Japanese disaster book

Here are some images from an interesting Japanese disaster book, showing historic drawings of a catfish, often believed to live underground causing earthquakes, as well as the 1923 great Tokyo fire (following an earthquake); and the geophysical condition of the Kanto area. This is a great publication especially if you can understand Japanese, and even if not, most images speak for themselves. Local disaster history can play an important role in maintaining awareness of possible disasters.

The book was part of an exhibition on 80 years of disaster history at the Katsushika City Museum last month:

区制施行80周年記念特別展「東京低地災害史」

2011年3月11日に発生した東日本大震災は、自然と人間の関わり方を根底からくつがえす出来事でした。
1年半余を経過した今も、被災地の復興は進まず、多くの方々が自宅に帰れない、以前の仕事に就くことができない等、苦しい状態が続いています。
特に、福島第一原発は、廃炉まで何十年もの時間が必要とされ、周辺の帰宅困難及び居住制限区域の方々が、以前の生活を取り戻すには、多くの困難が予想されます。

この展示では17世紀以降、東京低地が立地する関東平野における歴史災害の検証を試みました。多くの災害は避けては通れないものですが、先人は、自然と共生しながらも、発生した諸災害と立ち向かい、復興をとげてきました。
残された史料から、災害の教訓を少しでも未来に継承し、改めて自然と向かい合う契機になれば幸いです。

Autotranslate:
Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011, was an event that radically subvert natural and human involvement. 
Even now more than one and a half years have passed, not proceed reconstruction of the affected areas, and you can not take many people are not able to return home, on earlier work, the state continues to be painful. 
In particular, the time required for decades until decommissioning, people of restricted areas and residential difficulty returning home surrounding, to regain previous life, nuclear power plant Fukushima Daiichi, many difficulties are to be expected. Since the 17th century, this exhibition we have tried to verify the historical disaster in Tokyo Kanto Plain lowland are located. Although most disaster that can not pass is avoided, but in harmony with nature, and confront various disasters that have occurred, predecessors, has undergone a revival. From historical records that are left to inherit the future of disaster a little lesson, I hope it will be an opportunity to once again face to face with nature.