Before the earthquake of March 11, 2011, the male idol group Tokio had rehabilitated a derelict farm in the town of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture, where the members grew vegetables and rice with the help of local farmers. The project, called Dash Village, provided them with a regular segment for their weekly Nippon TV variety show, “The Tetsuwan Dash,” which sparked a back-to-the-land movement among their fans.
It all ended with the catastrophic tsunami-triggered meltdown of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which was close enough to Dash Village to place the farm in the restricted radioactive zone. Nevertheless, Tokio had forged a strong relationship with the people of Fukushima and subsequently became public relations ambassadors, especially for the prefecture’s produce and seafood, which took a considerable hit due to fears of contamination.
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