Narrator: TOKYO.
A CITY THREATENED BY NATURE'S MOST DEVASTATING FORCES.
1,500 TREMORS HIT THIS AREA EVERY YEAR.
WITH AN ACTIVE VOLCANO TO ITS WEST
AND THE THREAT OF TSUNAMIS FROM THE EAST,
TOKYO SITS ON THE EDGE OF CATASTROPHE.
MOST OF THESE PEOPLE ARE COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS
OF THE FACT THAT THERE COULD BE ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE RIGHT NOW
AND WERE IT TO OCCUR, PANIC.
Narrator: HOW CAN TOKYO SURVIVE?
TO FIND OUT, WE WILL STRIP THE CITY,
REVEALING ITS SECRET INNER WORKINGS
AND EXPOSING THE INGENIOUS TECHNOLOGY
THAT ALLOWED ENGINEERS
TO BUILD THIS CITY ON THE BRINK OF DISASTER.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
TOKYO.
ONE OF THE BUSIEST CITIES ON THE PLANET.
JAPAN'S CAPITAL EXPLODED FROM A SMALL FISHING VILLAGE
INTO THE WORLD'S MOST POPULOUS CITY,
DOUBLING IN SIZE OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS.
MORE THAN 35 MILLION PEOPLE LIVE HERE.
AND SOME OF THE MOST SEISMICALLY ACTIVE ROCK IN THE WORLD
SITS JUST BENEATH THEIR FEET.
DURING THE COUNTRY'S DEADLIEST EARTHQUAKE,
IN 1923, THE GROUND SHOOK FOR OVER FOUR MINUTES,
DESTROYING OVER HALF A MILLION BUILDINGS
AND KILLING 140,000 PEOPLE.
AND IN 2011, A MEGAQUAKE BROUGHT THE CITY TO ITS KNEES,
CAUSING $35 BILLION WORTH OF DAMAGE.
TOKYO'S RESIDENTS KNOW THE NEXT BIG ONE
COULD HAPPEN AT ANY TIME.
Woman: AND WE HAVE TO BE WELL-PREPARED,
BUT WE NEVER KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO US AND OUR FAMILY.
Narrator: TODAY, ENGINEERS RACE
TO CONSTRUCT QUAKE-PROOF BUILDINGS
AND TRANSPORT SYSTEMS TO PROTECT ITS RESIDENTS
ALONG WITH EXTRAORDINARY ROBOTS TO RESCUE THEM.
GEOLOGIST ROGER BILHAM TRAVELS AROUND THE WORLD
INVESTIGATING WHAT CAUSES EARTHQUAKES.
HE KNOWS THAT BUILDING A MEGACITY
IN AN EARTHQUAKE HOT SPOT IS RISKY.
Bilham: THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CITIES IN THE WORLD,
AND IT'S ONE OF THE MOST VISITED CITIES IN TERMS OF EARTHQUAKES.
MANY OF THESE MONSTER BUILDINGS --
THEY HAVE BEEN CONSTRUCTED
THROUGH WONDERFUL ENGINEERING DECISIONS,
BUT WITH ALL THIS GLASS AND STEEL ABOVE YOU,
AN EARTHQUAKE CAN BE A FORMIDABLE EXPERIENCE.
Narrator: FORTUNATELY, JAPANESE ENGINEERS HAVE BEEN
AT THE FOREFRONT OF QUAKE-PROOFING INNOVATIONS
SINCE MEDIEVAL TIMES.
THE ICONIC SENSO-JI -- TOKYO'S OLDEST TEMPLE.
IT'S TOWER, CALLED A PAGODA, CONTAINS THE SECRET
OF HOW TALL BUILDINGS COULD SURVIVE AN EARTHQUAKE.
INCREDIBLY, THERE ARE NO NAILS OR SCREWS
HOLDING THE PAGODA TOGETHER.
THE KEY TO ITS RESILIENCE --
170-FOOT-LONG, FLEXIBLE WOODEN PILLAR
THAT SUPPORTS THE STRUCTURE.
EACH OF THE PAGODA'S FIVE FLOORS
SITS THREADED ONTO THE PILLAR, LIKE A BEAD.
WHEN AN EARTHQUAKE STRIKES, THE WOODEN POLE BENDS.
THIS ALLOWS EACH FLOOR TO MOVE INDEPENDENTLY...
KEEPING IT STANDING FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.
A COLOSSAL DESCENDENT OF THIS ANCIENT STRUCTURE
STANDS RIGHT NEXT DOOR -- THE SKYTREE.
IT IS THE TALLEST TOWER IN THE WORLD,
SOARING 2,000 FEET HIGH.
20,000 PEOPLE VISIT THE BROADCAST TOWER EVERY DAY.
IT'S A MODERN ENGINEERING WONDER.
A GIANT STEEL FRAME WRAPS AROUND THE TOWER.
1,000-FOOT-LONG STEEL PIPES SUPPORT MOST OF ITS WEIGHT.
SHOCK ABSORBERS, CALLED DAMPERS, CONNECT THE STEEL FRAME
TO A REINFORCED CONCRETE PILLAR
THAT RUNS UP THE CENTER OF THE TOWER.
