Humanizing the story of Fukushima

'Hope tourism' initiative brings creativity and local perspectives to official accounts

20231003 Interior view Fukushima

Our Memorial Museum, in Minamisoma, Fukushima prefecture, showcases 50 artworks inspired by the disaster, dominated by a striking woodcarving created by a sculptor who lost his home. (All photos by Yuki Kohara) 

SAYUMI TAKE

Japan's Fukushima prefecture has become a one-of-a-kind destination for tourists seeking to learn about the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant disaster that hit the area in March 2011, killing more than 18,000 people and triggering radiation leaks that forced 150,000 to flee.

I've also visited multiple times, recording the gradual recovery of the prefecture, and touring venues such as the TEPCO Decommissioning Archive Center managed by Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings, which operated the now-decommissioned Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant damaged by the earthquake and tsunami.

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