Fukushima Hope Tour in 1 Day by Car with Licensed Guide

On this tour, you can visit the ruins of the Great East Japan Earthquake with a local licensed guide. On March 11 th 2011, the magnitude-9.0 earthquake occurred in Japan’s Tohoku region. Many people in Fukushima lost their lives to this earthquake and the subsequent large tsunami, and scores of homes were destroyed. In addition, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Disaster resulted in leaving many people with no choice but to evacuate their homes. The effects of these multiple disasters remain to this day. This tour offers you the opportunity to see the places where the effects of the earthquake and nuclear disaster remain, as well as the places where revitalization efforts are taking place. All tour sales go to donations for the affected areas. The radiation level of places you will visit on this tour does not exceed 0.05 mSv per hour. Please note that You are not allowed to enter the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

1. 1

   Iwaki

   1 hour

   You will meet your guide and driver at Iwaki Station or your preffered place near Iwaki Station. It takes about one hour from Iwaki Station to tour places. * From Tokyo, you can take Hitachi limited Express Train to Iwaki, on the JR Joban line.

2. 2

   Hirono-machi

   Pass by

   National Route 6: In addition to seeing landscapes of untouched buildings in areas where evacuation orders designated as the Difficult-to-return Zone have been lifted, there are areas where decontamination and demolition work is progressing and one can feel the spirit of rebuilding in the local communities. ※Partially through the Difficult-to-return Zone

3. 3

   TEPCO Decommissioning Archive Center

   1 hour

   Managed by TEPCO, this information dissemination facility uses video and diorama displays to provide a record of the project and allow visitors to learn about the ongoing progress of the decommissioning effort.

4. 4

   Stop 4

   1 hour

   This roadside station was built as a symbol of the town’s revitalization. It is a facility that supports people’s daily lives, where they can shop, eat and rest. In addition to a range of vegetables and seafood, visitors can also have a taste of the local cuisine.

5. 5

   Namie-machi

   1 hour

   Namie Town-run Ohirayama Cemetery This communal cemetery is located on high ground about 2 kilometres from the coast. The view of Ukedo district and the Pacific Ocean conveys the huge extent of the tsunami’s devastation. This place, where the children of Ukedo Elementary School were evacuated to immediately following the earthquake, was an expanse of fields at that time. Afterwards, in response to the wishes of the local residents, the Ohirayama Cemetery was built on the site to house the graves of those who were lost in the disaster. Together with a memorial monument built as a requiem for the victims and as a warning to future generations, the cemetery continues to convey the memory of the disaster.

6. 6

   Ruins of Namie Machiritsu Ukedo Elementary School

   1 hour

   Ukedo Elementary School is located about 200 metres from the coast. The school building was engulfed and partially destroyed by the tsunami, but miraculously no lives were lost thanks to fast thinking and evacuation. The school is preserved in the same condition as it was in at the time of the disaster in order to demonstrate the threat and lessons of the disaster, to pass on the memories and records of the area to future generations, and to raise awareness of disaster prevention. The classrooms and gymnasium on the first floor, which were most severely damaged by the tsunami, are almost entirely as they were at the time of the disaster, and the site has been prepared so that visitors can observe the conditions. On the second floor, there are panels showing the extent of the damage and details of the evacuation following the nuclear accident, as well as messages of support and so on written by visitors on blackboards that have been preserved.

7. 7

   The Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum

   1 hour

   This facility is truly the entry point for Hope Tourism. A wealth of resources, including images and exhibits, give visitors a complete picture of the events and revitalization efforts from the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and nuclear accident to the present day.

8. 8

   Futaba-machi

   1 hour

   JR Futaba Station area: The town’s former Special Zones for Reconstruction and Revitalization (part of the Difficult-to-Return Zone of restricted residence, where it is hoped that evacuation orders will be lifted in future) centred around JR Futaba Station. Even after the evacuation order has been lifted, buildings from the immediate aftermath of the earthquake remain untouched, while hopeful murals adorn the area, giving a sense that the

9. 9

   Iwaki

   1 hour

   After the tour, your guide and driver will take you back to Iwaki Station.

• Specialized infant seats are available
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Service animals allowed
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.