THE DAMPERS ABSORB THE DESTRUCTIVE ENERGY OF A QUAKE.
THE SKYTREE GETS ITS NAME
FROM ITS 164-FOOT-DEEP FOUNDATION PILLARS
THAT, LIKE THE ROOTS OF A TREE,
ANCHOR THE TOWER FIRMLY INTO THE GROUND.
THESE INGENIOUS FEATURES MEAN THE MODERN SKYTREE,
LIKE THE MEDIEVAL SENSO-JI TEMPLE,
STAY STANDING WHEN THE GROUND ROCKS.
TODAY, ENGINEERS RACE TO PROTECT
OTHER TOWERS AND SKYSCRAPERS FROM EARTHQUAKES.
TO DO THIS, THEY NEED TO FIRST UNDERSTAND
WHAT CAUSES THEM.
ROGER IS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO.
HE IS TAKING ONE OF THEIR MOST ADVANCED INSTRUMENTS
FOR A TEST DRIVE.
THIS SEISMIC SURVEY TRUCK HELPS GEOLOGISTS FIND
THE SOURCE OF EARTHQUAKES UNDER THE CITY.
Bilham: THERE ARE A LARGE NUMBER OF FAULTS BENEATH TOKYO.
THE MAIN FAULT THAT HAS MAGNITUDE-8 EARTHQUAKES
IS ABOUT 15, 16 MILES BENEATH US.
Narrator: FAULTS ARE FRACTURES IN THE ROCK WHERE EARTHQUAKES OCCUR.
THE TRUCK CREATES A 3-D MAP OF THESE FAULTS
SO GEOLOGISTS CAN PINPOINT WHERE THE NEXT BIG ONE COULD STRIKE.
Bilham: WELL, THIS TRUCK
IS A VERY SPECIAL DEVICE FOR SENDING
VERY-LOW-FREQUENCY WAVES INTO THE EARTH,
AND YOU SEE REFLECTIONS FROM THESE MINOR FAULTS
THAT EXIST IN THE GREATER TOKYO REGION.
Narrator: A HEAVY METAL PLATE VIBRATES THE GROUND
TO SEND WAVES INTO THE ROCK BELOW.
Bilham: THREE, TWO, ONE, GO.
[ WHIRRING ]
THE SURPRISING THING IS, THE VIBRATIONS OF THE GROUND
ACTUALLY ARE ONLY A FEW MILLIMETERS HERE,
AND YET THESE TINY VIBRATIONS TRAVEL DOWN A MILE
AND THEN REFLECT WEAKLY AND COME BACK TO THE SURFACE
WHERE THEY'RE PICKED UP BY GEOPHONES.
Narrator: WHEN THE WAVES FROM THE TRUCK HIT A FAULT,
THEY REFLECT BACK AND ARE RECORDED
BY SPECIAL SENSORS CALLED GEOPHONES.
THE TRUCK MAPS JUST A SMALL SECTION
OF THE VAST NETWORK OF FAULTS UNDER THE CITY.
TOKYO SITS CLOSE TO THE INTERSECTION
OF FOUR TECTONIC PLATES.
SLIDING ON TOP OF HOT MAGMA,
THE PLATES SLOWLY CRUNCH PAST EACH OTHER,
CRUSHING AND FRACTURING THE LAND ABOVE.
PRESSURE BUILDS AT THE BOUNDARIES
UNTIL THE TENSION BECOMES TOO HIGH
AND THE PLATES SHIFT SUDDENLY,
RELEASING A MASSIVE SHOCK WAVE --
AN EARTHQUAKE.
IN 2011, A MAGNITUDE-9 QUAKE
TESTS THE LIMITS OF TOKYO'S SKYSCRAPERS.
THE MITSUI BUILDING WAS ONE OF THE WORST AFFECTED.
YUTAKA HASE WAS INSIDE AT THE TIME.
[ SPEAKING JAPANESE ]
Narrator: IT WAS A FRIDAY,
SO THE EMPLOYEES WERE AT WORK AS USUAL.
WHEN THE EARTHQUAKE STRUCK,
FIRST THERE WAS VERTICAL SHAKING.
THEN IT CHANGED TO A BIG SIDE-TO-SIDE SWAY
WHICH LASTED A LONG TIME.
THIS GIANT STILL DOMINATES THE CITY SKYLINE TODAY.
THE 738-FOOT-TALL STRUCTURE HAS 55 FLOORS.
THE HIGHER THE FLOOR, THE MORE IT MOVES IN A QUAKE.
THE SKYSCRAPER'S STEEL CROSS BRACES
DID LITTLE TO REDUCE THE SWAYING DURING THE 2011 QUAKE,
WHEN THE TOP FLOORS MOVED UP TO SIX FEET SIDE-TO-SIDE.
SO, NOW ENGINEERS ARE INSTALLING
6 300-TON SHOCK ABSORBERS, CALLED DAMPERS, ON THE ROOF.
STEEL CABLES WILL SECURE EACH DAMPER IN PLACE.
THEY WILL BE FREE TO MOVE FROM SIDE TO SIDE,
ABSORBING THE EARTHQUAKE'S ENERGY
AND STABILIZING THE TOWER
WHEN THE GROUND BENEATH IT SHAKES.
INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING ALLOWS TOKYO'S 347 SKYSCRAPERS
TO SURVIVE MASSIVE MAGNITUDE-8 EARTHQUAKES.
BUT DURING A QUAKE,
THE CITY'S VITAL ROAD AND RAIL NETWORKS
ARE JUST AS VULNERABLE.
TOKYO'S ENGINEERS MUST PROTECT THESE LIFELINES
BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.
Narrator: RUSH HOUR STRETCHES TOKYO'S INFRASTRUCTURE TO ITS LIMITS.
CONGESTION ON THE ROADS AND RAILS IS A REAL PROBLEM.
THIS IS SHIBUYA CROSSING,
THE BUSIEST PEDESTRIAN INTERSECTION ON THE PLANET.
UP TO 3,000 PEOPLE CROSS THIS STREET
AT ANY ONE TIME DURING RUSH HOUR.
RIGHT BENEATH THEIR FEET, ENGINEERS HAVE BUILT
ALMOST 200 MILES OF SUBWAY TRACKS
TO KEEP COMMUTERS MOVING.
13 LINES SHUTTLE MORE THAN 8 MILLION PASSENGERS
ACROSS THE CITY EVERY DAY.
BUT CRAMMED SUBWAY TRAINS AND CONGESTED CITY STREETS
CAN BE LETHAL WHEN THE GROUND STARTS TO SHAKE.
TOKYO HAS A TRANSPORT PROBLEM THAT DEFIES THE IMAGINATION.
IT'S STACKED IN VERTICAL LAYERS, IN HORIZONTAL LAYERS.
THERE ARE 37 MILLION PEOPLE NEEDING TO GO
FROM "A" TO "B" TO "C" AND IN EVERY POSSIBLE DIRECTION.
THIS MANY PEOPLE IN A CROWDED CITY SPELLS TROUBLE.
WHEN AN EARTHQUAKE OCCURS, THERE'S PURE PANIC.
NOBODY REALLY KNOWS WHAT TO DO.
IT'S A PROBLEM OF BASIC HUMAN NATURE.
THE GROUND IS SUPPOSED TO BE NICE AND STABLE,
AND DURING AN EARTHQUAKE, IT ISN'T.
Narrator: ON MARCH 11, 2011,
THE MOST POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE TO EVER HIT THE COUNTRY
BRINGS TOKYO'S TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS TO A HALT.
THE EARTHQUAKE STRIKES AT 2:46 P.M.
232 MILES NORTHEAST OF THE CITY.
150-MILE-LONG SECTION OF THE PACIFIC PLATE
SHIFTS SUDDENLY TO THE WEST.
THE PLATE ON WHICH TOKYO SITS THRUSTS UPWARDS.
A SHOCK WAVE 600 MILLION TIMES MORE POWERFUL
THAN AN ATOMIC BOMB RIPS THROUGH THE EARTH,
HITTING TOKYO MOMENTS LATER.
THE CITY IS INSTANTLY PARALYZED.
Woman: I WAS IN A SUBWAY, AND THEN, ALL OF A SUDDEN,
OUR TRAIN STARTED SHAKING AND SWINGING, ACTUALLY,
AS IF YOU WERE ON A BOAT.
AND THEN ALL THE PASSENGERS, INCLUDING ME,
DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING AT THE BEGINNING,
AND SOMEONE SCREAMED, "EARTHQUAKE!"
Narrator: THE EARTHQUAKE STRANDS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
AND IMMOBILIZES THE COUNTRY'S ICONIC RAIL NETWORK.
AMAZINGLY, NONE OF THE HIGH-SPEED BULLET TRAINS DERAIL
THANKS TO INGENIOUS QUAKE-PROOFING TECHNOLOGY.
THE RAILWAY TECHNICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE HAS BEEN
AT THE FOREFRONT OF TRAIN DESIGN FOR OVER 25 YEARS.
ENGINEERS HERE DEVELOPED THE FIRST BULLET TRAIN --
A MILESTONE IN RAILWAY INNOVATION.
THE BEST CHANCE A BULLET TRAIN HAS TO SURVIVE A QUAKE
IS TO STOP FAST.
THE TRAINS HAVE SPECIAL EARTHQUAKE ALARMS.
THE ALARMS TRIGGER THE BRAKES AS SOON AS THEY DETECT A QUAKE.
SPECIAL PLATES ON THE ROOF SPRING OPEN AUTOMATICALLY.
THESE CAUSE DRAG
AND HELP BRING THE TRAIN TO A STOP IN LESS THAN A MINUTE
EVEN IF IT'S TRAVELING AT MORE THAN 160 MILES AN HOUR.
THE WHEELS OF THE TRAIN ALSO LOCK ONTO AN EXTRA SET OF RAILS
TO HELP STABILIZE THE CARS WHEN A QUAKE STRIKES.
THE FASTEST WAY TO GET AROUND TOKYO
IS ON THE HIGH-TECH NETWORK OF RAILS AND SUBWAYS.
THE ROADS ARE JAMMED WITH TRAFFIC,
AND WITH TOKYO SPRAWLING OVER 5,000 SQUARE MILES,
DRIVING AROUND THE BAY TAKES HOURS.
