Nuclear accident sites and tourism: a comparative analysis of the Chernobyl and Fukushima exclusion zones

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article aims to explore similarities and differences in the relationship between nuclear accident sites and tourism through a comparative study of two culturally different exclusion zones, namely Chernobyl (Ukraine) and Fukushima (Japan). Although the causes of the nuclear catastrophe were different, today it is possible to confirm some similarities in the transition and recovery process between these contaminated and abandoned sites. A range of grassroots initiatives lead to movements that try to look at nuclear accident sites from a new perspective. These activities include the ones that are planned and conducted to develop the sites as tourist destinations. In addition, in the context of war in Ukraine, the article shows, through the Stone’s darkest-lightest indicator, how the narration of the places of cultural dissonances changes with the changing geopolitical reality. In order to achieve the aim of this paper, a comparative analysis was conducted referring to qualitative data collected in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and secondary data on both Chernobyl and Fukushima exclusion zones. The following interviews with tourists, participatory observation and collected online sources of these two post-catastrophe sites have first and foremost provided a better understanding of the cultural dissonances emerging in these spaces.