Nau speak: Japan: Maiahama station & earthquake damage

Monday, November 30, 2015

Japan: Maiahama station & earthquake damage

Maihama station connects Tokyo Disney Resort area with the Tokyo metropolitan area and Chiba prefecture, making it a busy hub of pedestrian travelers. Thousands of people go through the station every day on their way to the parks! It came as quite a surprise to me that given the meticulous upkeep of the parks, stark reminders of the 3.11 earthquake remained by the time I arrived 8 months later. In fact, this damage shown above (caused by the ground liquefying and caving out from under the pavement) remained for years, and was not the only damage visible in the area. To be fair, this was underneath the main entry area in the automobile pick up area, so I suppose the majority of visitors to the park were expected to return to their points of origin via the trains upstairs rather than taxi. Even so, this walkway was often crowded with visitors and employees. Amazing to see that even some 300+ miles away from the epicenter of the earthquake the damages could be drastic… that's like an earthquake in Los Angeles causing visual damage and noticeable shaking all the way back in Las Vegas!

That's a 4-5 hour drive, guys. That's not right next door.

Though I suppose that begs the question- do mountain ranges dampen seismic activity or exacerbate it? We do have the Sierra Nevada between us and L.A. so perhaps that would buffer the blow…but I digress, back to Japan! ^_^;