sevenseasrin Some or most of the damages in Shin-Urayasu Japan were caused by soil liquefaction during the earthquake. It is a phenomenon whereby a saturated soil substantially loses strength and stiffness in response to the earthquake shaking, resulting the soil behaving like a liquid.
This gorgeous seaside park adjacent to Tokyo Bay was a nice find, while out on my bicycle one day. The best part was the HUGE open field right by the water's edge (about the size of at least 2 football fields), great for playing ball, flying kites, and tossing the frisbee. They also have a "day camp" area where you can have a BBQ cookout. More info (in Japanese) here: www.city.urayasu.chiba.jp Google Map: g.co
After going out with my friend we left the bar to find that it was snowing! This is my first snow in Japan (and in years, really- I'm from Vegas where snow is a rare fluke of the weather Gods) so I got extremely excited and acted a bit like an oversized kid. The area we're walking through is in Shin-Urayasu, near the Mona/Daie/Atre shopping complex and then down the main road. Some of the things we say; "Yuki ga arimasu" = there is snow! / "Yuki ga tondeimasu" = it's snowing! "Ureshii!" = I'm happy! / "Yokata" = I'm glad "Kirei!" = Pretty! / "Shiro" = White "Yatta" = Yay "Samui" = cold
I took bus #2 expecting to get dropped off somewhere closer to my apartment but ended up having to walk from the station. It wasn't so bad, though; I got to capture this video of the mayhem and then stop for groceries while getting exercise [wind = resistance, right?], so it was a productive [albeit totally windy & rainy] venture.
This was taken on a Sunday in Urayasu -- a few days after the first anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident following the deadly quake and tsunami. The way this demonstration is organized is rather new to Japan and at least at this attempt not particularly successful, but there's a small chance that this movement is just about to pick up speed.
A quick look around Shin Urayasu at first light after the Japan quake. Its raw and unedited. Felt it was better to just get it out there. Follow me on Twitter for updates about my RETURN to Japan! twitter.com/jarrodlentz
