Polish photographer Arkadiusz Podniesinski recently travelled to the site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. When he obtained permits to enter the 20km (12.5 mile) Exclusion Zone he found what looked like a post-apocalyptic film.
Podniesinski is known for previously photographing the area around the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.
“It is not earthquakes or tsunami that are to blame for the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, but humans,” writes Podniesinski on his website.
He undertook the project so that he could draw his “own conclusions without being influenced by any media sensation, government propaganda, or nuclear lobbyists who are trying to play down the effects of the disaster, and pass on the information obtained to as wider a public as possible.”
Abandoned vehicles are swallowed up by nature on a stretch of road near the power plant
Some of the cars have entirely disappeared in the wild grass
Podniesinski shows a radiation reading of 6.794 uSv/h
A chained-up motorcycle is slowly absorbed into the field
These contaminated televisions were collected and piled up as part of the cleaning efforts
Cobwebs hang above the scattered products in this abandoned supermarket
The supermarket looks like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie
This abandoned school computer lab covered in animal droppings is from a village near the plant
A dining table with portable cookers ready to prepare food looks like it was left in a hurry
These go-karts were in an entertainment park located within the 12.5 mile exclusion zone
Musical instruments including a piano litter the floor of a classroom
The earthquake which started the tsunami damaged buildings like this school gymnasium
These bicycles were left behind when residents fled
Classes were interrupted mid-lesson by the disaster, and there is still a mark under the board showing the level of the tsunami wave. On the board, several messages are written including “stupid TEPCO” and “Don’t give up, live on!”
An empty arcade
Cash desk in a gaming saloon
This aerial photo taken by a drone shows one of the dump sites that contain thousands of bags of contaminated soil
Bags of radioactive soil are stacked one on top of the other to save space
Landowners have been told that these contaminated bags will be disposed of, but many remain sceptical
Cows started to get white spots on their skin soon after the accident. One farmer believes this is due to the cows eating contaminated grass
The cracks in the earth were caused by the earthquake
The sign reads “Nuclear energy is the energy of a bright future”
This message reads “Local nuclear energy guarantees a lively future”
For more information and images, visit Arkadiusz Podniesinski’s website by clicking here.