Hope for Fukushima
On March 11 2011, a massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Northeastern Japan and triggered a once-in-a-hundred years tsunami. Towns were swept away and 20,000 people lost their lives as the world watched in horror, tens of thousands were evacuated.
Fukushima prefecture is one of the worst hit region. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant which supplied electricity for Tokyo suffered a meltdown, and the once very life source turned into a nightmare for the people of Fukushima.
In November 2019, I was invited by the local government and WonderTrunk & co. on a Fukushima Disaster Recovery Tour to understand how far the place has recovered since 2011.
First stop is Fukushima Prefectural Center for Environmental Creation 福島県環境創造センター, where everything about radiation is explained, including the ways of clean-up. Surprisingly many major cities has a higher background radiation than most areas of Fukushima. (Except the Difficult-to-return Zone.)
Background radiation is all around us, and could be seen inside a cloud chamber.
Each fuel rod is only about the diameter of a pen. Fuel tablets which look like charcoal tablets are packed inside the rods and they power the nuclear reactor. With the amount of power they have and the destructions they created, I would never have imagined how small they are. This instilled the fear of nature in me.
Cranes working at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Reactor on the horizon. The decommissioning of the nuclear plant is a world first, and this challenge might take decades or longer to complete.
The road near the nuclear plant used to be buzzing with life. Now abandoned restaurants and shops are frozen in time.
Vehicles are not allowed to stop in the difficult to return zone, and only workers in protection gears can work a limited amount of time every year to not exceed a .
A beautiful sunset over Ukedo Elementary school in Namie town, which is still standing after being hit by the tsunami.
A wild boar roaming the empty land which used to be Namie town’s coastal district. The wild animals often carry high amount of radiation and locals would stay away from them.
Moonrise over Namie town. Since 2017, the Japanese government has deemed the area safe to return to. Some people have since moved back but majority of the town remains very empty.
2021 would be the 10th year since Fukushima were struck by the triple disaster, and the world is now battling with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Being in Fukushima is a reminder of the power of nature. But also a very humbling experience as you get to witness the humanity, strength and resilience shown by Fukushima people through times of great difficulty.
I have subsequently went to the area 2 more times to document the stories of locals on different projects. They are not giving up their hometown and I hope the world will spend some time to understand their story.
For more information about Fukushima Hope Tour: https://www.wondertrunk.co/hope/ (temporarily suspended due to COVID)