On 11 March 2011, a deadly earthquake hit Japan. The reactors of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station in Fukushima prefecture were shut down as a precaution. However, a 15-metre tidal wave triggered by the earthquake flooded the plant’s cooling system, shutting it down. Over the next few days, a series of hydrogen explosions occured in the reactors. Levels of radioactivity in the area skyrocketed as radioactive contamination was released into the atmosphere. The authorities evacuated 164,000 inhabitants and imposed a 20km exclusion zone around the plant.

“Of course everyone wants to go back! This is where we were born and raised!” one claims. But the choice isn’t so easy. Some fear it might split families, or question the link between the 2020 Olympics and the authorities’ desire to present a “clean Japan”. Townspeople don’t always understand why some parts of town are declared safe and not others. As former residents start to tend gardens and make plans to move to Okuma, one question remains: can you ever go back to your life the way it used to be?

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