Ancient Tsunami Warning Stones in Japan

"High dwellings are the peace and harmony of our descendants. Remember the calamity of the great tsunamis. Do not build any homes below this point," reads a four-foot high stone slab in the hamlet of Aneyoshi, in the Iwate Prefecture, in Japan. Residents who heeded the advice from their ancestors kept their tiny village of 11 households safely out of reach of the deadly tsunami that stuck Japanese coast in 2011. The waves stopped just 300 feet below the stone.

All over the coast of Japan, there are hundreds of so called Tsunami Stones with warning messages and advice, some more than 600 years old. These flat stones, some standing up to 10 feet tall, collectively form a crude warning system for Japan, whose long coasts along major fault lines have made it a repeated target of earthquakes and tsunamis over the centuries. Many carry simple warnings to drop everything and seek higher ground after a strong earthquake. Others, such as the ones in Aneyoshi, specifically instruct where to build homes and where not to. Many stones lists names of the dead or past death tolls as a grim reminders of the waves’ destructive force. Unfortunately, in the bustle of modern life, many of these ancient warnings were forgotten or simply ignored.


A tsunami warning stone tablet erected in 1933 on a hillside in Aneyoshi in Japan’s Iwate prefecture.

According to local scholars, only a handful of villages like Aneyoshi heeded these old warnings by keeping their houses safely on high ground. Others chose to disregard the warnings as coastal towns grew in the boom years after World War II. Even communities that had moved to high ground eventually relocated to the seaside to be nearer their boats and nets. Many of these were wiped out on March 11, 2011, along with hundreds of miles of coast.

One stone marker in the coastal city of Kesennuma read, "Always be prepared for unexpected tsunamis. Choose life over your possessions and valuables." Kesennuma became one of the worst-hit places in the 2011 tsunami as fishing boats and large ships slammed into buildings and homes of people who ignored that advice.

Aneyoshi was different. It was a tightly knit community who revered their ancestors and their advice. The stone tablet was put up, along with more than 300 others all over the Japanese coast, after two tsunamis left the village devastated. The first one stuck in 1896 and left only two survivors. The second tsunami stuck in 1933 that left four survivors.

Repeated tsunamis have swept away a large number of these stones. At some places, new monuments were created to serve as tsunami warnings replacing the old stones.


In this March 31, 2011 photo, a tsunami survivor walks past a centuries-old tablet that warns of danger of tsunamis in the hamlet of Aneyoshi, Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan.


A tsunami warning stone in Honshu. Although the inscription was worn out, this stone is believed to have been built after the great earthquake and subsequent tsunami that occurred in 869 AD.


A new tsunami warning tablet erected by the pupils of Onagawa Junior High School after the 2011 tsunami swallowed their town. The school has succeeded in raising money necessary to erect dozens of such stones along the shores of the town. 


A tsunami warning stone tablet in Aneyoshi.







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The Great Wall of India

Located 84 km north of Udaipur, in the state of Rajasthan, in western India, Kumbhalgarh Fort is the second most important citadel after Chittorgarh in the Mewar region. Cradled in the Aravali range and surrounded by thirteen elevated mountain peaks, the fort was built during the 15th century by Maharana Kumbha and is one of 32 forts built by the Rajput ruler of the Mewar kingdom. The fort is surrounded by a perimeter wall that is an astounding 36 km long, and varies in width from 15 to 25 feet. Historical accounts claim that eight horses could ride side by side over it. While there are many gigantic walls constructed by rulers to protect their kingdoms, building such a large protective boundary around a single fort was unheard of. No wonder, the massive wall at Kumbhalgarh took nearly a century to construct and made the fort virtually impregnable. Some claim it to be the second-longest continuous wall after the Great Wall of China. Many fondly call it The Great Wall of India.



The impregnable Fort boasts of seven massive gates and seven ramparts strengthened by rounded bastions and immense watchtowers. Inside the protective walls are over 360 Jain and Hindu temples and a magnificent palace at its pinnacle aptly named “Badal Mahal” or the Palace of Cloud. From the palace top, it is possible to see kilometers into the Aravalli Range. The sand dunes of the Thar desert can also be seen from here.

Legend has it that when the fort was being built, Maharana Kumbha encountered numerous construction difficulties. A spiritual advisor was consulted who decreed that a voluntary human sacrifice would enable the project. A volunteer was eventually found and according to the advice of the spiritual advisor, a temple was built where the decapitated head fell. The shrine to this unknown volunteer can still be found near the main gate. According to popular folklore, Maharana Kumbha used to burn massive lamps that consumed fifty kilograms of ghee and a hundred kilograms of cotton to provide light for the farmers who worked during the nights in the valley.

During times of danger, the fort provided refuge for the rulers of Mewar. A notable instance was in the case of Prince Udai, the infant king of Mewar who was smuggled here in 1535, when Chittaur was under siege. Prince Udai later succeeded to the throne was also the founder of the Udaipur City. The great warrior Maharana Pratap was also born inside the fort in Badal Mahal.

