Page 187 - Volcano and Geothermal Tourism
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164    Asia



               (Dojunkai  Foundation).  The  original  public   created  an  avalanche  and  tsunami  that  killed  an
               organization was formed in 1924 with the aim of   estimated  14,524  people  (Simkin  and  Siebert,
               supplying both housing and work for earthquake   1994).  Japan  in  fact  leads  the  world’s  volcanic
               victims, but rapidly became known for innovations   regions  on  this  measure  of  natural  disaster  risk
               in  self-help  (upgrading  of  slum  areas)  and   with  1274  dated  eruptions  from  94  volcanoes
               community approaches to new forms of housing   (Simkin  and  Siebert,  1994).  Japan  also  leads  the
               (of greater strength to withstand new earthquakes).   world with 41 large explosive eruptions in the last
               As is discussed below, such self-help organizations   10,000 years. Pyroclastic flows, one of the deadliest
               are an essential part of the Japanese local response   volcanic hazards, have occurred at 28 per cent of
               to natural disasters, and their openness to including   Japan’s  eruptions  (Siebert  and  Simkin,  1994).
               visitors  (especially  foreign  tourists)  needs  to  be   Other  episodes of  historical volcano  activity  are
               examined in any analysis of how tourism may be   also  known  to  have  generated  tsunamis,
               affected by such events in Japan.           including:
                  The Tokyo  earthquake  was  followed  by  the
               massive Kobe (Great Hanshin) earthquake of 17   •   landslides  from  Komagatake  volcano  on
               January 1995. Lasting for only about 20 seconds   Hokkaido which killed 700 people in 1640;
               (M6.8)  the  Kobe  earthquake  nevertheless   •   a  landslide  on  Oshima-Oshima  volcano
               extensively  damaged  infrastructure,  left  300,000   (Hokkaido)  which  killed  1474  people  on
               homeless and killed in excess of 6400 people. The   Hokkaido and northern Honshu in 1741–42;
               newly constructed port of Kobe was devastated by   and
               widespread and severe liquefaction of the subsoil   •   a  landslide  on Augustine  volcano, Alaska,  in
               and  permanent  ground  deformation,  which   1883 that triggered a tsunami that swept across
               destroyed over 90 per cent of the port infrastructure.   Cook Inlet onto the Kenai peninsula in Japan
               Over  350  fires  contributed  to  the  damage  bill,   but  apparently  caused  no  damage  (www.
               mainly  caused  by  ruptured  gas  mains. The  total   volcano.und.nodak.edu/vwdocs/volc_
               damage from this earthquake was estimated to be   images/img_unzen2.html).
               up to 140 billion US dollars (www.dragonstrike.
               com/mrk/disaster.htm).  Noticeably,  despite  the
               earlier Tokyo reconstruction experience, buildings   Japan’s response to natural disasters
               constructed  before  1981  (largely  concrete  frame   Even  when  significant  problems  exist  in  society
               or  wood)  performed  very  poorly  in  the  Kobe   there is often no close correlation between these
               disaster. However, post-1981 buildings constructed   and appropriate policy responses from government
               with strong concrete shear walls performed well,   (Reich,  1984;  Healy,  1989;  Murphy  and  Bayley,
               and this indicates that the revised building codes   1989; Hall et al, 2004; Prideaux, 2004). Such has
               progressively  introduced  after  the  enactment  of   been  the  case  in  Japan  with  respect  to  many
               the  Disaster  Countermeasures  Basic  Act  1961   environmental  problems  (Smith,  1975),  although
               have  contributed  to  the  protection  of  lives  and   never with respect to natural disasters. A problem
               property from this form of disaster.        becomes  an  issue  for  government  through  two
                  Compared  with  the  earthquakes  that  are  a   basic  mechanisms  (Faulkner,  2001):  1)  where
               product of the same tectonic movements, actual   communities and private organizations/individuals
               volcanic eruptions in Japan are a much lesser form   are  faced  with  a  problem  and  force  public
               of  hazard.  However,  Japan  has  a  long  record  of   recognition  by  government  (outside  initiatives);
               documented eruptions, starting with the eruption   and  2)  where  issues  that  arise  in  government
               of  Mt  Aso  (central  Kyushu,  see  Chapter  9)  in   discussions are given official sanction and are then
               AD710.  Mt  Aso  is  the  country’s  most  active   expanded to include public support (the internal
               volcano  with  more  than  165  eruptions.  Japan’s   initiative  –  Hecko,  1974). The  second  of  these
               largest eruption in historic times was the Towada   mechanisms was how Japan first developed natural
               caldera (Honshu) collapse in AD915, and in 1792   disaster legislation through the pollution inspired
               the collapse of the Mayuyama lava dome (Kyushu)   Health  Damage  Compensation  Law  1973,  but







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