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Can Tragedy be Good?

News Article: The Floating Electric Car That Was Born From Tragedy by David Grossman, published January 18 2018.

From earthquakes to volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, Japan has seen many natural disasters that has claimed the lives of many. Events such as the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake are some of the most devastating natural disasters in the world (Hannah, 2018).

However, for Hideo Tsurumaki that survived the 2011 tsunami, he does not take nothing from the tragedy. Inspired by the tsunami, he constructs a floating vehicle powered by electric. According to Mr. Hideo, he believes that floating cars can greatly reduce the death toll generated from tsunamis, as the vehicle can float on flood waters and can drive through it. Additionally, the vehicle can even be used for daily activities to run errands.

Japan is no stranger to creative and innovative inventions. Being situated in a region susceptible to many forms of natural disasters, as a result of its geographical, topological and meteorological conditions (Hayashi, 2010), they have adapted to these occurrences by constructing earthquake-proofing buildings and large dams to hold back flood waters. In relation to Kalland and Asquith’s reading, a central theme that appears would be how the Japanese appreciation for nature is limited to forms which entail cultivation and having control over it. Being averse to the “wild and grandiose aspects” (pg. 16) of nature, the desire to transform and “tame” (pg. 16) it to their perceived idealised state takes precedence over nature’s original form. This reveals how their ‘love’ comes with the conditionality of having dominance over nature. The floating car, along with other technological constructions for disaster prevention, therefore emulates how these constant innovations produced advances towards their desire for absolute control over the unpredictability of nature, thus having their conditional love of nature be met.

Additionally, we can also analyse the claim of Japanese being harmonious in nature through their adjectives “mizukara” and “onozukara” from ancient times, which provides an insight as to why the Japanese have a conditional love for nature. As mentioned in the readings, the literary translations of “mi” and “ono” connotes that while nature is located within the body, it can be contrasted by oneself. In other words, an observer looking within. This creates an innate perception that humans have the capability to understand and observe ‘universal Principle’ (pg. 10), distinguishing us from plants or animals which nature encompasses and implying the superiority of humans in nature. In relation to the invention of floating cars, this superiority is then translated to the conditional love that the Japanese have for nature. To rise against the prowess and unpredictability of natural forces with innovations shows an unwillingness to be submissive to the elements, thereby choosing to contrast oneself by adopting a superior position towards nature. In doing so, the ‘ono’ plus ‘-kara’ aspect in relation to nature is emphasize in the resistance and controlling the forces of tsunamis and typhoons.

Focusing on the ‘green’ aspect, this article mentions that Mr Hideo aims to improve his prototype by making the car electric, removing its combustible engine. Cars are one of the most major source of air pollution in Japan along with industries, especially in major cities such as Osaka (Makiko, Itaru & Sonoyo, 2015) and Tokyo (Toshio, 2013). By opting for alternative sources of engine and energy fuel, the floating cars highlights the possibility for Japanese car makers to go green and start producing vehicles that do not exhaust harmful fumes. Inventions such as the floating car shows how newer car models are being developed with increasingly more concern to go green and be more environmentally friendly. As the article notes, more cars are being sold without combustion engines. The choice to be use energy alternatives reveals an underlying understanding of how humans are escalating pollution levels, which inevitably results in climate change and more importantly, in the context of Japan, more frequent natural disasters. Thus, the ‘green’ technology should be rightfully championed as a necessity and investment.

In conclusion, we see that natural tragedies can inspire new inventions which can be environmentally friendly in its own way. Whether these innovations are born out of their ‘love for nature’ is contestable, we acknowledge that Japan is making the effort to be more environmentally conscious. Just as Mr Hideo’s efforts has the potential to inspire other major car producers such as Toyota to follow suit on building electric or other types of vehicles that do not emit combustible gas, the Japanese perceptions of their love for nature should undoubtedly continue to inspire the population to be active in environmental issues, hence providing us a silver lining.

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References

Hayashi H. (2010). Natural Disasters in Japan. In: Marquina A. (eds) Global Warming and Climate Change. Energy, Climate and the Environment Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London

Nakata, M., Sano, I., & Mukai, S. (2015, March 18). Air pollutants in Osaka (Japan). Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2015.00018/full

Ritchie, H. (2018, October 5). What were the world’s deadliest earthquakes? Retrieved from https://ourworldindata.org/the-worlds-deadliest-earthquakes

Toyama, T. (2013, April 29). Air Pollution and Its Health Effects in Japan. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00039896.1964.10663646

 

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