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL
• http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/14/how-japans-religions-confront-tragedy/comment-page-1/
• http://www.japanguidebook.com/getting-around-tokyo-47/
• http://www.allworldwars.com/Photographs-of-the-atomic-bombings-of-Hiroshima-and-Nagasaki.html

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Norioki, I. (2003). “Reconstructing Hiroshima and Preserving the Reconstructed City” in Carola Hein and Jeffery M. Diefenhorf (eds), “Rebuilding Japan after 1945” London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp 87-107

Dore. R.P, (1958).“Houses and Apartment blocks” in City Life in Japan: A Study of a Tokyo Ward, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, pp 40-52

Tschimoto, N. (director). (1964) On the Road: The Document