Back to the Red Zone: An Adventure Into Fukushima to Create a Photographic Documentary

Wearing a set of gym clothes, a backpack, and a gas mask, our fearless adventurer journeyed into the Red Zone at Fukushima, so he could take some photos of the disaster site. Even though the catastrophe occurred over five years ago, the air was still filled with the smell of many types of chemicals. He also visited many places in the yellow zone.

There were many things that might have been running through his mind as he navigated his way through the area. He could have been thinking about the moral and philosophical implications that such an event would arouse in the minds of those who often contemplate things. However, he probably had his eye on the prize (getting some great photos) most of the time.

Here are some of the things that he found:

Ghost Town

The zone is completely deserted. This means that there is no one else there but our hero. However, he had better hope this is the case, because if someone else would have been there, there would not have been anything to stop them from doing whatever they wanted to do.

Our adventurer was lucky. There was no one else there, so he could go about his business of getting some spectacular photographs.

Animal Vandalism

At least one of the locations he visited was vandalized by wild animals that were looking for a bite to eat. The floor of this location, which used to be a supermarket, was filled with boxes and trash from all of the greedy varmints that decided they were a little hungry. Since most animals don’t seem to have much of a moral code, these destructive actions could be seen as nothing more than an attempt at survival.

It’s doubtful that any of them will ever be punished for their deeds by a jury of their peers. Although, a “Raccoon Court” would be a funny thing to ponder. The little raccoon judge would slam his gavel as he sentenced three other “criminal raccoons” to raccoon jail for their deeds in the Red Zone.

Adult Entertainment and Laundry

Our adventurer diligently carried out his mission and got lots of amazing shots, but he did take a little time out to enjoy some porn from March 2011. It’s highly probable that looking at this kind of literature was not on the minds of most of the people as they were fleeing the area. This is probably why many of the adult magazines were still on the shelves.

Other things left behind were the dirty clothes of some of the citizens who were literally caught with their pants down. There were many pieces of apparel were left behind at many of the local laundromats. Maybe some of them left because they didn’t have enough change.

It’s interesting to think about what life lessons may be learned when visiting a scene such as this. It serves as a reminder that disasters that can happen suddenly, and when they do, nobody ever seems to be ready.

In many ways, Fukushima is like a modern day Pompeii and serves as a way to take a look into the past. At least this guy didn’t have to dig through a lot of hardened lava in order to find what he was looking for.