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Vanishing Japan
Japan is rapidly destroying its traditional landscape. Where once mighty rivers streamed and beautiful landscapes beckoned now the concrete rules.
It is not a new development. Japan has been demolishing its amazing scenery for centuries. And it is, of course, not the only country to do so. But the immense drive to 'modernize' that started in the Meiji Period (1868-1912) has now lost all sense of reality.
During the years of the Bubble Economy the greed for money made people take their feet off the breaks. And the stagnating economics that followed in the nineties made Japanese government pump billions of Yen into public projects that mostly involved pouring concrete. Often where it isn't really needed. In 1994, Japan produced over 90 million tons of concrete. The USA, a country many times as big and with twice the population, uses only a third of that.
Modernization and development is in itself not a bad thing. And even Japan sometimes does it quite well. But these are the exceptions on the rule. Especially important is that very little money was used to save traditional or natural views. And it shows.
Hurry and take in the beautiful places that are still left over. Some are protected, but many are not.
For more information about this subject read the controversial books Dogs and Demons and Lost Japan by long-time Japan resident Alex Kerr.
Contact kjduits@ikjeld.com if you would like to carry these photographs.
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