JOURNEY ACROSS JAPAN | Day 4 | Returning to the Fukushima Nuclear Exclusion Zone

It’s been four years since making the documentary Inside Fukushima: What Happened After the Nuclear Disaster?

Back then a gigantic effort was underway to reduce radiation levels and repair some of the damage caused during the catastrophic events of 2011. Hundreds of trucks and diggers were at work terraforming the landscape, and thousands of black bags of contaminated soil piled high and blanketing the luscious countryside.

Hyperbole and misinformation are rife with anything Fukushima related.

Programmes follow the same boring, predictable format. Some muppet on screen, Geiger counter in hand, exclaiming imminent risk at any microSievert level.

Well, this time I’m the muppet on screen, but we’ll be sharing personal stories from residents that still live here, and discovering some inspiring ongoing initiatives to repair and revive the area.

Entering the exclusion zone, large signs are prevalent displaying current radiation levels. Road users are instructed not to stop or exit their vehicles. Undoubtedly there are no-go areas, still unsafe for return, but for the most part, our readings averaged approx. 0.13 microSieverts, akin to levels found in Tokyo.

Driving through the mountains we recorded a peak of 3.0 microSieverts. Comparable to receiving only an X-ray, it still raises the old heart rate watching as the counter flicks higher.

The town of Namie is located directly downwind from the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, just 10km away. Included in the exclusion zone, the townsfolk were evacuated and only around 10% have since returned. Here we meet with Takahashi Daiju. A former politician who moved to the area with a mission to aid the recovery of the region and help local small businesses, including starting a farm and supporting artists in the town.

You may recall four years ago, we weren’t able to enter the grounds of Ukedo Elementary School, but incredibly now the building is open to visitors as a living museum.

The school was one of the first buildings to be hit, and it’s a miracle it still stands at all. Little remains of the classrooms, the force of the 15.5 meter wave clearly apparent. Furniture swept away, plaster ripped off the walls, metal handrails and taps distorted. Due to the quick thinking of the teachers and wider community, all within escaped and survived. A clock still keeps the time of impact, frozen at 15:40.

Former schoolgirl and survivor Wakana Yokoyama was kind enough to recount her memories of that day with us and share her aspirations for the future of the town.

It’s been a surreal day returning to the Fukushima Nuclear Exclusion Zone after 4 years. In Namie you wouldn’t know that anything had happened for the most part. The buildings are reconstructed, there’s a fully functional station, Takahashi’s farm is thriving and the disaster feels firmly in the past. But then coming south to Tomioka you see boarded up buildings, and rusted cars and you realise despite $200 billion spent and thousands of people working on this for over a decade, there’s still a long way to recovery.

Nothing about Fukushima is ordinary, and I strongly recommend people to come here. I think you’ll be both horrified and inspired. But it’s important to cut through the sensationalism of the media and see it for yourself.

Thank you guys for your patience awaiting this episode. The last Fukushima documentary took over a week to edit, we’re getting this produced in just 2 days! Can’t wait to share it with you tomorrow.

Chris