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It has supported conservation and beautification efforts by donating portions of sales of silicone bracelets to coral transplantation projects and through activities such as organizing coastal cleanups. With limited local timber suitable for construction and a rise in prices in the mid-1960s for timber imported from mainland Japanlimited by U.S. policy on Japanese business in Okinawaconcrete became more cost-effective than timber. Consider one of several examples from Okinawa, three breakwaters situated in Naha Port. Rather, the molds used to make them, available from Fudo Tetra in sizes from 0.5 to 80 metric tons, are leased, and the concrete is poured onsite. After the earthquake and tsunami hit [in 2011], weve been rebuilding everything, but a lot hasnt come back yet, Yoshinori Okuyama, Director General of the Sendai Bay South Coast Office, noted. It is still active today with more than seventy-seven thousand total visits. Tetrapodistas: Beauty Beheld in Huge Concrete Forms. Japan Times, July 22. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2007/07/22/general/beauty-beheld-in-huge-concrete-forms/. Homma and Horikawa also reminded their audience that Japans coasts are among the most battered in the world, suffering seasonal typhoons, earthquake-induced tsunami, and strong yearlong wind waves. Setting hundreds of tetrapods on a big scale that matches that of nature is simply art (quoted in Hesse 2007, 34). The Tetrapod has a relatively compact shape, with generously-propor- tioned transition sections between the legs and the central "body" of the block, which give it considerable strength ; both experimental breaking tests and work site experience have shown steel reinforcement to be un- necessary, which is a great advantage for any constructional [20] See details at http://www.shouha.jp/case1/100/102/243.php. The six sample photos, supplied by the Okinawa General Bureau that oversees development projects in Okinawa, were taken in 1997, 1999, and 2005 from between one meter above water and 5 meters below. By contrast, little attempt is made to mask the vast majority of tetrapods at industrial sites and commercial ports (sea and air) or along miles of coastal roads and walkways where function precedes aesthetics (figure 8). In his eyes, the Mississippi Rivers flow into the Gulf (largely polluted with fertilizers and contaminants) is destroying the ecosystems resilience at an annual clip. After the 1972 reversion, cultural resistance to homes built with concrete fell as living standards rose and air conditioners became widespread. There are, in fact, indications of a trend in Japanese coastal engineering to think more about shoreline aesthetics by submerging breakwaters further offshore and camouflaging seawalls with native vegetation (Baird 2016).[13]. Photos of their beaches are often highlighted in tourism promotion for the entire prefecture. As a piece of engineering, its design represents a brilliant example of midcentury modern form and function. Darwin tells us, roughly, that species who best adapt to their circumstances stand a better chance of long-term survival. Those concrete slabs covering the exposed clay back sides on Ise Bays dikes were the innovation, despite being made obsolete by the advent of the tetrapod worldwide. Absorbs and deflects wave energy back to sea. I dont think those three stray cats were a fluke; there were numerous signs of life among the tetrapods. In their examples of then-recent coastal protection measures, Homma and Horikawa mentioned a last-ditch effort to reinforce and raise the height of a slumping breakwater in Niigata with the use of 4-ton tetrapod blocks. Thats what can mean the difference between life and death.. On January 30, 2009, its appearance on the market elicited a follow-up story on Daily Portal Z entitled Tetogurumi ga kawaii (Tetogurumi is cute). PDF Cost estimation for coastal protection - summary of evidence - GOV.UK Life with Tetrapods: The Nature of Concrete in Okinawa. Cross-Currents: East Asian History and Culture Review(e-journal) 30: 150170. A: view of recently planted vegetation on the foredune and sand plain, showing remnants of sand fencing, and enclosure to protect plants against foot traffic. 2007. [24] The word moe is a slang term from otaku circles connoting a strong affection among typically male fans for typically cute female fictional characters depicted in manga, anime, and video games. "Tetrapods and other types of [concrete] armoring can cause more damage than they prevent, because they alter ocean currents and disrupt the natural cycles of erosion and deposition that form and. Whats more, other companies have caught on, with things like Tetrapod-shaped ice molds now available for purchase. One can only imagine, though, the hackles that would rise if a large percentage of our coasts were suddenly aesthetically shackled with concrete blockades. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield. The highlights of the history of wave blocks in Japan presented by the NSNBK in an illustrated pamphlet produced for its fiftieth anniversary follow a thematic arc starting in the 1960s with depictions of research and development, coastal preservation policy statements, and various coastal engineering projects and then moves on to foreground the harmonious protection and even enhancement of natural environments through wave block technologies from the 2000s. The data given indicates that the structures were installed between 1974 and 1983 using tetrapods and another type of wave block known as a dorosu (dolos), both from Fudo Tetra. Tetrapods The Superheroes of Coastal Defences | We Care Green Revolving around invasive tetrapodsabove, below, on, and in between themwe witness the interaction of many invasive species (including human), arguably forming new ecologies that neither exist naturally nor are consciously human-made, something we might identify as a formation born of naturally evolving unnatural selection. And as one might imagine, tetrapod-themed goods are well established in Okinawa as well. disadvantages: causes more danger than the prevent because they alter ocean currents and disrupt the natural cycles of erosion and deposition that form and reshape the coast. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License, https://cross-currents.berkeley.edu/e-journal/issue-30/figa, https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/11/covering-coasts-with-concrete-japan-looks-to-tetrapods-to-battle-elements, https://apjjf.org/-Stephen-Hesse/2481/article.html, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329164306_Eroding_diversity_away_The_Ogimi_seawall, http://www.shouha.jp/50th/data/leaflet.pdf, https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2007/07/22/general/beauty-beheld-in-huge-concrete-forms/, https://cross-currents.berkeley.edu/e-journal/issue-30/figal, http://www.fudotetra.co.jp/english/about/enkaku.html, http://www.fudotetra.co.jp/about/enkaku.html, https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/web/TR/JPT_1184901/3D7C5C9BF22BF53CC2DC539667C19B34, http://www.fudotetra.co.jp/products/tetrapod.html, http://www.dc.ogb.go.jp/Kyoku/information/nahakuukou/genbanikki.html, http://shenghunglee.wixsite.com/design/tetrapot. The weight and interlocking design of tetrapods work effectively against extreme weather conditions, dissipating the force of the water well. Today, the structures have an almost omnipresence anywhere land meets the sea. Presenting raw photographs of concrete-hardened stretches of coastline as if they speak for themselves risks limiting them to the role of evidence in a critique of the environmental degradation of Okinawas natural shoreline. The beach draws more local residents than tourists, the latter coming to the area instead to visit famed Naminoue Shrine situated on the cliffs above, so grooming the beach for the tourist gaze is probably not a priority. How are sea walls used to protect the coast? Making tetrapods couldn't be easier with a Betonblock mould. She is currently serving as a US-Japan Fellow with the International Center for Journalists. And when I ask about the Gulf Coasts current problem with erosion (a complex situation encompassing massive tasks likesediment management), Kato says that, unlike in Japan, the interior of the US seems to be working against the coast as much, if not more, than the ocean. This large coastal protection structures can be built using different types of construction materials such as rubble mound, granite masonry, or reinforced concrete. Wiki. Providing or enhancing important shoreline habitat. Kerr, Alex. Influence-peddling and corruption in Japans construction industry is, as Kerr details, well known. DISADVANTAGES. After testing various designs, he dubbed the one that hit the sweet spot in satisfying these goals the tetrapod.[4] The first real-world application of this invention was completed in early 1951 at Casablanca, Morocco where 256 tetrapods, each weighing 15 metric tons were positioned over two existing jetties to protect the cooling water intakes of a thermal power station (Danel and Greslou 1962, 473). (While the Institute says that somewhere between 8-10 percent of Japanese coastlines are covered by concrete armoring, other outlets have estimated it may be upwards of 50 percent.). In places like Sendai, coastal engineers are creating more holistic systems to help fend off environmental threats, incorporating various layers of breakwater barriersTetrapod clusters a few miles out to sea, sturdier sea walls lined with native trees and vegetationin order to provide multiple stop gaps against the tempests of wind and water. He understands the widespread attraction to tetrapods from the viewpoint of a serious observer of industrial forms: When you look at them carefully, there are very few things with such unusual shapes. Okuyama, pictured here with a colleague from the Sendai Bay South Coast Office, proves there is a lot of literature on the topic. This photo essay seeks to make some of these circumstances and forces visible through, ironically, what the images might lead us to think about beyond their overt visual content. Trapping sand to rebuild eroded shorelines or maintain current shoreline form. It also includes the animal without four feet like a snake as they descend from a common tetrapod ancestor. Not all love for tetrapods is technical. I have been one of those well-prepared visitors to Okinawa who, for research and leisure, have consumed a great deal of promotional material designed to cast Okinawa in the most attractive light (see Figal 2010). Tetogurumi was taken off the market for over a year until public demands for its return brought it back, this time properly licensed. If you look closely at tourist guides to beaches in Okinawa, however, tetrapods are sometimes visible in the background, especially of public-access beaches, because most of those photos have been artificially enhanced. Soft vs Hard Engineering for Coastal Defense Adaptation I even think that its in human beings nature to be attracted to such things (quoted in Wijers-Hasegawa 2007). Not too long after this interview, on February 15, 2008, yama posted on the popular website Daily Portal Z patterns and photos for making a tetrapod from a sheet of paper.