Read the rest of House Like a Museum by Edward Suzuki is a Stunning Green Oasis Flooded With Natural Light

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", bamboo, courtyard, Edward Suzuki, F Residence, green architecture, green design, house like a museum, Japan, Kamakura City, Tokyo

Low levels of radiation from last year’s Fukushima Diaichii disaster in Japan have been discovered in bluefin tuna swimming of the California coast. Scientists say the trace amounts are not necessarily harmful to people if consumed, and were far less than safety limits the Japanese government has established. But the radiation evident in the tuna caught in August 2011 surprised scientists and revealed just how quickly fish can carry these compounds faster than winds or water currents.

Read the rest of Fukushima Nuclear Radiation Found in Pacific Bluefin Tuna

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Post tags: becquerels, bluefin tuna, cesium, cesium-134, cesium-137, Daniel Madigan, Fukushima, fukushima daiichi, fukushima daiichi disaster, Fukushima disaster, Japan, pacific ocean, radiation, stanford university, tuna

Read the rest of Massive Aluminum Mountains in Japan Illustrate how Climate Change Works

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Post tags: Aluminum Landscape, Art, brilliant landscape, Climate Change, eco design, eco-art, green design, Japan, Landscape Architecture, Office of Kimihiko Okada, recyclable aluminum foil, Recycled Materials, recycling, recycling / compost, silver mountains, sustainable design, The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo

Residents of Japan may be able to breathe a sigh of relief as the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently announced that radiation levels in most of the country are “below cancer-causing levels.” It has been 14 months since the earthquake and tsunami in Japan caused a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The damage caused massive radiation leaks and forced the evacuation of thousands of people. At the time, the disaster was said to be worse than Chernobyl, but now the WHO report suggests that the contamination is not as bad as originally supposed.

Read the rest of Fukushima Radiation Finally Below “Cancer-Causing Levels”

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Post tags: cancer, chernobyl, Fukushima, Japan, news, nuclear disaster, nuclear power, radiation, tsunami, WHO, World Health Organization

Read the rest of Sou Fujimoto’s Glassy House NA Blurs the Distinction Between Indoor and Outdoor Space

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Post tags: green design, House NA, Japan, Sou Fujimoto, sou fujimoto architects, Tokyo

Read the rest of 100,000 Solar-Powered LEDs Flow Down the Sumida River in Tokyo

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Post tags: e-waste, Green Design Events, Japan, LED bulbs, LED lights, Solar Power, Sumida River, Taito Ward, Tokyo, Tokyo Hotaru Festival 2012, Tokyo Sky Tree

Thinking beyond creating something flashy or fashionable, Japanese designer Hikaru Imamura designed the Heat Rescue Disaster Recovery; an emergency kit packed with essentials for earthquake victims. Inspired by his own country’s plight, Imamura’s design provides water, warmth and hot meals for the people who need it the most.

Read the rest of Hikaru Imamura’s ‘Heat Rescue Disaster Recovery’ Kit Delivers Warmth and Food to Earthquake Victims

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Post tags: Design Academy in Eindhoven, Design for Health, Disaster-proof design, earthquakes, green products, Heat Rescue Disaster Recovery, Hikaru Imamura, Japan, Japanese design, Milan Furniture Fair, natural disasters, rescue kit, Warm food

Tomorrow Japan will become completely nuclear free for the first time since 1970 as it shuts down the Tomari nuclear reactor on the island of Hokkaido. One by one the country’s 54 nuclear reactors have been shuttered for maintenance, but they have not reopened because of the public’s fears over their safety. Anti-nuclear demonstrators plan on celebrating Tomari’s shutdown, but one consequence Japan faces is a 15 percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions because of its increased reliance on fossil fuels.

