Playtime no childsplay in Fukushima
- 12 years ago
This could be a scene of children playing indoors on a wet rainy day anywhere in the world.
But this is Fukushima City and these children play indoors whatever the weather.
The city is 50 kilometres from the site of Japan's worst nuclear disaster in a quarter of century.
Radiation readings have fallen to background levels.
But many parents fear isolated radiation hotspots or radioactive particle concentrations may be still around.
SOUNDBITE: Izumi Sasaki, mother, saying (Japanese):
"I can't let him play outside and haven't taken him to any parks so I had been wanting to come here for a long time and actually trying it, it's very nice."
This indoor play centre's been set up by Japan's Red Cross.
The Smile Park is open for less than two weeks.
Yet more than 100 kindergartens applied to use it.
Red Cross officials say only 34 were selected to do so.
SOUNDBITE: Takeru Fukawa, Japan Red Cross Great Eastern Japan Earthquake Support Division Planning Department, saying (Japanese):
"There are a lot of children worried about radiation and especially parents who don't want to let their children play outside so we decided to start this sort of indoor place to allow children to play and give them somewhere to run around."
In the meantime the parks and playgrounds of Fukushima City remain out of bounds to many children - for how long no-one can really say.
Paul Chapman, Reuters
But this is Fukushima City and these children play indoors whatever the weather.
The city is 50 kilometres from the site of Japan's worst nuclear disaster in a quarter of century.
Radiation readings have fallen to background levels.
But many parents fear isolated radiation hotspots or radioactive particle concentrations may be still around.
SOUNDBITE: Izumi Sasaki, mother, saying (Japanese):
"I can't let him play outside and haven't taken him to any parks so I had been wanting to come here for a long time and actually trying it, it's very nice."
This indoor play centre's been set up by Japan's Red Cross.
The Smile Park is open for less than two weeks.
Yet more than 100 kindergartens applied to use it.
Red Cross officials say only 34 were selected to do so.
SOUNDBITE: Takeru Fukawa, Japan Red Cross Great Eastern Japan Earthquake Support Division Planning Department, saying (Japanese):
"There are a lot of children worried about radiation and especially parents who don't want to let their children play outside so we decided to start this sort of indoor place to allow children to play and give them somewhere to run around."
In the meantime the parks and playgrounds of Fukushima City remain out of bounds to many children - for how long no-one can really say.
Paul Chapman, Reuters