Into the 20 KM Evacuation Zone

Midori, Jonathan and I went to Minami-Soma by bus. The bus went through Itate village, which was one of the 100 most beautiful villages in Japan before the 3/11 disaster, and which now has the highest radiation level in Fukushima outside the 20 KM evacuation zone (read this fascinating New Yorker article here for more information about Itate village and radiation in Fukushima). It is still almost like a ghost town with residents still unable to return.

Soil clean-up by taking off about 5 cm of topsoil and covering it with a piece of blue turf. 

The problem of radiation is far more complex than what anyone outside Fukushima can imagine. Cleaning up the radiation-contaminated soil is a big issue in Japan right now because of a 'NIMBY' culture (not in my backyard): No one wants to store the contaminated soil in their city or prefecture. Even after the government tried to get the land cleaned up and created a long-term plan to dispose the contaminated debris, there's no place to store anything outside Fukushima. Not being able to progress according to the recovery plan, Fukushima falls further and further behind. People continue to live in fear and frustration, not knowing when to go back.   

An empty clothesline and barren yard indicate that no one lives in the house.

A house with washings in the clotheslines and flowers in the garden indicates the owners have returned.

Minami-Soma is a small city north of Fukushima Daichii nuclear plant and it is probably the most complex case of post-disaster management among all disaster-affected cities in Fukushima. Shaped in a long strip along the coast, Minami-Soma has three different radiation zones on top of dealing with the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami: the mandatory evacuation zone around 20KM area, the voluntary evacuation zone between 20-30 KM (which was lifted at the end of September last year) and the low-radiation zone from 30KM area.

I heard the news back in my last visit here in March that depending on the radiation level, some areas within the 20KM radius from the nuclear plant were open for day-time visits. Odaka town is one such open area near the Ishiguro's residence/church.

20 KM border under strict control (November 2011)

This border is open now up to Odaka town (approx. 11 KM north of the Daichii nuclear plant)

Spiders and cobweb above the gate: No one can enter.

Bike station at Odaka train station.  

People went to work in the morning after parking their bikes on March 11, 2011. But they could not come back to collect their bikes.

Weeds growing all over the the bikes

The lonely death of a dog

One of the new radiation borders 
(approx. 11 KM northwest of Fukushima Daichii, between Odaka town and Namie town)

The Sunflower Conspiracy

Soon after the disaster, the government announced that sunflower had a high level capacity to absorb radiation from the soil. But it was later found to be not true (read the news article on Asahi Daily here).

A local park reopened after cleaning up the soil 
(radio-contaminated soil is stored at a corner of the park - behind the tress on the left side in the photo)