Murohara Surfboards opens in Fukushima no-go zone
On 11 March 2011 a massive earthquake triggered a tsunami along Japan’s north-east coast, killing almost 19,000 people and displacing tens of thousands more.
Although insignificant compared to the loss of life, the surfing community in Fukushima was also hit hard, with many beaches declared a no-go zone in the wake of the nuclear meltdowns.
Little by little though, residents are slowly starting to return to life the way it was before the disaster. One resident in particular, Shinji Murohara, has recently opened his surf shop “Murohara Surfboards” – the first to reopen in the 20km exclusion zone since the evacuations 8 years ago.
Although many hardcore locals drew criticism for continuing to surf soon after the meltdowns, a lot of the local surfing community have slowly started to return to the water with the government testing the sand and water every month for any signs of contamination.
Many believe Fukushima to be one of the best spots to surf in Japan, and little by little the local surfing community is taking steps to revive the once thriving community that the remember so well.