Safe at last? View from Naraha –the first Fukushima community declared fit for humans
by Justin McCurry in Naraha from Environment | The Guardian on (#Q67T)
Four and a half years after a tsunami triggered a triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, people have returned to live in the area
Entering the living room of Kohei and Tomoko Yamauchi's house in Naraha is a disconcerting experience. Above the tatami-mat floor, the shelves are lined with rows of kokeshi dolls; to one side is a large display of daruma figures, a traditional harbinger of good fortune. Kohei's ancestors look down from framed black-and-white photographs mounted on the wall.
It is hard to imagine a more immaculate home. Yet for four and a half years, the Yamauchis' house, along with every other home in the picturesque town in Fukushima prefecture, was deserted.
Continue reading...