The last station - Tatsuta

Today Midori and I went to meet a friend who recently moved to Naraha town, a town that is located within 20 KM of the Fukushima Daiichi. This small town was closed for over 3 years due to the high level of radiation but recently opened after the clean-up. So the railway tracks were all reconnected only recently. For the first time after the disaster 4 years ago, we took the train going north of Iwaki city.

Now that radiation clean-up activities have been going on for a little over a year, the restricted area surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi has shrunk from the original 20KM zone to 5-10 KM radius depending on the level of radiation in each local areas. "Clean-up is complete" means some of the areas are now slowly starting to receive returning farmers, businesses, and other life in general. However, many residents still are not willing to return partly due to the fear of radiation, but more humanly speaking, because they will lose their TEPCO compensation once they return to their original residence. This nuclear disaster and its messy aftermath is a mind boggling reality that anyone outside this prefecture would have a hard time understanding.

We started our journey from Nakoso and the changes I see on this trip compared to my past trips are some of the signs of hope in the midst of the ongoing grief.

Railway workers at Nakoso Station

Newly installed solar panels at Yumoto Station after reopening

Green! Planting began!

Tatsuta Station: The northernmost station of East JR line. 

North-bound railway track toward Tomioka

Overpass is closed but there is a bridge to cross to the platform. 

 Beyond Tatsuta station, all areas are still closed up to the north of Fukushima Daiichi and the railway won't open again for indefinite time as we saw what happened to Tomioka station.

A lonely Cherry blossom in the empty town of Tatsuta

Radiation clean-up workers (light blue uniform) going back to their dormitory.