SciencePhoto: HT HealthJapan's Sakura Tradition Linked to Disaster Preparedness
Japan's sakura tradition, beyond admiring cherry blossoms, serves as a disaster-preparedness practice dating back to the 8th century. Spring picnics compact riverbank soil to prevent landslides caused by winter freeze-thaw cycles. MIT's Miho Mazereeuw highlights this and other cultural adaptations, including earthquake-resistant school buildings that double as emergency shelters, in her book Design Before Disaster.
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