Broadly speaking, the average person doesn’t understand the concept of nuclear energy. Most are far too scared of its potential risks (and greatly exaggerate them), or downplay its potential benefits severely.
With specific regard to the 2011 nuclear disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant, the situation isn’t much better. Both back then and in the present day, countless voices around the world (including those of prospective travelers) opine that being in Fukushima (or even just in Japan) presents some kind of health hazard.
So, is Fukushima safe? Broadly speaking, the answer is a clear “yes,” though there are obviously nuances you need to consider when planning your trip.
Fukushima Has Always Been a Misunderstood Place
Before we get into a discussion about Fukushima safety, we need to be honest that Fukushima has always been one of Japan’s least-loved prefectures. While not as overtly maligned as Ibaraki, Saitama or Fukui, Fukushima-ken sits in-between a lot of better-known destinations, which has caused travelers to pass through it without a second glance for many decades.
Of course, the tsunami and nuclear disaster only heightened this, with many (especially foreigners) assuming that all of Fukushima (which encompasses more than 5,000 square miles) was “contaminated.” The very word Fuku-shima (福島, which simply means “lucky island”) in Japanese became taboo, with even cities and towns sharing the name receiving unfair discrimination by the ignorant and afraid.
Top 5 False Myths About Fukushima
All of Fukushima prefecture is filled with radiation
Even at the time of the meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant itself, dangerous levels of radiation were present only at the plant itself, and in a small Exclusion Zone just outside (and mostly to the west of) it, measuring only a few miles in diameter. Most of Fukushima prefecture has completely normal levels of background radiation, and has since 2011.
Food from Fukushima isn’t safe to eat
One would think, knowing that claims about Fukushima radiation tend to be exaggerated (and, in many cases, inaccurate), that it’s obvious food from Fukushima is safe. People aren’t eating vegetables grown within the Exclusion Zone, and also aren’t raising animals there. Likewise, commercial fishing off the coast of Fukushima has been meticulously regulated based on levels of radiation in given expanses of the sea.
Fukushima isn’t safe for human habitation
If Fukushima was unsafe for people to live, do you think these Japanese government would’ve allowed nearly two million people to remain there for over a decade, potentially exposing them to life-threatening radiation, and burdening the country’s healthcare system with thousands of cases of preventable cancer? If people can safely live in Fukushima, tourists can safely visit Fukushima.
You can visit the doomed Fukushima nuclear plant
Unlike the Chernobyl Power Plant in Pripyat, Ukraine, which before the Russian invasion became a sort of apocalyptic Disneyland, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is unlikely to open to the public anytime soon. Radiation levels on the plant’s property and in the Exclusion Zone around it are unlikely to dissipate to safe levels for centuries, and maybe even for millennia.
There’s nothing worth seeing in Fukushima anyway
As I’ll detail in the section below, Fukushima is one of the most worthwhile prefectures in Japan to visit. Whether you’re more of an ocean person or a mountain person, and regardless of which season you make your trip, you could spend days or even weeks here and not get bored. Fukushima is one of those places that I love more every time I visit.
My Favorite Things to Do in Fukushima
Fukushima is so much more than its questionable reputation, but don’t simply take that statement alone as evidence. Here’s how to make the most of your time in Fukushima:
- Explore destinations around Fukushima City in spring, including Hanamiyama Park and the Miharu Takizakura “weeping” cherry tree.
- See Aizu-Wakamatsu and nearby destinations, including the Ouchi-juku old street and the the scenic Bandai-Azuma Skyline.
- Drive along the coast of Fukushima, from Matsukawa-ura Bay in the northern part of the prefecture, to the city of Iwaki in the south.
As you’ll see clicking through the links above, the only thing that makes Fukushima dangerous is the possibility that you won’t be able to leave!
Other FAQ About Whether It’s Safe to Visit Fukushima
Is it safe to visit Fukushima now?
The vast majority of Fukushima prefecture is completely safe. Unless you somehow access the Exclusion Zone or break into the Fukushima Daiichi plant itself, you won’t be exposed to any abnormal amount of background radiation.
How many years until Fukushima is safe?
The bad news? It could take hundreds or even thousands of years before the immediate site the Fukushima Daiichi plant sits on to be safe for people to inhabit without protective gear. The good news? Once you move more than a mile or two away from the planet, radiation levels drop precipitously, and are almost undetectable in most of Fukushima.
Is it safe to walk around Fukushima?
It is completely safe to walk around in Fukushima. Well, unless you somehow access the designated “Exclusion Zone,” or break into the doomed power plant. In either of these cases, you could be exposed to dangerous or even deadly radiation levels.
The Bottom Line
Is Fukushima safe? Unless you break into the site of the Fukushima Daiichi plant and spend the night there, you have nothing to worry about. Like the rest of the Tohoku region and Japan more broadly, the vast majority of Fukushima prefecture has normal or even low background radiation levels; from that perspective, you might not even know that a nuclear disaster ever took place. That’s the good news. The better news? Fukushima is an incredible place to add to your Japan trip, whether you integrate it into an plan you make yourself, or hire me to create a custom Japan itinerary for you.
