In March 2011, time stopped for a town in Japan. After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor released radioactive chemicals into the vicinity, prompting an evacuation of all residents within a 30-mile radius, the town became a shadow of its former self.
Contents
show
Now, 5 years after the incident, one brave young man decided to do the unthinkable.
Imgur user Xanathon snuck into the government-designated exclusion zone for a chance to capture haunting photographs of what the Fukushima disaster left behind.
He decided to disregard the bureaucratic way of getting into the exclusion zone, as the 3-4 weeks waiting time for approval to gain entry was too long.
Instead, the adventurer threw caution to the (contaminated) wind and trekked the woods to get to the town, armed only with a GPS and Google Maps for guidance.
“I (could) feel a burning sensation in my eyes and thick chemical smell in the air,” he describes of his entrance into the red zone, the most radioactive area around Fukushima.
Although he had gloves and a gas mask on, Xanathon’s attire of shorts and sandals was probably not the safest choice.
But he wasn’t worried, focusing instead on the sights that lay before him.
What he found was like a scene from a post-apocalyptic movie: supermarkets strewn with radioactive groceries, abandoned cars in parking lots, laundromats with clothes still in the washers.
Xanathon walked around town, exploring every nook and cranny of the forgotten place, and taking pictures along the way.
“I [found] food, money, gold, laptops and other valuables in the red zone,” he wrote, “I’m amazed that nobody looted this town clean.”
“A lot of wild animals came into the mall to look for food because some owners abandon [them],” he explained, speaking of all the mess on the store floors.
Verbalizing what’s on everybody’s minds, he asked, “Have you ever wondered what it’s like in [the] Fukushima exclusion zone now? To feel what [it’s] like to be the only person walking in the town when you have 100% full access to every shop and explore?”
He wrote that the town gave him an “eerie” feeling, saying, “there are no cars in this town but the traffic light is still working.”
“Everything is exactly where it is after the earthquake struck this town,” he mused.
Daring, or foolhardy? We can’t decide which. But two things are for sure: one, this guy’s definitely climbed a few notches up the Geiger Counter, and two, we’re grateful he made the trip, so we won’t have to.