Futaba Fukashima | E22 “Glass House” | Pinpoints
These are the Kitamazaki cliffs of Japan’s east coast, just footsteps away from the epicenter of the Fukushima Dai nuclear disaster. Futaba town was a sleepy fishing village that very few people visited. Those smoke stacks are the Fukushima Dichi power plant. Within a few hours, Futaba sustained an earthquake, a tsunami, and a nuclear explosion. Throughout the Fukushima region, countless lives were lost, and over 300,000 people were displaced overnight. [Applause] Travel is about seeing humanity. Good, bad, or indifferent. Once you see it, it can’t be unseen. Travel is not just a privilege. It’s the highest form of education there is. In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami, residents started to revitalize Futaba through art. It’s their way of reminding themselves that after the news coverage fades, the human stories continue. We all live in a glass house. And someday your windows will shatter [Music] to remind you that we are just small.
My 32-day tour of the Kanto region ends with a tour of Fukashima. I visit the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum, and Art District in Futaba. A humbling experience…
Welcome to Pinpoints, a Retirement Travel Channel. After 30 years of living and traveling overseas, I share my journey of leaving America and retiring abroad. A life of carefree travel, open itineraries, and global citizenship.
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