
Japan’s ‘Disaster Parks’ - imartin2k
https://reasonstobecheerful.world/japans-disaster-parks-help-explain-its-coronavirus-response/
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jonchurch_
Here's a tweet with a photo of a stove bench
[https://twitter.com/tokyo_gov/status/841438900824473600](https://twitter.com/tokyo_gov/status/841438900824473600)

And this apparently is an example of a manhole toilet design,
[https://www.pixtastock.com/photo/27778801](https://www.pixtastock.com/photo/27778801)

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fnord77
> _What you’d never notice about Hikarigaoka Park, however, is that 36 of its
> benches conceal stoves that can be used to cook food, boil water or provide
> heat. The park’s 52 manhole lids can be removed to reveal emergency toilets.
> Its solar-powered lamp posts have electrical outlets for charging phones in
> a blackout. There are water tanks for fighting fires, and bunkers stocked
> with days’ worth of non-perishable food._

Can't help but think in the US the homeless would set up shop quickly and
defeat the purpose.

How do the Japanese keep things so... orderly?

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istorical
Social shaming 'anti-social' behaviors from an early age such as not cleaning
up after yourself or taking care of yourself combined with incredible emphasis
placed on the importance of maintaining good standing in your social group and
less emphasis placed on individualism? Confucianism?

Look at how Japan or Korea deal with fat-shaming (or in a non-western culture
- you'd probably just call it motivating people you care about to take care of
themselves). Watch Terrace House to see a snapshot / slice of regular Japanese
life and you'll see how often people who have only known each other for a
couple of months will stage group interventions to tell someone the way they
are living in unacceptable, that they need to work harder or find a dream to
chase or clean up after themselves better. It's part of the culture to feel
shame for letting the group down and to shame others for letting the group
down and all of that is taught culturally from the day you're born.

Western individualism has its benefits but also motivates people to feel the
freedom to act out negatively as well and to feel fine being ostracized.

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dan-robertson
I don’t buy a lot of arguments about a culture that’s somehow magically much
more orderly. Obviously there are cultural differences but I’m not sure
they’re the main reason for the differences between places one sees. I think
bigger reasons tend to be structural (and those structural differences often
seem to come from essentially random differences in history)

The reason the streets are clean is that there is an army of street cleaners
picking up litter. If one ventures away from regularly cleaned areas, one will
see litter along the sides of main roads, much like America.

I don’t know about the homeless situation. Perhaps there are fewer homeless
people. Perhaps they are forced out of public spaces by the police. Perhaps
they sleep in 24h McDonald’s instead of outside (perhaps it is much too cold
in winter).

Similarly I hope people don’t look at the difference in healthcare between the
uS and Canada and say that it’s because Canadians somehow have some magically
nicer culture.

I feel that there tend to be larger structural issues between countries that
are more significant than a vague argument about “eastern collectivism and
western individualism.” For one thing, such an argument lumps china, North
Korea, South Korea, and japan into the same bucket when the countries are
clearly quite different. It also lumps together the USA, Canada and European
countries together when they are also quite different between themselves.

One big difference one sees between the US and Japan is the apparent
prevalence of petty crime. Statistics may be different because the likelihood
of crimes being reported are quite different but it is common in Japan to
leave a phone/handbag unattended at a cafe table whereas this would be very
unlikely to happen in America. On the other hand it is socially accepted in
Sweden to leave babies unattended in proms outside shops whereas this would be
unthinkable and likely classed as negligence in America

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mrexroad
> The reason the streets are clean is that there is an army of street cleaners
> picking up litter. If one ventures away from regularly cleaned areas, one
> will see litter along the sides of main roads, much like America.

Curious if you have you been to Japan and spent time in residential areas. My
experience differs significantly—specifically this not simply being due to “an
army of street cleaners.” Even in America, when hanging out with Japanese ex-
pats—whether grilling at parks, going camping, or simply hosting a kids for a
play-date at home—there’s a focus on “cleaning” that goes beyond whatever I
was taught as a kid to pick up after myself, or even the Boy Scout “leave no
trace”—its something deeper.

Also worth noting is how difficult it is to find a trash can in Tokyo.

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sergers
Creative ideas in Japan for natural disaster preparedness

However the article has little to none about coronavirus as its titled. Glad
HN posted revised the title here.

I think the high density, many residential buildings aspect in Japan lend to
creative public space preparedness to deal with disasters.

