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Volcano and Geothermal Tourism in Japan – Examples from Honshu and Hokkaido 163
potential to erupt again in the future. As noted
earlier there are 108 active volcanoes recognized
by the JMA, and regardless of their scenic beauty
and associated hot springs that attract sightseers
and climbers, most of the recognized volcanoes,
once reactivated, may cause serious destruction to
themselves and surrounding areas.
Data collected by the JMA on the patterns
and scales of past eruptions are used as basic
material to establish hazard maps (charts of
expected damage due to an eruption) by local
Figure 10.3 The viewing platform on Mt Usu offers not administrations.
only extensive views across Uchiura Bay (Volcano Bay)
but also offers access to a walking trail around the Earthquakes and volcanism
crater rim, which can sometimes be closed off Sorensen (2002, pp125–127) notes that the Great
depending on activity levels or gas emissions
Kanto (Tokyo-Yokohama) earthquake (M8.3) of
Source: Photo courtesy of Patricia Erfurt-Cooper 1923 is recognized as perhaps the most devastating
to hit a developed country in the past 100 years.
The earthquake caused extensive damage in the
independent of the seasons and walking trails cities of the region, destroying or damaging several
around the crater area are used at times of low hundred thousand homes and buildings, and the
level activity (Figure 10.3).
fires that followed caused more damage. The death
Risk management in toll is estimated to have been greater than 140,000
volcano tourism and over 44 per cent of the urban area of Tokyo
was destroyed by fire, with some 74 per cent of all
Japan is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters households affected (Watanabe, 1993). This damage
because of its climate, tectonic vulnerability and was comparable to the human and infrastructural
topography (Cooper and Erfurt, 2007), and level damage caused by the later World War II bombing
of development (www.infojapan.org/policy/ in the same area, and required a similar
disaster/21st/2.html). Earthquakes are the most reconstruction effort. Legislation was brought in
common natural disaster; the country experiences to control redevelopment (the Ad Hoc Town
more than 5000 per year, but they are by no means Planning Act 1924) which had at its core a system
the only destructive force. The others range from of ‘land readjustment’ where all land was pooled in
volcanic eruptions, through tsunamis and typhoons specific project areas and public purposes land
to heavy pollution of the natural environment (roads, parks – typically about 30 per cent of the
from inadequate waste management. A number of total) abstracted before individual building plots
physical factors contribute to the high incidence were reinstated (Cooper and Erfurt, 2007). This
of natural disasters in Japan – these being extreme system allowed reconstruction of road and other
climatic variations, rugged topography prone to public services before housing, and therefore aided
disturbance, and its location on the circum-pacific rationalization of the often chaotic building
‘ring of fire’ in which most of the world’s patterns of earlier periods.
volcanoes are located and where the Pacific Plate In terms of the implications of disaster and its
subduction zone is at its most active (Aramaki and management for activities like tourism, the Kanto
Ui, 1982). Furthermore, the fact that many earthquake established two important precedents
earthquakes are combined with tsunamis adds for Japan’s ability to deal with such events. The
another aspect to the complexity of disaster risk first was the system of land readjustment described
management. In Japan, volcanoes which have above, and the second was the creation of the
erupted in the past 10,000 years are defined as forerunner of an important class of public
active, and they are considered to have the organization, the Mutual Prosperity Association
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