A Karaoke Bar Is Helping A Japanese Town Come Back To Life After Fukushima Disaster

In downtown Namie, a small coastal city in eastern Fukushima prefecture, there was a chorus of construction noise this spring. Truck after truck rolled through, bringing workers to string up power lines and rip down deserted houses, rebuild structures and repave roads.

But at night, all was quiet — except in one small corner of a tiny strip mall. The faint sounds of music, laughter and maybe a hit of tambourine floated on the wind, traveling down empty sidewalks and deserted streets, leading to a karaoke bar in full swing.

Namie was once home to over 21,000 people, a close-knit community of farmers and fishermen, dotted with rice paddies and pastures and a bustling downtown full of shops, schools and restaurants.

But on March 11, 2011, an earthquake and, just 5 miles away. The earthquake rocked the city, while the tsunami devastated the coastal area, washing people and buildings out to sea. Those who survived were forced to evacuate, to escape the plumes of radioactive material carried by the wind after the nuclear explosions.