Read the rest of Japan Goes Completely Nuclear Free, But Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Fossil Fuels Surge

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Post tags: fukushima daiichi, greenhouse gas emissions, Japan, nuclear energy, nuclear free, nuclear power, nuclear power plants, oil and gas, tomari nuclear reactor

As debris from last year’s tsunami in Japan now washes up in North America, much of it is also settling into the Pacific Garbage Patch. Stretching northward from the outermost Hawaiian Islands, this swirling gyre of trash is estimated to be twice the size of Texas and growing. Now more debris from the Japan disaster is appearing near Midway Atoll, 2500 miles southeast of Tokyo.

Read the rest of Japanese Tsunami Debris Adds to Pacific Garbage Patch

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Post tags: Hawaiian Islands, International Pacific Research Center, IPRC, Japan, japan tsunami, midway atoll, pacific garbage patch, pacific ocean, tsunami

In mid-2009, the tiny Japanese fishing village of Taiji found itself at the center of the international controversy over dolphin hunting when it was featured in the Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove.” The film, which showed disturbing images of an annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji, brought international attention to the town of just over 3,000. Now, almost three years after The Cove was released, Taiji officials have announced plans to open a marine mammal park where visitors can swim with dolphins and small whales — but there are still no plans to stop the annual dolphin slaughter.

Read the rest of Japan Town Featured in ‘The Cove’ Plans To Open Dolphin Park

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Post tags: black whale, bottlenose dolphin, documentary film, dolphin hunting, dolphin killing, dolphin meat, dolphin slaughter, dolphins, Japan, marine mammals, marine park, Moriura Bay, parks, Taiji, The Cove, Wakayama, whales

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government released new data this week detailing what would happen if the Japanese capital were hit with a major earthquake. According to the projection, a 7.3-magnitude quake would likely kill about 9,600 people, and it would leave 147,000 more injured. Of those, about 21,900 would likely be seriously injured, according to the projection. A quake of that magnitude would also destroy or seriously damage about 378,000 buildings, according to the government projection.

Read the rest of If a Mega-Earthquake Hit Tokyo, It Would Kill Close to 10,000

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Post tags: disaster, earthquake, Earthquake Research Institute, earthquakes, Japan, natural disasters, quake, temblor, Tokyo, tsunami

For the first time in a generation, Japan is set to go nuclear-free next month. Nuclear energy has suffered a serious blow to its public image since the March 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, and Japanese authorities have been cautious about restarting idled nuclear plants. Over the weekend, Japan’s Trade Minister Yukio Edano indicated that on May 6 the last operating nuclear reactor in the country is set to be taken offline, meaning that for the first time since 1970, Japan will be getting zero energy from nuclear power plants.

Read the rest of Japan to Shut Down Last Operating Nuclear Reactor on May 6th

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Post tags: "clean energy", atomic energy, earthquake, fossil fuels, Fukushima, fukushima daiichi, Japan, nuclear disaster, nuclear meltdown, nuclear power, nuclear reactor, power plant, tsunami

The Tokyo Institute of Technology recently unveiled a shiny new shell made of 4,500 solar panels that allow it to use half of the energy of a similarly-sized building. The panels — which line the structure’s facade and rooftop — have a total capacity of 650 kilowatts, and the building also generates another 100 kilowatts using fuel cells. Custom designed for the university’s Environment and Energy Innovation Building in Tokyo’s Meguro area, this innovative idea makes great use of the sun’s abundant rays.

+ Tokyo Institute of Technology

Via Asahi Shimbun via Gizmodo

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Post tags: "clean energy", Architecture, Environment and Energy Innovation Building, green technology, Japan, Meguro, renewable energy, solar panels, solar panels facade, Solar Power, Tokyo Institute of Technology, university

Kyocera announced today that it will partner with two other companies to build Japan’s largest solar farm. Located on the southwestern island of Kyushu, the 70-megawatt solar power plant is the start of an effort to explore opportunities to integrate solar within Japan’s electricity grid. Kyocera estimates the cost of the project at approximately $309 million (¥25 billion).

