What is "now" in the area where the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant occurred? Introducing recommended spots and guesthouses！
Restrictions on travel to Japan due to the coronavirus have begun to ease. In this issue, we would like to introduce some of the tourist spots near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, where we are working. We are introducing them in English this time in the hope that they will reach people overseas. Please come and see how the recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake is progressing.
コロナウイルスの影響による日本への旅行制限が緩和され始めました。今回は、私たちが活動している、福島第１原発近くの観光スポットを紹介します。海外の方へ届いて欲しいという想いから、今回は英語で紹介しております。東日本大震災からの復興の状況をぜひ見にきてください。
▼What is Hamadori, Fukushima Prefecture?
Fukushima Prefecture, the third largest prefecture in Japan in terms of area, is divided into seven areas, each with its own unique culture and climate.
Hamadori is the eastern part of Fukushima Prefecture, facing the Pacific Ocean. Hamadori consists of the Soso area centering on Soma City, Minamisoma City, and Futaba County in the north, and the Iwaki area centering on Iwaki City in the south.
Facing the Pacific Ocean, Hamadori has a mild climate throughout the year. The Iwaki area is home to Aquamarine Fukushima, an environmental aquarium, and Spa Resort Hawaiians, while the Soso area features Soma Nomaoi, a heroic festival with a history of over 1,000 years. In the areas damaged by the earthquake, facilities promoting industrial creation have been completed one after another, and a new step forward has been taken.
▼culture
About 400 mounted warriors in armor, with swords at their waists and banners on their backs, gallop across the fields in a powerful and heroic manner that is reminiscent of a historical picture scroll. According to legend, the Soma Nomaoi began more than 1,000 years ago, when Taira no Masakado, a distant ancestor of the Soma clan, released wild horses in Koganegahara, Shimosa Province (present-day northwestern Chiba Prefecture), and used them as enemy soldiers for military exercises. The captured horses were then dedicated as sacred horses to Myoken, the deity of the shrine.
Later, after Shigetane Soma moved to present-day Minamisoma City, the event was passed down from generation to generation by lords. The wild horses are dedicated to the god and the event has been held as a Shinto ritual to pray for peace and tranquility in the Soma area without fail. The event has undergone many changes and is now designated as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Asset. As the largest festival of the former feudal domain, the event is still held with great enthusiasm.
▼Access
▼What occurred during the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F)?
The Great East Japan Earthquake, which occurred at 2:46pm on March 11, 2011, triggered an automatic scram of Units 1~3 which were in operation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (1F), and the cooling of fuel began. The cooling of fuel, for which power was needed, continued using onsite emergency power sources after external power supply was cut off by the earthquake. However, these auxiliary power sources were ultimately rendered inoperable by the tsunami that struck the site following the earthquake, thereby resulting in a loss of cooling functions.
After fuel cooling functions were lost, the temperature of the fuel rose causing a melt-down and a significant volume of hydrogen was generated due to the chemical reaction that ensued. In Units 1 and 3, hydrogen leaking from the Primary Containment Vessel accumulated in the Reactor Building and caused explosions. An explosion also occurred at Unit 4, which was undergoing periodic inspection, due to hydrogen that flowed into the building from Unit 3 through pipes.
▼What kind of work is being done at Unit 1?
At Unit 1, the top part of the reactor building was severely damaged during the accident by a hydrogen explosion and rubble from that time still remains at the top of the building. This rubble must be cleared away to remove fuel from the spent fuel pool, so that is the task in which we are currently engaged.
Going forward, we plan to complete construction of a large cover by FY2023 in order to prevent the dispersion of dust and will continue to remove rubble from underneath it.
▼Guesthouses recommended for local stays
Odaka Ward, Minamisoma City, where Odaka Pioneer Village was born, was an evacuation zone for more than five years until July 2016 due to the nuclear power plant accident following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Many communities were lost due to the catastrophe and the sudden evacuation order, and various issues are still piling up. However, if we look at it in a different way, there are endless possibilities to take on the challenge of creating solutions from scratch.
Every region was once a forest or wilderness, and there must have been the first people who cultivated and began to live there. I believe that what they felt in front of the unexplored fields was not despair, but rather great dreams and hopes. They must have been working hard day in and day out to achieve the life they wanted and the image they envisioned.
I believe the same is true for the evacuation zone following the nuclear power plant accident. What we felt when we saw the towns that had been left uninhabited was not despair, but rather unlimited possibilities and the great dream and hope that we can create the society we want for ourselves.
The evacuation-ordered zone that has been suddenly created in modern society is "Japan's only frontier," and those who use it as a field to create the lifestyle they want are "pioneers" (=pioneers). Pioneers who share these ideas and values gather together, freely think and talk about the future they want, and give shape to it here.
The coworking space that serves as a base for these pioneers is the "Odaka Pioneer Village".
Various work spaces with table seating, stand seating, and dais. The hinadana is equipped with floor heating and can be used as a space for relaxing or eating. While usually working in their own places, they naturally gather at the dais when someone calls out to them. It is a comfortable space where users are loosely connected with each other while maintaining a moderate sense of distance.
The kitchen can be used freely by members, guests, and staff. This is where contact between various people is made and communication naturally begins.
Dormitory accommodates up to 2 people per room. The coworking space can be accessed immediately. Room lights are dimmable, so you can dim the lights at night for a more relaxed atmosphere.
Two shower rooms with small tubs. Please wash away the fatigue of work.
▼Accommodation Plan
Overnight stay with no meal plan:
Shower room, toilet, washbasin, refrigerator, and kitchen (to be shared), 2-day use of coworking space available *No meals available *No staff on days the facility is closed5,500 yen (tax included)/night
Weekly Plan (1 week):
This is a special plan available for 6 nights and 7 days. The regular rate is ¥33,000, but a 40% discount is available at a rate of ¥19800~.
Weekly Plan (2 weeks):
Available for 13 nights and 14 days. The price is normally ¥71500, but you can use it at a 50% discount of ¥35750~.
▼Museum of Nuclear Accidents
▼You can check official information from Fukushima Prefecture
▼We are introduced by Prime Minister's Office of Japan
Revitalization of Fukushima (3min.)
SPOTLIGHT JAPAN: Regional Revitalisation
Tomoyuki Wada, CEO of Odaka Worker's Base, Fukushima Prefecture
filmed by Reconstruction Agency
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