Special light-up at temple in northeastern Japan

Special light-up at temple in northeastern Japan

The garden of Shiramizu Amidado hall, a national treasure, in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan, is lit up for a test run of autumn foliage illumination on Nov. 13, 2025, ahead of its public opening scheduled for the following day.

Special light-up at temple in northeastern Japan

Special light-up at temple in northeastern Japan

The garden of Shiramizu Amidado hall, a national treasure, in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan, is lit up for a test run of autumn foliage illumination on Nov. 13, 2025, ahead of its public opening scheduled for the following day.

Special light-up at temple in northeastern Japan

Special light-up at temple in northeastern Japan

The garden of Shiramizu Amidado hall, a national treasure, in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan, is lit up for a test run of autumn foliage illumination on Nov. 13, 2025, ahead of its public opening scheduled for the following day.

CORRECTED: Campaigning begins for Japan general election

CORRECTED: Campaigning begins for Japan general election

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, makes a stump speech in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan, on Oct. 15, 2024, as campaigning for the Oct. 27 general election began the same day.

CORRECTED: Campaigning begins for Japan general election

CORRECTED: Campaigning begins for Japan general election

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, makes a stump speech in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture in northeastern Japan, on Oct. 15, 2024, as campaigning for the Oct. 27 general election began the same day.

TEPCO President Kobayakawa

TEPCO President Kobayakawa

Tomoaki Kobayakawa (far L), president of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., which operates the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, meets the press in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Aug. 23, 2023, during his visit to the northeastern Japan prefecture to meet with local municipal government heads about the planned discharge of treated radioactive water from the plant into the sea the following day.

TEPCO President Kobayakawa

TEPCO President Kobayakawa

Tomoaki Kobayakawa, president of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., which operates the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, meets the press in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Aug. 23, 2023, during his visit to the northeastern Japan prefecture to meet with local municipal government heads about the planned discharge of treated radioactive water from the plant into the sea the following day.

Disaster-hit city marks 50th anniv. with "aloha assembly"

Disaster-hit city marks 50th anniv. with "aloha assembly"

IWAKI, Japan, June 9 Kyodo - A hula dance team perform during a special "aloha" session of the Iwaki city assembly in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Fukushima on June 9, 2016, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the city hit hard by the 2011 killer tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster. Assembly members wore Hawaiian shirts and enjoyed the performance by "Hula Girl," a dance team at a local spa resort facility, which has been a symbol of Iwaki's reconstruction efforts.

Newly-wed husbands doused with cold water in Fukushima ritual

Newly-wed husbands doused with cold water in Fukushima ritual

IWAKI, Japan - Haruhiko Yamanobe (C), one of three newly married men taking part in the "Mizushugi" traditional festival in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, in northeastern Japan on Jan. 12, 2015, gets splashed with a bucket of cold water. The annual ritual serves as a prayer for the family's good health and safety as well as fire prevention.

Floating base of offshore wind farm arrives at Onahama

Floating base of offshore wind farm arrives at Onahama

IWAKI, Japan - A floating base of an offshore wind turbine for power generation arrives at Onahama Port in Iwaki in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Fukushima on Nov. 10, 2014.

National treasure Amitabha hall lit by LED lights

National treasure Amitabha hall lit by LED lights

IWAKI, Japan - The national treasure Shiramizu Amidado (Amitabha hall) and surrounding autumnal leaves in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, are illuminated in test lighting by some 150 solar-powered LED lights on Nov. 7, 2014.

Abandoned male cat popular in 'adoption party' for pets

Abandoned male cat popular in 'adoption party' for pets

IWAKI, Japan - A male cat named "Nobita" after a character in the popular Japanese comic series "Doraemon" enjoys popularity in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Oct. 12, 2014, at an "adoption party" held by a local volunteer group for pets abandoned after the 2011 nuclear power accident in the northeastern Japan region.

National high school hula competition held in Fukushima

National high school hula competition held in Fukushima

IWAKI, Japan - Students from Tokiwagi Gakuen High School in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, perform during a national high school hula dance competition in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Aug. 24, 2014, en route to winning an excellent performance prize. The event was held to encourage people still trying to recover from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters.

3 sumo grand champions visit quake-hit region

3 sumo grand champions visit quake-hit region

IWAKI, Japan - A trio of yokozuna (grand champions) -- (from L, front row) Kakuryu, Hakuho and Harumafuji -- pose with visitors to a gymnasium in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, in an annual sumo event to pray for early reconstruction from the 2011 quake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan.

