The thicket of wood houses and small shops that line the warren of alleys just east of Tokyo's Sumida River in the Higashi-Mukojima 1-chome district has been deemed "highly dangerous" by disaster-preparedness authorities.
The Sumida Ward neighborhood is one of many areas in the capital that are so designated and in need of improved disaster-prevention measures to gird for a major earthquake, authorities say.
But although many of the aging structures may not withstand a major temblor and may also be prone to fires, the community has in fact been preparing for a major event like the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which struck southern Hyogo Prefecture 10 years ago.