We may all seem to be standing on sturdy land, but below the thin cement roads, the composition of the Earth beneath is different for each cities. Being an island surrounded by water, Japan has many cities with very shaky grounds, many of which experienced severe soil liquefaction after the earthquake. One city that was deeply affected was Abiko, a city 30 km inland from Urayasu in the Chiba prefecture. The odd thing was that the city was inland and not in the coastal area.

Sadly, due to the liquefaction, the city is pretty much destroyed, with 100 homes inhabitable. Why? That is because 50 years ago, they simply built the city on top of soil, with no structures or cement to secure the ground.

I hope they can rebuild the city again!

Source.