TO CUT THE COMMUTE TIME,
ENGINEERS CAME UP WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY SOLUTION --
THE AQUA-LINE.
THE ENTRANCE TO TOKYO BAY IS A BUSY SHIPPING CHANNEL.
MORE THAN 600 VESSELS PASS THROUGH HERE EVERY DAY.
AFTER 2½ MILES OF BRIDGE,
THE AQUA-LINE CROSSING PLUNGES 200 FEET INTO THE BAY
WHERE IT EXTENDS FOR SIX MILES.
IT'S THE FOURTH-LONGEST UNDERWATER TUNNEL IN THE WORLD.
ENGINEERS BUILT ITS CASING FROM CONCRETE SEGMENTS.
RUBBER SEALS ALLOW THE TUNNEL TO FLEX
TO STOP IT RUPTURING DURING AN EARTHQUAKE.
BUILDING THE QUAKE-PROOF AQUA-LINE
TOOK MORE THAN 9 YEARS AND COST $11 BILLION.
HALF BRIDGE, HALF TUNNEL,
IT SLASHES THE JOURNEY TIME ACROSS TOKYO BAY
FROM 1½ HOURS TO JUST 15 MINUTES.
INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY PROTECTS
TOKYO'S CRITICAL TRANSPORT LINKS IN AN EARTHQUAKE,
BUT AS ENGINEERS CONTINUE TO EXPAND THE CITY,
THEY FACE ANOTHER THREAT --
SOFT GROUND THAT CAN SWALLOW ENTIRE BUILDINGS IN A QUAKE.
Narrator: THE SKIES ABOVE JAPAN
ARE THE THIRD BUSIEST IN THE WORLD.
TOKYO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
HANDLES UP TO 90 MILLION PASSENGERS A YEAR.
IT SITS RIGHT ON THE WATERFRONT OF TOKYO BAY,
JUST 21 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL.
MORE THAN 1,000 PLANES LAND AND TAKE OFF
FROM THIS RUNWAY EACH DAY.
BUILDING THESE FOUR RUNWAYS REQUIRED A LOT OF LAND...
MORE THAN SIX MILES FOR THE LANDING STRIPS AND TAXIWAYS.
ENGINEERS TOOK EXTREME MEASURES TO EXTEND THE AIRPORT
OUT INTO THE SEA.
20% OF THE LAND IN TOKYO BAY IS MANMADE, LIKE THIS.
AND IT'S EXTREMELY VULNERABLE TO DEADLY EARTHQUAKES.
THE 2011 QUAKE CAUSES WATER TO RISE UP FROM BELOW THE SOIL,
DEVASTATING LARGE AREAS OF THE CITY
BUILT ON MANMADE LAND.
WHOLE BUILDINGS SINK AS THE GROUND TURNS TO LIQUID,
A PHENOMENON KNOWN AS LIQUEFACTION.
ROGER BILHAM IS IN URAYASU, ONE OF THE WORST-AFFECTED AREAS.
SO, WHEN YOU HAVE A SHORTAGE OF BUILDING AREA,
IT'S VERY TEMPTING TO UTILIZE SHALLOW SEA FRONTAGE.
THE PROBLEM WITH THIS KIND OF GROUND
IS THAT IF YOU SHAKE IT, IT LIQUEFIES,
AND THAT COMPROMISES THE STABILITY
OF ANYTHING YOU BUILD ON IT.
Narrator: THE HEART OF THE PROBLEM IS THE FINE SOIL
THAT ENGINEERS USED TO MAKE THE NEW LAND.
SO, THIS SOIL
IS FAIRLY DRY AND SANDY ON THE SURFACE,
BUT IF I PULL A BIT OFF FROM INSIDE,
YOU CAN SEE IT HAS A CERTAIN AMOUNT
OF BEARING STRENGTH,
BUT IF I SHOW YOU SOMETHING THAT IS NOW EVEN WETTER,
YOU'LL SEE IT HAS NO STRENGTH AT ALL.
Narrator: WATER SATURATES
MUCH OF THE MANMADE GROUND AROUND THE BAY
WHICH CAUSES THE SOIL TO LIQUEFY.
Bilham: THIS IS THE LIQUEFACTION PROCESS ON A VERY SMALL SCALE,
AND WHAT WE'RE DOING IS TURNING THE MUD INTO A LIQUID,
BUT YOU CAN SEE HOW THE WATER IS MIGRATING TO THE CRACKS
AND BRINGING UP WITH IT
ALL THIS RUBBISH THAT LIES BELOW.
ENGINEERS REALLY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THIS
TO KEEP UP THESE TALL STRUCTURES.
Narrator: DURING THE 2011 EARTHQUAKE,
THE LOOSE MATERIAL JUST UNDER THE SURFACE OF BUILDINGS
INTENSIFIES THE SHOCK WAVES.
IT SHAKES THE GROUNDWATER FROM THE SOIL.
HEAVY OBJECTS SUCH AS THE BUILDINGS
SINK INTO THE LIQUEFIED MUD...
WHILE UNDERGROUND PIPES AND MANHOLES
ERUPT FROM THE GROUND.
