Fukushima Hope Tour with Licensed Guide & Vehicle from Iwaki
Description
On this tour, you can visit the ruins of the Great East Japan Earthquake with a local licensed guide. On March 11 th 2011, the magnitude-9.0 earthquake occurred in Japan’s Tohoku region. Many people in Fukushima lost their lives to this earthquake and the subsequent large tsunami, and scores of homes were destroyed. In addition, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Disaster resulted in leaving many people with no choice but to evacuate their homes. The effects of these multiple disasters remain to this day. This tour offers you the opportunity to see the places where the effects of the earthquake and nuclear disaster remain, as well as the places where revitalization efforts are taking place. All tour sales go to donations for the affected areas. The radiation level of places you will visit on this tour does not exceed 0.05 mSv per hour. Please note that You are not allowed to enter the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
Tour Options
Itinerary
You will meet your guide and driver at Iwaki Station or your preffered place near Iwaki Station. It takes about one hour from Iwaki Station to tour places. * From Tokyo, you can take Hitachi limited Express Train to Iwaki, on the JR Joban line.
National Route 6: In addition to seeing landscapes of untouched buildings in areas where evacuation orders designated as the Difficult-to-return Zone have been lifted, there are areas where decontamination and demolition work is progressing and one can feel the spirit of rebuilding in the local communities. ※Partially through the Difficult-to-return Zone
Managed by TEPCO, this information dissemination facility uses video and diorama displays to provide a record of the project and allow visitors to learn about the ongoing progress of the decommissioning effort.
This roadside station was built as a symbol of the town’s revitalization. It is a facility that supports people’s daily lives, where they can shop, eat and rest. In addition to a range of vegetables and seafood, visitors can also have a taste of the local cuisine.
Namie Town-run Ohirayama Cemetery This communal cemetery is located on high ground about 2 kilometres from the coast. The view of Ukedo district and the Pacific Ocean conveys the huge extent of the tsunami’s devastation. This place, where the children of Ukedo Elementary School were evacuated to immediately following the earthquake, was an expanse of fields at that time. Afterwards, in response to the wishes of the local residents, the Ohirayama Cemetery was built on the site to house the graves of those who were lost in the disaster. Together with a memorial monument built as a requiem for the victims and as a warning to future generations, the cemetery continues to convey the memory of the disaster.
Ukedo Elementary School is located about 200 metres from the coast. The school building was engulfed and partially destroyed by the tsunami, but miraculously no lives were lost thanks to fast thinking and evacuation. The school is preserved in the same condition as it was in at the time of the disaster in order to demonstrate the threat and lessons of the disaster, to pass on the memories and records of the area to future generations, and to raise awareness of disaster prevention. The classrooms and gymnasium on the first floor, which were most severely damaged by the tsunami, are almost entirely as they were at the time of the disaster, and the site has been prepared so that visitors can observe the conditions. On the second floor, there are panels showing the extent of the damage and details of the evacuation following the nuclear accident, as well as messages of support and so on written by visitors on blackboards that have been preserved.
This facility is truly the entry point for Hope Tourism. A wealth of resources, including images and exhibits, give visitors a complete picture of the events and revitalization efforts from the immediate aftermath of the earthquake and nuclear accident to the present day.
JR Futaba Station area: The town’s former Special Zones for Reconstruction and Revitalization (part of the Difficult-to-Return Zone of restricted residence, where it is hoped that evacuation orders will be lifted in future) centred around JR Futaba Station. Even after the evacuation order has been lifted, buildings from the immediate aftermath of the earthquake remain untouched, while hopeful murals adorn the area, giving a sense that the
After the tour, your guide and driver will take you back to Iwaki Station.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
This tour departs from Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture. A driver and a guide pick you up at your hotel or your preferred place near Iwaki station.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Service animals allowed
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The travel time is already included in the tour duration.
- You are not allowed to enter the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
- The radiation level of places you will visit on this tour does not exceed 0.05 mSv per hour.
- If the tour is extended on the day, please pay the extension fee directly to your driver (Van 9980 JPY, minivan 9740 JPY, regular car 6620 JPY per hour).