Located 84 km north of Udaipur, in the state of Rajasthan, in western India, Kumbhalgarh Fort is the second most important citadel after Chittorgarh in the Mewar region. Cradled in the Aravali range and surrounded by thirteen elevated mountain peaks, the fort was built during the 15th century by Maharana Kumbha and is one of 32 forts built by the Rajput ruler of the Mewar kingdom. The fort is surrounded by a perimeter wall that is an astounding 36 km long, and varies in width from 15 to 25 feet. Historical accounts claim that eight horses could ride side by side over it. While there are many gigantic walls constructed by rulers to protect their kingdoms, building such a large protective boundary around a single fort was unheard of. No wonder, the massive wall at Kumbhalgarh took nearly a century to construct and made the fort virtually impregnable. Some claim it to be the second-longest continuous wall after the Great Wall of China. Many fondly call it The Great Wall of India.



The impregnable Fort boasts of seven massive gates and seven ramparts strengthened by rounded bastions and immense watchtowers. Inside the protective walls are over 360 Jain and Hindu temples and a magnificent palace at its pinnacle aptly named “Badal Mahal” or the Palace of Cloud. From the palace top, it is possible to see kilometers into the Aravalli Range. The sand dunes of the Thar desert can also be seen from here.

Legend has it that when the fort was being built, Maharana Kumbha encountered numerous construction difficulties. A spiritual advisor was consulted who decreed that a voluntary human sacrifice would enable the project. A volunteer was eventually found and according to the advice of the spiritual advisor, a temple was built where the decapitated head fell. The shrine to this unknown volunteer can still be found near the main gate. According to popular folklore, Maharana Kumbha used to burn massive lamps that consumed fifty kilograms of ghee and a hundred kilograms of cotton to provide light for the farmers who worked during the nights in the valley.

During times of danger, the fort provided refuge for the rulers of Mewar. A notable instance was in the case of Prince Udai, the infant king of Mewar who was smuggled here in 1535, when Chittaur was under siege. Prince Udai later succeeded to the throne was also the founder of the Udaipur City. The great warrior Maharana Pratap was also born inside the fort in Badal Mahal.

The fort remained impregnable to direct assault, and fell only once, when a traitor poisoned the fort’s internal water supply allowing the Mughal Emperor Akbar and forces from Delhi, Amer, Gujarat, and Marwar to penetrate its defence.























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The Extraterrestrial Highway Nevada

Deep in Nevada desert, runs a lonely stretch of highway from State Route 318 at Crystal Springs to U.S. Route 6 at Warm Springs. This is Nevada State Route 375, but since 1996, it’s popularly referred to as the “Extraterrestrial Highway” because of the countless UFO sightings people claim to have made along this route. Most of these reports, if not all, could be easily explained: the highway runs alongside the vast Nellis Air Force Base, which contains the Nevada Test Site, where many top secret missiles, aircraft and weaponry have been tested since the 1950s. Even today, as you drive along the highway, you can hear the sonic boom of F18s as they zoom overhead breaking the sound barrier, every now and then.



Route 375’s extra-terrestrial fame is due in particular to a mysterious part of the base known as Area 51. This small parcel of land of about 10 miles by 6 miles, located near the dry bed of Groom Lake, is shrouded in secrecy because of which it’s frequently the subject of conspiracy theories involving flying saucers, aliens landings, and alleged UFO cover-ups.

Prior to mid-1950s, military aircraft flew under 40,000 feet. Once the Lockheed U-2 began flying at above 60,000 feet, an unexpected side effect was an increasing number of UFO sighting reports. Sightings occurred most often during early evenings hours, when airline pilots flying west saw the U-2's silver wings reflect the setting sun, giving the aircraft a "fiery" appearance. Similarly, projects such as OXCART (a reconnaissance plane known as A-12) and NERVA (a nuclear thermal rocket engine) at Area 51 inadvertently prompted many of the UFO sightings and other rumors.



In 1989, an engineer named Bob Lazar added fuel to the UFO conspiracy by claiming to have worked on alien spaceships inside Area 51, on national television. As soon as his claims were publicized, a flurry of curious UFO seekers came traveling to the Tikaboo Valley to look for UFOs. Seeing an opportunity at tourism, the state officials declared SR 375 the Extraterrestrial Highway in February 1996.

The small town of Rachel, the only settlement en route, became the center of attraction. A public dedication ceremony for the Extraterrestrial Highway was held which was attended by studio executives of Twentieth Century Fox and the leading stars of the movie Independence Day. Humorous signs proclaiming "Extraterrestrial Highway 375" and "Speed Limit Warp 7" were unveiled along the highway. Businesses in Rachel grew around the extra-terrestrial and alien theme, with inns named such as “The Little A Le Inn” serving Alien burgers. Other quirky attractions include the “Alien Research Center”, the “Space Man Statue” and “the Black Mailbox”. The mailbox was reportedly stolen in January 2015.


The Extraterrestrial Highway, otherwise looks pretty normal.


A sign outside the Little A'Le'Inn that acts as a bar, motel and gift shop, in Rachel.






Graffiti on the outside wall of Little A'Le'Inn, Rachel.




The Black Mailbox was put up by rancher Steve Medlin. As of January 2015, the mailbox is stolen.


The Alien Research Center. There is nothing there except what you see here – a giant statue of an alien standing outside an empty building.




One of the handful of businesses that run in Rachel, based on the alien theme.


The Alien Cowpoke gas station and gift shop in Rachel.


"Exterestrial Highway" sign is almost entirely covered with stickers, mementoes, and magnets





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