GAS PIPES RUPTURE
AND FIRES RAGE.
EARTHQUAKES CONTINUE TO STRIKE THE CITY,
SO TODAY, GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERS LIKE KENJI HARADA
RACE TO FORTIFY THE MANMADE LAND AROUND TOKYO BAY
BEFORE THEY BUILD ON IT.
KENJI'S TEAM DRIVE 33-FOOT-LONG PIPES,
CALLED COMPOSERS, INTO THE GROUND.
COMPRESSED AIR FORCES STONE AND CRUSHED CONCRETE
DOWN THE PIPES AND INTO THE SOFT GROUND.
THEN THEY RAM THE PIPE DOWN INTO THE GROUND
TO COMPACT THE FILL MATERIAL.
THEY REPEAT THE PROCESS TO CREATE
A DENSE, STABLE FOUNDATION TO SUPPORT THE BUILDINGS ABOVE.
THE CITY CONTINUES TO EXPAND INTO TOKYO BAY,
BUT TOKYO'S POSITION ON THE COAST
PUTS IT AT THE MERCY OF ANOTHER ONE
OF MOTHER NATURE'S MOST VIOLENT FORCES --
TSUNAMIS.
Narrator: TOKYO IS ONE OF THE MOST
TECHNOLOGICALLY ADVANCED CITIES IN THE WORLD.
GENERATING ENOUGH ELECTRICITY FOR THIS SPACE-AGE METROPOLIS
REQUIRES INNOVATIVE ENGINEERING.
THAT'S BECAUSE JAPAN HAS VERY FEW NATURAL ENERGY RESOURCES.
MUCH OF THE POWER COMES FROM NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
SUCH AS THIS ONE JUST OUTSIDE TOKYO.
THESE SUPERSTRUCTURES CONTAIN DEADLY RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL.
FORTIFYING THEM TO SURVIVE EARTHQUAKES
IS A HERCULEAN FEAT.
THREE-FOOT CONCRETE WALLS MAKE UP THE PLANT'S SKIN.
STEEL REINFORCES THE WALLS.
A CONCRETE SHIELD HOLDING A TWO-INCH-THICK STEEL CYLINDER
CONTAINS THE RADIOACTIVE URANIUM RODS.
THE RODS HEAT WATER TO PRODUCE STEAM.
THIS DRIVES A TURBINE
THAT CONVERTS THERMAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICITY.
IN AN EMERGENCY, CONTROL RODS LOWER INSIDE
TO STOP THE REACTOR FROM OVERHEATING.
THIS STABILIZES THE PLANT
EVEN WHEN THE GROUND BENEATH IT SHAKES.
DESPITE THESE PRECAUTIONS, THE SAFETY SYSTEMS
AT THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS HAVE AN ACHILLES' HEEL.
Bilham: NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
REQUIRE HUGE AMOUNTS OF COOLING WATER
IN ORDER TO OPERATE EFFICIENTLY, AND THAT MEANS
THEY MUST BE LOCATED NEAR LARGE RIVERS
OR, BETTER STILL, NEAR THE OCEAN.
FORTUNATELY, JAPAN HAS A VERY LONG COASTLINE,
BUT THE COASTLINE OVERLIES THE PLATE BOUNDARY.
AS A RESULT, IT'S A RATHER DANGEROUS PLACE TO LOCATE THEM.
Narrator: IN 2011, THE MEGAQUAKE STRIKES 40 MILES OFFSHORE.
THE PACIFIC PLATE SUDDENLY SHIFTS WEST,
THRUSTING THE NORTH AMERICAN PLATE UP
BY OVER 20 FEET.
THIS MOVEMENT PUSHES VAST QUANTITIES
OF OCEAN WATER UPWARDS, TRIGGERING A HUGE TSUNAMI.
THE RESULTING WAVES SOAR OVER 30 FEET HIGH
IN SOME PARTS OF JAPAN.
41 MINUTES AFTER THE MAIN QUAKE,
THE TSUNAMI STRIKES JAPAN'S NORTHEASTERN COAST.
IT ENGULFS THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT IN FUKUSHIMA,
TRIGGERING HYDROGEN EXPLOSIONS AND A MELTDOWN.
NOW ENGINEERS ARE WORKING HARD
TO DEVELOP NEW, SAFER SOURCES OF ENERGY FOR TOKYO.
IRONICALLY, ONE SOLUTION USES WAVE POWER.
THIS TEAM OF MARINE ENGINEERS, LED BY NAKAMURA TAGUCHU,
IS DESIGNING A REVOLUTIONARY NEW POWER SOURCE
CALLED THE SQUID.
THIS IS THE WORLD'S FIRST HYBRID GENERATOR.
IT EXPLOITS BOTH WIND AND OCEAN CURRENT.
THE SQUID'S TALL MASTS CATCH THE WIND
NO MATTER WHAT THE MACHINE'S ORIENTATION
WHILE THE OCEAN PROVIDES AN EXTRA KICK.
CURRENTS ROTATE A TURBINE MOUNTED ON THE KEEL
MADE FROM TWO LARGE CURVED BUCKETS,
ROTATING IT IN ONE DIRECTION.
