The businesses of Fukushima that never recovered [pt1]

Tomioka, a little more than six miles south of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, was home to 15,830 people before the accident. They left in a hurry.

Just as with Chernobyl’s evacuation, it was assumed that in a few days everyone would return home. Ten years later, few have.

A decade later, many buildings have been demolished as they were unsafe. Those deemed “safe enough” are still here, frozen in time since 2011.

The local book and magazine store has never been cleared up since the earthquake, articles from 2011 still cover the front pages, unopened packages in the office still wait for their recipient.

The local alcohol store is a sad state of affairs, time stands frozen with baskets of products on the checkout desk. It looks like someone came here to start to clean up, before deciding that reopening was not worth the effort.

Since you’re here…

Contamination Zone is a group of people who are united by our love for the Chernobyl Zone. We are a non-profit organisation and every year we raise thousands of euros for good causes in the Chernobyl Zone, such as firefighting equipment, monument restoration, animal welfare and more.

If you are planning or thinking about a trip to the zone, please check out our trips to Ukraine in 2023 and if you still have unanswered questions, feel free to get in touch!

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