Surf’s Up in Fukushima: Beaches Reopen After 2011 Fury
After a decade of patching up wave‑washed sand, three amazing beaches on Japan’s northern coast are back in business. The tides are rolling out not a quiet sigh but a resounding cheer.
Haragamaobama Beach: The Parting of the Tide
The quiet water at Haragamaobama Beach has finally opened again, a calm reminder that life can flow even after a storm.
Soma’s Sunrise
- Located 40 km north of the dam‑broken nuclear plant, this beach is a fresh new blast of sea.
- Proud local guide Hiroyuki Ito says that “Soma has always been a seaside town, before the disaster.”
Why the “Beach Beat” Matters
May the good news spread fast: no radioactive water detected. The four beaches were only closed as practice cabins and chairs were built.
Hiroyuki remembers playing on the shore as a child; his daughter only became old enough to share that experience after the tsunami. “I can finally let my daughter or anyone else feel the same joy!” he says.
Changing the Halo of Disaster
- The town’s Twitter account @somakankokyokai posted the beach opening photos.
- People Googling “Fukushima” still see a wall of nuclear plant images, but the residents are determined to make their town more appealing to foreigners.
North‑Pacific Reenchantment
Along with Fukushima, the Miyagi prefecture beaches—once wrecked too—have re‑opened during the weekend as well.
This gentle restoration has been in progress for years, thanks to huge dikes that keep future tsunamis out and new sand deposited to replace what was lost.
Their beaches offer a reminder of the 9.1‑magnitude quake that shook the Pacific Ocean, and the tsunami it produced. After that, the nuclear plant had three reactors melt down—the most serious nuclear disaster in post‑war Japan ever.
While no one died from radiation, tens of thousands had to leave home, and many still refuse to return to their old towns. Yet the newly reopened shacks and shoreline are proving you can keep on living and enjoying your daily routine.
Now we know; we step back into a “normal” life, one wave at a time.