THE WIND AND WAVES DRIVE THE POWER GENERATOR,
LOCATED AT DECK LEVEL.
CHAINS ANCHOR THE SQUID IN PLACE.
A LOW CENTER OF GRAVITY HELPS THE SQUID STAY UPRIGHT
EVEN WHEN ROCKED BY HUGE TSUNAMI WAVES.
TODAY, NAKAMURA'S TEAM ARE PERFORMING ONSHORE TESTS
BEFORE THEY TOW THE SQUID OUT TO SEA.
EACH MAST IS OVER 150 FEET TALL
AND CAN TURN AT UP TO 38 REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE.
[ BOTH SPEAKING JAPANESE ]
Narrator: THE REAL TEST BEGINS
WHEN THEY TOW THE SQUID INTO THE SEA.
IT MUST WITHSTAND STRONG GUSTS AND POWERFUL 30-FOOT WAVES.
THIS EARLY PROTOTYPE WILL BE ABLE TO POWER
UP TO 300 HOMES.
IT WOULD TAKE OVER 20,000 SQUID GENERATORS
TO POWER A CITY THE SIZE OF TOKYO,
SO IT WILL BE A WHILE
BEFORE ENGINEERS CAN TURN THE PACIFIC OCEAN
INTO ONE OF THE CITY'S BIGGEST POWER SOURCES.
BUT THIS SYSTEM IS THE FIRST REAL HOPE
OF CREATING A POWER SOURCE
THAT IS BOTH QUAKE- AND TSUNAMI-PROOF.
THE SQUID GENERATORS AREN'T THE ONLY
TSUNAMI-PROOF TECHNOLOGY BEING DEVELOPED IN TOKYO.
ENGINEERS ARE ALSO DESIGNING EXTRAORDINARY INVENTIONS
TO PROTECT RESIDENTS FROM THE DEVASTATING OCEAN WAVES.
THIS TSUNAMI SHELTER IS A PERSONAL NOAH'S ARK.
ROGER BILHAM IS TAKING IT FOR A SPIN.
THE IDEA IS SIMPLE.
BIT OF A TIGHT FIT.
IF YOU CAN'T STOP THE WAVE, THE ONLY OPTION IS TO RIDE IT.
Bilham: AH, THE SOUND OF WATER.
GOODNESS SAKE.
YES.
Narrator: THE POD IS MADE
FROM REINFORCED PLASTIC AND FIBERGLASS,
BUT IS IT DESIGNED FOR RIDER COMFORT?
OH, I'M BEGINNING TO SPIN. HOW UNPLEASANT.
I MUST BE MOVING.
Narrator: IT'S TOUGH ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND A 12-TON IMPACT.
Bilham: SO, THE FEELING OF NOT KNOWING AT ALL WHAT IS GOING ON
IS QUITE ALARMING.
Narrator: THE TEAM STILL NEED TO TEST THE DESIGN
IN THE 30-FOOT WAVES OF A REAL TSUNAMI.
IT AIN'T MUCH, BUT IT'S HOME.
Narrator: AND IF THE POD WASHES OUT TO SEA,
IT WOULD TAKE ANOTHER BOAT TO RESCUE THE OCCUPANT.
SO, I WONDER WHEN THEY'RE GOING TO LET ME OUT
OF THIS...THING.
AHA!
GRAVITY ONCE MORE TAKES OVER.
TALK ABOUT A SQUEEZE.
WELL, THAT WAS FUN.
WHOA!
YAY!
[ GRUNTS ]
YES!
[ LAUGHS ]
IT'S A WONDERFUL GADGET,
BUT I DON'T THINK ONE WOULD LIKE TO BE IN THERE
FOR MORE THAN 10 MINUTES, ACTUALLY.
SO, YOU'D BE ALIVE, I GUESS.
I SUPPOSE I'M ALIVE. [ LAUGHS ]
Narrator: THESE PODS MAY SAVE SOME OF TOKYO'S
37 MILLION CITIZENS FROM A TSUNAMI.
BUT THE CITY ALSO SITS
IN THE SHADOW OF A STIRRING GIANT --
MT. FUJI.
A BIG EARTHQUAKE UNDER TOKYO
COULD TRIGGER ANOTHER DESTRUCTIVE FORCE --
A VOLCANIC ERUPTION.
Narrator: A GEOLOGICAL MONSTER SITS BEHIND
TOKYO'S ICONIC SKYLINE,
ONE THAT POSES YET ANOTHER THREAT
TO THE CITY'S INHABITANTS --
MT. FUJI.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
HIKE UP THIS MOUNTAIN EVERY YEAR.
FEW REALIZE THE DANGER THAT STIRS
JUST A FEW MILES BENEATH THEIR TREKKING BOOTS.
SOARING 12,389 FEET HIGH,
MT. FUJI IS JAPAN'S TALLEST MOUNTAIN.
IT IS ALSO AN ACTIVE VOLCANO
AND SITS JUST 70 MILES FROM TOKYO.
THE CRATER AT THE TOP
STRETCHES 1,600 FEET ACROSS AND 820 FEET DEEP.
BELOW THE SURFACE IS A VOLCANIC CHAMBER
FILLED WITH GAS AND MOLTEN ROCKS -- MAGMA.
