IWAKI, Fukushima Prefecture--Eight and a half months after it was deluged by a tsunami generated by the Great East Japan Earthquake, a shopping center in Iwaki reopened its doors to customers.
IWAKI, Fukushima Prefecture--Eight and a half months after it was deluged by a tsunami generated by the Great East Japan Earthquake, a shopping center in Iwaki reopened its doors to customers.Iwaki Lalamew in the Onahama district opened its gates to a throng of customers at 9 a.m. on Nov. 25. The seafood direct sales section, the main attraction of the shopping complex, was filled with the high-spirited calls of the vendors, just like it used to be before the March 11 disaster. The local fishermen's union, however, continues to refrain from fishing operations because of the lingering fear of radiation from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant."Most of the fish on our shelves are from other prefectures," said a 65-year-old owner of a seafood direct sales outlet. "I hope we will be able to sell locally caught fish as soon as possible."Children were having fun at an indoor playground of about 500 square meters, newly created at the complex."We've had fewer opportunities to play outdoors since the nuclear accident hit, so it's really a blessing," said a 31-year-old mother who had brought her 1-year-old son.