Japan’s Mount Unzen violently awakened in 1991, after two centuries of sleep... For five years, terrifying avalanches of gas and ash destroyed everything on their path. But the Japanese did not give in and stood up to the volcano. They invested pharaonic sums of money into creating dams to prevent mud flows. Despite the relentless threat of the volcano, people remained nearby. In Japan, the sense of belonging to the land is very strong, especially when one can enjoy the benefits of geothermal energy : hot baths and volcanic cooking.