TODAY, PRESSURE IN THE CHAMBER IS BUILDING.
ROGER BILHAM IS ON MT. HAKONE,
THE VOLCANO THAT STANDS RIGHT NEXT TO FUJI.
HE IS SEARCHING FOR CLUES ABOUT THE REGION'S EXPLOSIVE PAST.
Bilham: IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL
IF VOLCANOS ERUPTED LIKE CLOCKWORK
SO THAT IF YOU KNEW THE INTERVAL BETWEEN HISTORIC ERUPTIONS,
YOU COULD FORECAST THE NEXT ERUPTION IN THE FUTURE.
UNFORTUNATELY, IT'S NOT AS SIMPLE AS THAT.
WE HAVE THE JUNCTION OF THREE PLATES,
AND THE ENERGY DISSIPATED IN THAT COLLISION
IS MANIFEST IN WHAT YOU SEE -- STEAM, GASES, VOLCANIC ACTION,
AND GIGANTIC MOUNTAINS
FORMED FROM THE PRESSURE OF THE MAGMA
WELLING UP TO THE SURFACE.
Narrator: MT. FUJI SITS NEXT TO THE JUNCTION
OF THREE TECTONIC PLATES.
THIS HIGHLY ACTIVE ZONE CREATES VOLCANOS.
700,000 YEARS AGO, TWO SMALLER VOLCANOS STOOD
ON THE SITE WHERE MT. FUJI IS TODAY.
AFTER HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF ERUPTIONS,
ONE OF THE VOLCANOS GREW TO OVER 1,200 FEET,
FORMING MT. FUJI.
THE LAST MAJOR ERUPTION WAS MORE THAN THREE CENTURIES AGO.
THE NEXT ONE IS OVERDUE.
Bilham: THE LAST TIME THAT MT. FUJI ERUPTED, IN 1707,
THERE WAS, IN FACT, A LARGE EARTHQUAKE IN 1703.
SO, THERE'S A SORT OF CAUSAL CONNECTION.
A GIGANTIC EARTHQUAKE HERE MAY WELL TRIGGER FUJI.
THEN TOKYO OVER THERE IS IN ITS DIRECT PATH.
Narrator: AN ERUPTION COULD CAUSE
MORE THAN $32 BILLION OF DAMAGE
AND PUT MANY LIVES AT RISK,
CRIPPLING THE WORLD'S THIRD-LARGEST ECONOMY
AS SCALDING-HOT ASH BURIES TOKYO IN UP TO THREE FEET OF DEBRIS.
THE CITY WOULD BE LEFT PARALYZED AS POWER SUPPLIES FAIL
AND ALL LINKS TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD ARE SEVERED.
TO MONITOR MT. FUJI'S BEHAVIOR,
A TEAM OF GEOLOGISTS SET UP DOZENS OF SENSORS
AROUND ITS FOOTHILLS.
WOW.
THAT IS QUITE DEEP.
TODAY, THEY'RE UPGRADING ONE OF THE SENSORS.
Bilham: THE THING ABOUT VOLCANOS AND EARTHQUAKES IS THAT
USUALLY YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE THE EARTHQUAKE IS GOING TO BE,
BUT YOU DO KNOW WHERE THE VOLCANO IS.
PREDICTING VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS
IS ACTUALLY EASIER THAN PREDICTING EARTHQUAKES.
YOU CAN, IN FACT, MONITOR THE SIGNS OF UNREST
THAT PRECEDE AN ERUPTION,
AND MT. FUJI IS BRISTLING WITH SENSORS.
SO, OFF I GO.
Narrator: THE SENSOR SITS 15 FEET BELOW GROUND.
SO, WHAT WE HAVE HERE AT THE BASE OF THE HOLE
IS A CONCRETE PILLAR WHICH GOES INTO THE BEDROCK,
SO THIS IS REALLY, REALLY FIRMLY PLANTED INTO THE MOUNTAIN,
THIS LITTLE GREEN CYLINDER HERE
IS THE DEVICE THAT RECORDS VIBRATIONS OF THE GROUND.
Narrator: THIS SEISMOMETER FORMS PART OF A NETWORK OF INSTRUMENTS
THAT MONITOR MT. FUJI IN REAL TIME.
A SECOND SEISMOMETER SITS 600 FEET DEEP IN A BORE HOLE.
THE STATION ABOVE GROUND ALSO HOUSES
A SERIES OF HIGHLY SENSITIVE TILTMETERS AND GPS UNITS.
SEVEN OBSERVATION STATIONS POSITIONED ACROSS THE VOLCANO
RECORD PRECISE GPS INFORMATION.
IF THE MOUNTAIN STARTS TO BULGE,
IT CAUSES THE SENSORS TO MOVE APART.
THIS TRIGGERS WARNING SIGNALS
THAT AN ERUPTION COULD BE IMMINENT.
SCIENTISTS ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN
TO PREDICT A VOLCANIC ERUPTION,
BUT EARTHQUAKE PREDICTION REMAINS IMPOSSIBLE.
SO HOW DOES TOKYO PREPARE FOR THE INEVITABLE?
