Omaru is a small town nestled into a temperate plateau not far from the sea. Cattle raised here pro- vide rich fertilization for the rice crops; after harvest, the rice straw becomes fodder for those same cattle. The sustainable lifestyle we’ve all been trying to create already exists here! This part of the “difficult to return zone” received especially high levels of radiation. No one lives here but the cattle, but they are eating the weeds and keeping things orderly. Their presence has ensured that wild animals do not destroy the residences, with the result that this area looks much the same as it did ten years ago, at minimal cost. And the surrounding mountains fortify the abundant ocean. Photographs by Keiko Ito / English by Judy Howland / Mirai to Inochi (Life and the Future) NPO