- There are only a limited number of car seats and booster seats. Rear-facing car seats are not available. You must contact us directly if you need them.
Reviews(5)
Seeing and learning about these places would have been enough but learning from those who actually grew up there and personally experienced their history was so much more impactful. Our guide, Miki, and our driver, Mr. Otomo (sp?), could not have been more genuinely welcoming, professional, knowledgeable, and interested in sharing their stories with us. By the end of the tour, they felt much more like friends than guides. The museums and exhibits featured on the tour itinerary are very well done and informative; and the scenery along the way was an unexpected bonus. A great experience all the way around; highly recommended. Note: This tour operator also deserves praise for voluntarily accommodating an unexpected anomaly we experienced along the way; most appreciated.
Thank you very much for your kind review. We are delighted that you not only visited and learned about the disaster affected area with such compassion, but also experienced Fukushima’s beautiful nature. It was very meaningful for us to share the story of our town’s resilience. Your warm understanding throughout the day was truly appreciated. Warmest regards to you and your family. Miki
This was a remarkable experience. Yoko was extremely knowledgeable and kind and was a great communicator. We had close access to observe Daiichi and the remediation and recovery efforts underway, following the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and subsequent nuclear accident. It was an opportunity to learn and experience the impact first hand. I could not recommend this experience more highly and I have visited Chernobyl previously. 10/10!
Thank you for your review. I'm so happy and relieved that you were satisfied this tour. I appreciate your interest in Fukushima's recovery efforts. Please come and see a different side of Fukushima next time! - Yoko
We had Miki as our guide that day and she was great. She speaks very good English and knows a lot. We could ask her all the questions. Also our driver was great and both are highly recommended. The day in Fukushima was very impressive and informative we learned a lot. Also he coffee in Futaba was very delicious and we were warmly welcomed. We can highly recommend the tour and it has nothing to do with disaster tourism - quite the contrary, you can support the local people. Thank you Miki!
Thank you so much for your kind review! I also learned new things while guiding you—it was a good experience for me too. I’m happy I had the chance to connect you with local residents and share such a special moment together. Once again, thank you for joining the Fukushima Hope Tour. Your guide, Miki
Intense and interesting day but with times a bit too tight that did not allow us to fully deepen the various stages. We are passionate about Fukushima and perhaps this was a point against us because we had very high expectations and are very demanding. That said it is certainly a very good tour with very helpful and prepared staff. In addition, there are fewer and fewer tour operators offering this tour to non-local tourists and they are very serious and professional. Definitely highly recommended.
Thank you very much for taking the time to share such a detailed review. We are happy to hear that you found the tour meaningful and that our guide's knowledge and support made a positive impression. We will keep your comment about the schedule in mind as we continue to improve our tours. We sincerely hope you will join us again and explore more of Fukushima or other regions of Japan with us in the future. Japan Guide Agency
Our Fukushima Hope Tour with Mikiko "Miki" Shiga was truly exceptional. As a Licensed Guide Interpreter, Miki's knowledge, compassion, and attention to detail made this powerful experience even more meaningful. The tour took us through significant sites including the Ruins of Namie Machiritsu Ukedo Elementary School, where Miki thoughtfully translated a children's story displayed on illustrated plaques throughout the school grounds—each page revealing part of the disaster narrative that we would have completely missed without her. Miki went above and beyond by recommending a wonderful hotel before our tour, helping with taxi communications, and guiding us to authentic local cuisine at Michinoeki Namie (the katsu and local fish were delicious!). Even on a particularly cold day, she ensured our comfort while still providing a comprehensive experience. What made this tour truly special was hearing Miki's personal connection to the events—her own experiences during the earthquake, evacuation stories from locals, and how communities have persevered through devastating circumstances. Her passion for sharing Japan's history and culture shines through in everything she does. If you're considering this tour, I cannot recommend Miki highly enough. Beyond just seeing historical sites, you'll gain profound insights into human resilience and the ongoing revitalization efforts in Fukushima.
Thank you for leaving such a great review. I appreciate that you took the time to visit this area, where such a devasting event occurred. Your visit here is truly a sign of hope for us. Let me express my heartful thanks once again. From your guide, Miki
