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Iris Mach:
"Japan's Architectural Genome. Destruction as a Chance for Renewal";
in: "Resilience and Adaptability", M. Berger, L. Wong, Rhode Island School of Design (Hrg.); herausgegeben von: Rhode Island School of Design; Birkhäuser, 2014, ISBN: 978-3-03821-606-3, S. 26 - 31.

Throughout the centuries, Japan has encountered many crises of both manmade and natural origin - be it economic and cultural, foreign invasions, wartime destruction or recurring hazards like earthquakes, typhoons and tsunamis. Due to this history, Japan has developed a building culture that embraces, rather than shuns, decay and destruction as an integral part of its system.
This approach is rooted in both Buddhist and Shinto religions, which regard destruction and renewal as basic principles of life. A well-known example of this concept is the Shinto Ise shrine, which is ritually dismantled and re-erected every twenty years. In this way, the process of natural decay is anticipated and preemptively counteracted. Likewise, many residential and commercial buildings in Japan are conceived for a lifespan of just a few decades.
The Japanese Metabolist movement of the 1950s-70s similarly addressed the issue of decay in the field of architecture. However, rather than completely demolishing and rebuilding a structure in one go, it regarded a building, as well as the city
as a whole, as a living organism that should be designed to be replaceable cell by cell in a constant, ongoing process.
Furthermore, Japan has always striven to assimilate foreign expertise into its culture. This approach has supported the continuous renewal of traditional concepts and brought Japan to the cutting edge of building technology also in the field
of disaster mitigation.
Based on these principles - preemptive, sustainable demolition as a means of preservation and slow, constant regeneration and transformation - Japan may serve as an example of how to anticipate, counteract and recover from various crises, while recognizing their potential for renewal.