New Fukushima winery uncorks effort to help farmers with local wines, fruit liqueurs

[yuiyoshida]

By MAKOTO TAKADA/ Staff Writer

KORIYAMA, Fukushima Prefecture--With the raising of a glass to local farmers, a venture winery here has started operations in hopes of helping local fruit orchards that have withered in the aftermath of the March 2011 triple disaster.

The Fukushima Ouse Winery, located in the Ouse-machi district in Koriyama, which was officially launched on Oct. 27, produces wines using locally harvested grapes.

“I hope it will provide a huge breakthrough to the stagnant agricultural sector in the prefecture,” said Toshikazu Hashimoto, 70, one of the farmers in Koriyama who will produce wine grapes for the project.

“I have as many high expectations as I feel responsibility. If I can produce quality wine grapes, then I will consider expanding my vineyard.”

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/recovery/AJ201511250001

[DisgustipatedinCA]

1. I think I'll just stick with the home-grown Sonoma wines. We're scrappy, but we try. ;)

[KamaAina]

3. For those of you on the far side of the Sierras, Sonoma County is next to Napa

When we locals hear "wine country", we think Sonoma and leave Napa and its pricey vintages to the tourists.

[Mnemosyne]

2. The orchards withered for a reason and the reason still exists. nt

[951-Riverside]

4. So the Japanese government is still trying to convince people that Fukushima was no big deal

From 2012:

Holidaymakers have descended on a beach near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, the first time they have been allowed to swim in the area since last year's triple meltdown.

Local authorities decided to open Nakoso beach, located just 65km (40 miles) south of the stricken plant, after declaring the water safe. Radiation doses in the air were also low, at up to 0.07 microsieverts an hour, far below those considered a threat to health.

On Monday, which was a national holiday held to celebrate the ocean, about 1,000 people, including young families, headed to the beach for the first time in two summers.

"The water's still cold, but it's going to be a good season," Yukiei Hakozaki, a local guide, told Kyodo News. "We want lots of people to come."

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/17/fukushima-beach-reopens-to-public

[hunter]

5. Compared to the tsunami itself, it was no big deal.

What I learned from Katrina and Fukushima is that bungled government responses cause a lot of damage themselves.

I'll be watching out for my neighbors, my animals, and my neighbors' animals, should anything like those disasters happen here.

If I was the sort of person who freaked out about radiation I'd own a couple of radiation counters and scan the air I breathed, the water I drink and bathe in, and the food I eat, continuously. But then I might find out everything is radioactive. There are many people living without remark in places that are far more radioactive than the lands surrounding the Fukushima power plants are now.

I don't scan all my food for radiation, who does? The pesticides and heavy metals in much of our food are probably much more dangerous. Fossil fuels and automobiles are more dangerous than nuclear power plants, even nuclear power plants hit by tsunamis.

You know who I think the heroes of the Fukushima are? Those who went back in, with or without permission, to take care of pets and farm animals abandoned in the evacuation, people who realistically assessed the actual risks and decided which risks were acceptable to them.

Of course most people seem to be incapable of realistically assessing risks.

People are generally innumerate, with a very poor understanding of risk. They vastly underestimate the dangers they are familiar with, and vastly overestimate the dangers of things they are not familiar with.

The odds are high this Fukushima wine will kill somebody, but it won't be because it's radioactive, it's because it's got alcohol in it. Someone will get drunk and do something dangerous, like drive a car or a motorbike, or try to cross a busy street. They might die.

I believe most aspects of our high energy industrial society suck. Most of us have jobs that do not make this world a better place, and somewhere deep down inside we know it, and it makes us feel empty.