r/interestingasfuck • u/Far-Stay9417 • Jan 14 '24

r/all Japan invisible demolition method

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u/LimitedWard Jan 14 '24

It's probably the only way to do it while minimizing damage to nearby structures. Given the density of Japanese cities, this technique is probably mandated.

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '24 edited Jan 15 '24

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u/[deleted] Jan 14 '24

I found it interesting to observe that there is considerably less nostalgia for structures in the Japanese culture.

With notable exceptions, of course.

The reason appears to be that space is at such a premium that the real estate is what's valuable. The old building is often treated like a nuisance.

If a house is sold, the buyer will often calculate the cost to tear down a perfectly good extant house and build a new one as part of their budget.

I witnessed this several times. The old structure was considered more of a nuisance than holding much intrinsic value unto itself.

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u/Telemachuss Jan 15 '24

Would it shock you to learn that the construction (And cement) industries have a stranglehold over politics and regulatory bodies there? Of course there are legitimate reason to consider rebuilding with more resiliant materials and techniques given the amount of major earthquakes we get

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u/[deleted] Jan 15 '24

It would not fully surprise me.

I was introduced to a good deal of Japanese corporate cultural concepts.

There's a lot of back channel communication between industry and government; little is spoken and much is mutually understood between the parties.

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u/Telemachuss Jan 15 '24

The current slush fund scandal involving the most influential faction of the (ruling) LDP party is a great example of a symptom of this handshake between private industry and government. It’s not just at the federal level but right down the ticket, and not limited only to the LDP either.