Second in a series

During a visit in late February to Shidamyo, less than 30 km from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, a few elderly residents could be seen ambling around the tranquil rural district, but there were no signs of any children.

Radiation readings in the area have been high since three reactors at the power plant melted down, and are currently between 1 to 3 microsieverts per hour — about 20 to 60 times higher than levels in Tokyo.

Shidamyo, however, was never designated as an emergency evacuation preparation area since it is part of the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, where low hourly radiation readings of around 0.1 to 0.2 microsievert have been recorded in most districts.