Last Updated: Jan 4, 2023

Aizu-Wakamatsu

See Tsuruga Castle, the Sazaedo & Ouchijuku

This story was originally published on donnykimball.com and has been syndicated here on Medium

When most overseas foreigners think of Fukushima, their thoughts immediately flash to the devastating disasters of March 11, 2011. A decade ago, the prefecture as well as the neighboring regions were hit by a triple punch. This combination, known as the Great East Japan Earthquake, initially comprised a calamitous earthquake followed by a ruinous tsunami. Of course, as the world would soon learn, this devastating disaster was only the beginning. Shortly thereafter, reports emerged of Level 7 meltdowns inside three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex. The rest, as they say, is history (or at least it was until recently).

While nearly ten years have passed since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, Fukushima Prefecture continues to get a bad rap. In fact, I regularly get wind of reports concerning the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants and their ill after-effect on the environment, especially now with the emptying of the water into the Pacific Ocean. What’s more, some of the poor souls who were victimized by the destructive events have yet to right their upended lives. These extremely tragic tales and topics remain a serious concern and one that is not well suited for travel blog discussion. Instead, I want to focus on doing…