Mount Unzen in the middle of the Shimabara Peninsula in Nagasaki is a collection of volcanic peaks that erupted in 1792 in what was the worst volcanic disaster in Japanese history. The collapse of Mayuyama caused a tremendous landslide that killed thousands and then caused a megatsunami that killed thousands more on both side of the Ariake Sea.
Mount Unzen erupted again in the years between 1990 to 1995, and the disaster claimed 43 lives, many of which were media personnel covering the disaster
The eruption and pyroclastic flow destroyed villages closer to the mountains, but inhabitants had been safely evacuated.
many more houses were destroyed later by lahars, mud and debris flows with ash and other materials mixed into a slurry.
The Unzen Disaster Memorial Hall, also known as Gamadasu Dome is a museum about these disasters.
I quite liked the architecture, with most of the structure underground. It was designed by Kume Sekkei, a large design company that employs hundreds of architects.
It was too early in the day and the museum wasn't open yet, but I did visit on an earlier trip to Shimabara, so this last photo is of the interior from that visit.
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Interesting history.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shots!
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