Watch the video reportage produced by LifeGate A journey through Fukushima to meet farmers, food producers and restauranteurs five years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that shook Japan in March of 2011. Instead of desperation and abandonment, what characterises the prefecture is a community of motivated, resourceful and committed people ready to get back on their feet.
A journey through Fukushima to meet farmers, food producers and restauranteurs five years after the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that shook Japan in March of 2011. Instead of desperation and abandonment, what characterises the prefecture is a community of motivated, resourceful and committed people ready to get back on their feet. Whilst the rest of the world can’t let go of images of explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and fear of the spread of airborne and seaborne radioactivity, many residents are much more focused on the future than they are on the past.
However, they’re also worried about the marketability of their products – independently of the extent to which safety risks are real or perceived. The presence of radioactive caesium-137 and -134 and iodine-131 in soil and water raises serious health concerns, including increased risk of cancer. On the other hand, locals offer a reassuring message: inspections are systematic and radiation levels don’t surpass Japan’s legal limits. General foodstuffs (excluding specific products such as baby milk) can’t contain more than 100 becquerels of caesium-137 per kilo, compared to a limit of 600 in the European Union and 1,200 in the United States.
Behind discussions on the preventable nature of the disaster, the morbid relationship between energy regulators and TEPCO (the utility company that operates Fukushima Daiichi), and disdain for Japan’s intentions to continue pursuing nuclear development, are real people. Brave and intelligent individuals who, beyond our view, are working hard not just to survive a tragedy, but to build something new out of its ashes. Here are just a few of them.
Fukushima is home to over 150 hot springs, onsen in