As a harbinger of spring and hope for a hard-hit region, peach blossoms are blooming at a fruit orchard in Date, Fukushima Prefecture.
As a harbinger of spring and hope for a hard-hit region, peach blossoms are blooming at a fruit orchard in Date, Fukushima Prefecture.Kazuo Kato, 64, grows the peach trees in a greenhouse in the Yanagawa-machi district of Date.He and his wife, Mitsuko, 62, were busy pollinating the pink peach flowers with the hope that the end result would bring better fortune than the previous two years.The effects from the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in the prefecture following the March 11, 2011, Great East Japan Earthquake have led to about a 30-percent decline in peach prices the last two years. An increase in kerosene prices also has added to the difficulties for the Katos."Over the past two years, the levels of radioactive cesium were at undetectable levels, under 10 becquerels," said Kazuo Kato, attesting to the safety of his crop. "We will grow the fruit to show that Fukushima-grown peaches are truly delicious this year."