Narrator: EARTHQUAKES ARE TERRIFYING
BECAUSE THEY STRIKE WITHOUT WARNING.
PREDICTING THEM IS IMPOSSIBLE.
FORTUNATELY, TOKYO IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S
MOST INNOVATIVE CITIES.
ENGINEERS HERE ARE PIONEERS IN ROBOT TECHNOLOGY.
THEY ARE DEVELOPING UNIQUE ROBOTS
TO RESCUE CASUALTIES FOLLOWING A MEGAQUAKE.
Ogasawara: [ SPEAKING JAPANESE ]
Narrator: THIS IS A REMOTE-CONTROLLED ROBOT
FOR CARRYING OUT RESCUES
IN PLACES THAT ARE INACCESSIBLE TO HUMANS.
THE THING THAT WE STRUGGLED THE MOST WITH
WAS THAT IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE ABLE TO CLIMB STAIRS
AND NAVIGATE CONFINED SPACES,
WE HAD TO SOMEHOW MAKE IT LIGHTER,
BUT WE COULDN'T LOSE ANY OF THE FUNCTIONALITY.
WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT THIS IS THAT IT HAS
INDEPENDENT CATERPILLAR TRACKS AT THE FRONT AND BACK,
WHICH ALLOWS IT TO ROTATE 90 DEGREES.
THIS IS AN EARLY PROTOTYPE.
IN THE NEAR FUTURE, AN ARMY OF RESCUE ROBOTS
COULD SAVE THE LIVES OF HUNDREDS OF TOKYO'S RESIDENTS.
Narrator: THE NEXT MEGAQUAKE COULD STRIKE
RIGHT UNDER THE CITY.
THE CITIZENS NEED TO KNOW WHAT TO DO
WHEN THE GROUND STARTS TO SHAKE.
THE SENSE OF UNEASE DURING AN EARTHQUAKE
IS SOMETHING THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE FEEL.
THEY ONLY FEEL ONE EARTHQUAKE IN THEIR LIVES,
AND SO THERE'S NO PRACTICE, THERE'S NO WARNING.
IT JUST HAPPENS.
THEY NEED TO HAVE A GUT FEELING ABOUT WHAT TO DO.
Narrator: THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TEACHES CITIZENS
HOW TO REACT WHEN THERE'S AN EARTHQUAKE.
SHAKE TABLES LIKE THIS
ALLOW PEOPLE TO EXPERIENCE WHAT A QUAKE FEELS LIKE.
TODAY, IT'S ROGER'S TURN.
THIS IS THE FIRST MEGAQUAKE I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO FEEL,
ALTHOUGH I WILL FEEL IT IN THE SAFETY OF A ROOM
WHERE NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN, I HOPE.
HA!
[ CHUCKLES ]
WELL, APPARENTLY, WE ARE BEING THROWN ABOUT
BY SOME VERY VIGOROUS SHORT PERIOD OF SHAKING
AND SOME LONGER PERIOD OF SHAKING,
AS WE GET SHIFTED AROUND.
HERE WE ARE BEING EXPOSED TO ONE MINUTE OF IT,
AND IT FEELS LIKE A LONG TIME.
IN FACT, IT WOULD BE NICE IF IT STOPPED.
AND, IN FACT, IT SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE,
WHICH IS REALLY RATHER UNPLEASANT.
MY GOODNESS ME.
AND, IN FACT, THE BUILDING HERE IS --
THIS TABLE IS SHIFTING.
I WONDER IF THEY BOLTED IT DOWN PROPERLY.
THIS IS REALLY VERY -- GOOD GRACIOUS.
[ SIGHS ]
WELL, IF THAT WAS ONE MINUTE,
I DON'T THINK I WOULD HAVE LIKED TO EXPERIENCE THE WHOLE THING.
WHOA-OH! [ CHUCKLES ]
Narrator: WITH THE NEXT BIG ONE OVERDUE,
SCIENTISTS ARE RACING TO FIND OTHER WAYS TO PREPARE TOKYO.
THOUSAND OF EARTHQUAKE SENSORS, SEISMOMETERS,
ARE BURIED UNDER THE CITY.
THEY FEED REAL-TIME DATA INTO THE HEADQUARTERS
OF THE JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY.
HERE, A TEAM MONITORS THE SIGNALS 24/7,
LOOKING OUT FOR THE NEXT MEGAQUAKE.
TAKESHI KOIZUMI OVERSEES THE HIGH-TECH NERVE CENTER.
WHEN THE GROUND STARTS TO SHAKE, EVERY SECOND COUNTS.
Narrator: TOKYO HAS GROWN
INTO A SPRAWLING, FUTURISTIC CITY
DESPITE CONSTANT THREATS
FROM THE EARTH'S MOST DEVASTATING FORCES.
BUT THE PEOPLE HERE CAN RELY ON THE INGENIOUS INVENTIONS
HIDDEN BENEATH THE SKIN OF THIS CITY
THAT STEADY ITS TOWERS...
SUPPORT ITS BUILDINGS...
AND WARN OF APPROACHING THREATS,
BRACING THIS METROPOLIS
AGAINST ALMOST ANYTHING THE EARTH CAN THROW AT IT.