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Ishii’s cucumbers
Ishii used to deliver food to Japanese restaurants in Maryland. For years he studied EM (effective microogranisms) as a hobby. Now he grows organic vegetables in Sukagawa, 60 km southwest of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. He believes the EM prevents his crops from absorbing radioactive cesium—they have tested “ND”: no detectible radiation.
Asami’s Tokyo volunteers
Fukushima cherry blossoms
Sugeno soil test
Saitos spread zeolite
Organic farmer father, nuclear engineer son
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85-year-old Teruo Yasukawa has an organic farm on the edge of the nuclear exclusion zone.
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Last year Yasukawa challenged city officials for the right to grow rice for personal consumption.
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Yasukawa irrigates his farm with well water and fertilizes it with his cows' manure, thus avoiding new contamination. Most of his rice tested below 20 becquerels per kg last year.
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Teruo's son Hiroshi Yasukawa was an engineer for TEPCO, the owner of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. His hat has TEPCO and GE logos.
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Hiroshi Yasukawa has been exposed to more that 400 millisieverts of radiation.
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Because of his high exposure level, he can no longer work at the power plant. He's been transferred to work on decontamination, but he's not optimistic about the prospects for success.
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Hiroshi Yasukawa points toward the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant where he used to work, just beyond the horizon.
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Hiroshi Yasukawa has had this geiger counter/watch for 10 years.