Read the rest of Kyocera Announces Plan for Japan’s Largest Solar Farm

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Post tags: "solar energy", green design, green energy, IHI Corporation, Japan, japan solar power, Kagoshima, kyocera, Kyushu, Mizuho Corporate Bank, solar, solar farm, Solar Power, solar power plant, sustainable design

Ghost ships aren’t the only remnants of Japan’s March 2011 tsunami that are washing up on the shores of North America. Cal State Long Beach marine biologists studying kelp beds along the California coast have collected samples of radioactive iodine that spread to the US from the meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant last year. The highest concentration contained 250 times more radioactivity than levels before the accident.

Read the rest of Radiation from Fukushima Disaster Found in California Kelp

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Post tags: algae, beach, California, fukushima daiichi, Japan, Kelp, long beach, nuclear disaster, nuclear meltdown, nuclear power, orange county, pacific ocean, sand, Santa Cruz, Seaweed, tsunami

Read the rest of Stacked Shipping Container Sugoroku Office Pops up in Japan

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Cargotecture, container office, daiken met architects, eco design, gifu, green architecture, Green Building, green design, Japan, met daiken architects, mobile building, mobile office, shipping container office, shipping containers, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, temporary building, temporary office

After Japan was hit with a devastating earthquake in March 2011, the Pacific nation was rocked by a massive tsunami that destroyed thousands of coastal houses, cars and boats and swept millions of tons of debris out into the ocean. Now, it looks like some of that debris could be approaching North America. Last week, a unmanned boat identified as a Japanese fishing vessel was spotted off the coast of Canada, indicating that after more than a year, some of that debris could still be on its way to American and Canadian shores.

Read the rest of Japanese Ghost Ship Spotted Off Coast of Canada Signaling Arrival of Tsunami Wreckage

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Post tags: Environment, fishing boat, Ghost ship, Japan, japanese tsunami, pacific ocean, Pollution, trash, tsunami, Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

In the wake of the world’s worst nuclear disaster in a generation, yet another nuclear reactor in Japan was taken offline for maintenance on Monday, leaving only one of the country’s 54 nuclear reactors operational. Tokyo Electric Power Co., the company responsible for the three reactors in Fukushima that suffered a meltdown when the area was hit with a tsunami last year, took the last of its 17 nuclear reactors offline this week for safety and stress tests. Japan’s last operating reactor is scheduled to be taken down in early May, leaving threats of power outages for that nation, which previously depended on nuclear energy for as much as one-third of its power.

Read the rest of Japan Shuts Down Second-to-Last Nuclear Reactor

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Post tags: "clean energy", coal power, fossil fuels, Fukushima, Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power, Japan, japan tsunami, nuclear energy, nuclear meltdown, nuclear power, nuclear reactors

Wearable LED suits are the hottest new thing on the market, but nobody makes them look better than the Japanese dance troupe Wrecking Crew Orchestra, whose recent Tron-inspired dance routine has gone viral! Set to the likes of Daft Punk and Guetta, this high-tech cinematic performance features dancers decked out in iLuminate’s patented LED outfits that flicker on and off, making it seem like the characters disappear from the stage. Hit the jump to see them in action.

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Post tags: Art, eco design, green design, green lighting, green technology, illuminate, Jacob Sutton, Japan, LED, LED lights, LED suit, LED surfer, sustainable design, tron, wearable technology, Wrecking Crew Orchestra

One year after the disastrous earthquake and tsunami that shook Japan to its core, all eyes are turned to radiation risk management adviser Shunichi Yamashita. Yamashita, the son of a Nagasaki atomic bomb survivor, has been outspoken in his belief that any low level of radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi plant presents little risk to residents. Despite his advice, fears of radiation still grip many citizens who doubt whether the government really has a handle on the crisis.

Read the rest of One Year After Fukushima, Radiation Adviser Shunichi Yamashita Attempts to Assuage a Shaken Public

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Post tags: Fukushima, fukushima daiichi, fukushima radiation, is japan safe, Japan, japan earthquake, japan radiation, japan tsunami, nuclear, nuclear power, one year after fukushima, radiation, radiation fears in japan, Shunichi Yamashita