Photos: Tetrapod beaches of Japan
Near Tappi Saki, Aomori (Photo: Mr_M_Montgomery)
Hit the beach anywhere in Japan, and you are likely to see endless piles of tetrapods — enormous four-legged concrete structures intended to prevent coastal erosion. By some estimates, more than 50% of Japan’s 35,000-kilometer (22,000-mi) coastline has been altered with tetrapods and other forms of concrete. Critics, who blame the tetrapod invasion on decades of excessive government spending designed to bolster the construction industry, argue that in addition to posing a danger to swimmers, surfers and boaters, tetrapods actually accelerate beach erosion by disrupting the natural processes that shape the coastal environment. Meanwhile, others have developed an aesthetic appreciation of the tetrapod landscape, as evidenced by a host of stunning Japanese tetrapod photos on Flickr.
Location unknown (Photo: saksak)
Location unknown (Photo: f l u x)
Kawasaki (Photo: gullevek)
Kobe (Photo: Joshua Richley)
Hamamatsu, Shizuoka (Photo: seotaro)
Yakushima (Photo: TommyOshima)
River bank, Shikoku (Photo: kodama)
Amarube (Photo: shikihan)
Tetrapod molds — Location unknown (Photo: Toru Aihara)
Location unknown (Photo: electricnude)
Location unknown (Photo: takay)
Location unknown (Photo: saksak)
[Images: Flickr photos tagged “Tetrapod” & “Tetrapods“//Further reading: Japan Times, Wikipedia]
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[…] Because nothing says “coast” like concrete: The tetrapod beaches of Japan. […]
Great post! The pictures are amazing. I remember seeing those odd tetrapods along the coast in Shimizu and being really intrigued with them. While strangely beautiful in some way I can also appreciate peoples distaste for them.
[…] Japan’s unnatural/natural terapod breakwaters are lovely markers of man’s role as planet manager, and Japan’s various novel concrete intrusions into the fine art of water management through concrete in general are strange, sometimes frightening and always slightly medieval to me. Pink Tentacle has a great sampling of images of these giant concrete beauties. […]
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WOW amazing photos
What an amazing collection of pictures here. These tetrapods look like an alien army conquering our coasts… Great!
Is there no end to beautiful nature of Japanese engineering. These are not only functional but aesthetically delightful
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Wow! Just think how much of Japan would still be left if they had had those tetrapods back in the Jomon period.
scary how beautiful these can be. Nice roundup!
Photos: Tetrapod beaches of Japan…
Pink Tentacle has a super photo post on the concrete tetrapods that litter Japan’s shoreline….
Most Japanese coasts are covered with these. That’s why when people come here and ask about going to “the ocean” I tell them it’s like going to a concrete factory!
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nice pictures..btw i saw the same in Ukraine (Black Sea) and in Russia too..at the rivers. (rounded concrete tetrapods)
Hey, thanks for including my photo in the collection. :)
[…] When the government feeds the construction industry’s endless appetite for needless pork…. […]
[…] “voertuigen” van de aliens in War of the Worlds (dat zijn tripods), maar wel 3-voetige betonblokken bedoelen we hier. Meer bepaald betonblokken die overal langs de kusten van Japan liggen. Officieel […]
isn’t more about repelling an invading army by sea?
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[…] spotted at the recent Good Design Expo in Tokyo are the perfect editing tool for pencil-pushing tetrapod enthusiasts. Produced by Sun-Star Stationery Co., Ltd., the shapely erasers come in 9 colors and […]
[…] Tetrapod beaches of Japan […]
[…] en Pink Tentacle. Filed under: paisajismo | Tags: japón, […]
I never thought those concrete things would look beautiful!!
Another truth is that those tetrapods are favored by many anglers since the tetrapods increase the crab population drastically which lure snappers and many other fish. Basically the tetrapods become a great habitat for sea creatures.
But recently some places (e.g. Beppu in Kyushu) started projects to remove the tetrapods and put the shore back to the original state by adopting some new tsunami-wave blockers placed under water away from the beach.
Btw, there are still many beautiful natural beaches in Japan (You just have to go off the beaten tracks).
For amazingly beautiful Japanese beaches, check the photos by these guys (their photos are published on National Geographic).
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ippei-janine/sets/72157600321338295/
We have these at our Jedi too