Earthquakes as Usual

A 5.4 magnitude quake hit Japan yesterday at 12:19pm. The quake was centered in Mie prefecture, which is about 200 miles southwest of Tokyo. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported 11 injured with one serious injury. Other damages include partial damage to 26 houses in Mie and a 400 year old castle.

Earthquakes are pretty common in Japan being one of the most earthquake prone countries in the whole world. The reason for this is that the country sits atop four different tectonic plates. Japan, of course, being technologically advanced manages to cope with the problem with cutting edge earthquake-resistant buildings and regular earthquake drills. However, despite all their preparation they are still powerless when nature decides to unleash a powerful quake. All anybody can do then is hope that the preparation minimizes the damage and casualties.

The last killer quake (magnitude of 7.2) occurred in 1995 at Kobe wherein 6,433 people died.

Posted April 16th, 2007 by geisha | Comments Off

Scuba Diving in Japan

This popular leisure activity is not normally associated with Japan yet if you just take a deeper look, there are in fact wonderful places wherein you can scuba dive. From the last count, there are over 2,000 diving spots all over the country, many of them world class. Here are a few spots which you should consider.

Izu Peninsula
This is the most popular dive spot in the mainland. Only a train ride away from Tokyo, the Izu Peninsula is home to many different kinds of diving activities as well as the onsen. In fact, it is more popular for the latter.

Ogasawara Islands
Also part of Tokyo, these islands have a warmer temperature and thus warmer waters. It is quite far though – at 1,850 km to the south. It is perfect for those who are looking for a longer diving trip.

Okinawa
A familiar name to many, Okinawa is actually the Japanese tropical paradise. Located in the southernmost part of the country, Okinawa offers the best scuba diving in all of Japan.
[tags]Japan, scuba diving, onsen, Okinawa, Izu Peninsula, Ogasawara Islands, Tokyo[/tags]

Posted March 22nd, 2007 by geisha | Comments Off

Global Conservation Wins 2006 Japan Prize

With so much in the news about the dire situation our planet faces in terms of global warming, it was fitting that the Japan Prize for 2006 was awarded precisely in this terse area. British scientist, Peter Ashton, who specialises in asian forestry with a vision to promote the harmonious co-exsistence of humans and nature, won this year’s 50 million yen prize this January in Tokyo for his project which observed 3 million trees and 6,000 species in tropical forests around the world.

Dr. Ashton, who is a professor of forestry at Harvard University, is also the forest botanical advisor to the Sultan of Brunei’s government. Aside from authoring over 200 articles and several books on forestry, Dr.Ashton has already won awards for his achievements such as
the Sultan Qaboos of Oman Prize (through UNESCO), for research and training for improved management of tropical forests with his Sri Lankan colleagues, and the Environmental Merit Award of the Environmental Protection Agency, for significant efforts in conservation in New England and Asia.

Kunio Iwatsuki, panel chairman of the Science and Technology Foundation of Japan commented:

“Dr. Ashton’s research may form the basis of policy-making to optimize usage of forests by local people and enhance the sustainability of forest eco-systems……Younger people are concerned with conservation of the environment and over time harmonious co-existence will become an established field in its own right…”

[tags]Japan Prize, Conservation, Environment, Peter Ashton[/tags]

Posted January 12th, 2007 by geisha | Comments Off