The nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, Japan was really just the cherry on top of an already devastating afternoon. An initial earthquake rocked the area, which triggered a tsunami that ravaged the shore, which led to the nuclear meltdown. After the plant went bottoms up, the area was completely evacuated, creating a 12.5 mile exclusion zone in all directions around the plant.
Photographer
Arkadiusz Podniesinski went into the exclusions zone, armed with a camera, to see how the area looks four years later. What he found is a testament to Mother Nature’s tenacity.
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| Radioation reading of 6.7 uSv/h inside the exclusion zone |
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| Cracks caused by the initial earthquake |
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| Radioactive bags of soil |
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| Kouichi Nozawa (pictured) lives with his wife Youko in a room in temporary housing near Fukushima, after being evacuated out of the exclusion zone |
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| Many vehicles now lie almost completely covered by the forest, which has been left to grow wild since the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster |
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| Cow with mysterious spots |
