As an experimental trial, we are starting a study tour into Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) once every month, aiming to develop a new opportunity for international people to learn about the real site of the disaster and ongoing decommissioning process. This is a very special offer from us; please join us to see what’s going on there with your own eyes. Your accumulated radiation dose would be 10-20 micro Sievert which is equivalent to two dental X rays. A round-trip flight between New York and Tokyo, for example, would be 110-160 micro Sievert due to the high radiation from outer space by comparison.
The power plant is large and more than 90% of the entire site including office and facility buildings plus water tank areas has been decontaminated. Around 2-4000 people are working there everyday. On the other hand, the reactor site of Units 1- 4 by the shore, where the hydrogen explosions and melting down occurred in 2011 after the tsunami hit and the reactors lost their entire power and then cooling water, has much higher radiation and almost of all your dose is from this site when we get closer by bus.
After FDNPS, our Real Fukushima team will take you to look around the outside of the plant as much as possible to see the current status of the evacuated areas as well as the reopened former evacuated ones where people are slowly getting back, the on-going revitalisation efforts and the tsunami site so that you can feel the real vibrance of this region. This will be for 3 hours and this will be a short version of our Standard Tour. We ask everyone to show the utmost respect to the area and the people who have suffered from the disaster.
Please apply now and join us to see what’s going on at the real site of the disaster. We would like to open dialogues to various opinions on nuclear and think together what the future of energy might look like. Please be aware that this isn’t an adventure-type sightseeing tour and we will not accept who comes here for fun or shows disrespect and thoughtlessness towards this area.
The fee is JPY10,000 and all the fee goes to the Real Fukushima Team. TEPCO offers this opportunity for free.
We are sincerely looking forward to meeting you in Fukushima from all around the world.
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* A person under the age of 18 is not allowed to visit due to the general rules of the power plant.
* Photography and videography are prohibited within the FDNPS site due to the general rules of the power plant.
* Photography and videography are only allowed in the surrounding area for private use but not for business purpose including YouTube or other social media videos due to privacy concerns and the requirement for shooting permissions.
* Media, journalists, photographers, videographers or YouTubers need to apply to a different slot directory to TEPCO. We won’t be able to accept any of those who wish to do media coverage about the FDNPS on this study programme.
Dates & Meeting Points/Times
It will be a full day tour for 6-7 hours to visit FDNPS and the surrounding areas outside after the plant to see the real site of the disaster affected areas. Please come by JR Joban Line which is running through Tokyo and Sendai.
December 18th (Wed) : Application is closed
January 29th (Wed) in 2025 : Open
The site visit starts at 9:00am at TEPCO Decommissioning Archive Centre near JR Tomioka Station. We would like to meet you at either JR Odaka Station at 8:00 or Tomioka Station at 8:35.
There is no train from Tokyo in the morning to make 9:00 at the Centre and you need to stay over night before the tour in local accommodation. Ask us if you need further info. We will send you the links of some accommodations in the heart of the area.
The application should be made 3 weeks prior to the date of the tour due to the registration process, and is not acceptable less than 2.5 weeks prior to it.
For February and onwards : We are planning to continue this study tour once every month (it’s usually in the last week) throughout 2025. Each slot will be announced two months prior to the visiting date. We look forward to your application then!
Fee
The fee for one person is JPY10,000 for the Real Fukushima Team (TEPCO offers this opportunity for free). Please give us your feedback after the site visit to help us with this trial.
Apply for the FDNPS Study Tour
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Accommodations
J-Village
J village is a national soccer stadium full of facilities for sports established in 1997 in Naraha Town. Soon after the disaster occurred, this sports complex became the front base of the nuclear disaster emergency headquarters for the national and local governments and TEPCO since it’s located just outside of the 20km evacuated zone. Thousands of nuclear workers were ahead to the power station from there to tackle on the disaster, wearing full gears and full face masks. Now J Village is returned to a peaceful sports complex again after having massive decontaminations and renovation.
Local inns, guest houses, and business hotels
Not many but a few local inns, guest houses, or business hotels are returned or newly opened in the heart of the disaster affected but reopened area in Odaka, Namie, Futaba, Okuma and Tomioka Towns. Please stay over night to feel the real atmosphere and encounter local people and food, where massive decontaminations have been done by the government and people are slowly coming back. We are happy to help you find a cozy place!
Access
Take a JR Hitachi Express or even local trains on Joban Line from Tokyo or Sendai directions. Since 2020, the entire Joban Line is reopened between Tokyo and Sendai, running through the current exclusion zone and reopened areas. Also, many other nuclear-related sites are on the way in Tokai, Oarai and Hitachi areas. We will organise your visits to these sites, too.