One thing that I noticed that is pretty interesting is how Japanese have to pay attention to earthquakes, it's part of their daily lives. One family I visited tie strings a bit everywhere in case of small earthquakes to prevent dishes from crashing onto the floor. In house ads, they always talk about the fact that they were built earthquake-proof and it becomes a selling point. I heard at any time there is always an earthquake going on in Japan, but they are not always felt. Apparently they are waiting for a "big one". The last big earthquake in Japan was in Kobe in 1995 and completely destroyed the city. I visited the earthquake memorial park and while I was there I noticed structures that had been built earthquake-proof, such as the highway columns (see photo) and weights at the top of skyscrapers that do a counter motion when there is an earthquake to make sure the building stays straight during the shocks. Japan is not an island easily habitable: there is more mountainous area than flat land and there are many active volcanoes and of course there is the threat of typhoons, earthquakes and tsunamis. I think this has added over time to the Japanese strength of being patient and enduring (ganbaru, gaman suru).
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