Fukushima fisheries head hands request to gov't, TEPCO

Fukushima fisheries head hands request to gov't, TEPCO

IWAKI, Japan - Tetsu Nozaki (L), head of the Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Co-operative Associations, hands a written request to representatives of the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on March 25, 2014. The federation urged the state and TEPCO to make sure groundwater released into the sea from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is below the accepted radiation levels.

3 years since quake-tsunami disasters

3 years since quake-tsunami disasters

IWAKI, Japan - A woman floats a flower in the sea on the coast of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture on March 11, 2014, the third anniversary of a massive earthquake and tsunami that struck northeastern Japan.

3 years after quake-tsunami

3 years after quake-tsunami

SENDAI, Japan - Photos taken from Kyodo News helicopter show the Tairausuiso area of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on April 10, 2011 (top), nearly a month after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, and on March 3, 2014 (bottom).

Tsunami-hit lighthouse in Fukushima reopens after repairs

Tsunami-hit lighthouse in Fukushima reopens after repairs

IWAKI, Japan - The Shioyasaki lighthouse in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, reopens to visitors for the first time in about three years on Feb. 22, 2014, after repairs following destruction by tsunami caused by the March 2011 earthquake.

Fukushima fishermen begin trial operations

Fukushima fishermen begin trial operations

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - Fishermen load ice on a fishing boat before leaving Onahama port in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, before dawn on Oct. 18, 2013. A fishermen's group based in the prefecture's southern district of Iwaki restarted operations on a trial basis for the first time since the Fukushima nuclear disaster began in March 2011. Another group in the north began trial fishing earlier.

Girl's dream to become designer lives on in handkerchiefs

Girl's dream to become designer lives on in handkerchiefs

IWAKI, Japan - Photo taken in July 2013 shows a handkerchief featuring the late Himeka Suzuki's award-winning painting. Himeka was killed at age 10 by the massive tsunami waves that engulfed her hometown of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, and other places along the northeastern Japan coast in March 2011.

Girl's dream to become designer lives on in handkerchiefs

Girl's dream to become designer lives on in handkerchiefs

IWAKI, Japan - Takashi Suzuki (R), father of Himeka who was killed at age 10 by the tsunami triggered by the March 2011 earthquake, takes a walk along the coast in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, together with one of her two younger brothers on July 10, 2013. In the back is the Shioyasaki lighthouse overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the subject of an award-winning painting by Himeka.

Girl's dream to become designer lives on in handkerchiefs

Girl's dream to become designer lives on in handkerchiefs

IWAKI, Japan - Takashi Suzuki (R), father of Himeka who was killed at age 10 by the tsunami triggered by the March 2011 earthquake, takes a walk along the coast in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, together with one of her two younger brothers on July 10, 2013. In the back is the Shioyasaki lighthouse overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the subject of an award-winning painting by Himeka.

Floating windmill

Floating windmill

IWAKI, Japan - Photo shows a wind turbine on a floating wind power mill at Onahama port in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 1, 2013. The 2-megawatt plant is scheduled to begin operation in October 2013 off Naraha, Fukushima Prefecture.

Hula girl Licca-chan

Hula girl Licca-chan

TOKYO, Japan - Members of the Hula Girls from a spa resort in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, teach Licca-chan (2nd from R) to dance in Tokyo on June 13, 2013. Tomy Co. said the same day it will launch Licca-chan dolls wearing the costumes of Hawaiian and Tahitian dancers on July 10.

Hula girl Licca-chan

Hula girl Licca-chan

TOKYO, Japan - Members of the Hula Girls from a spa resort in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, pose with Licca-chan (C) in Tokyo on June 13, 2013. Tomy Co. said the same day it will launch Licca-chan dolls wearing the costumes of Hawaiian and Tahitian dancers on July 10.

Coelacanth robot

Coelacanth robot

IWAKI, Japan - The Aquamarine Fukushima aquarium in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, begins displaying a 1.2-meter-long coelacanth robot reproducing movement of the rare fish on March 20, 2013.

Japan general election

Japan general election

IWAKI, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, president of the Democratic Party of Japan, makes a stump speech in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Dec. 4, 2012, after official campaigning kicked off for the Dec. 16, 2012, general election.

Japan general election

Japan general election

IWAKI, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, president of the Democratic Party of Japan, makes a stump speech in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Dec. 4, 2012, after official campaigning kicked off for the Dec. 16, 2012, general election.

Japan general election

Japan general election

IWAKI, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, president of the Democratic Party of Japan, makes a stump speech in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Dec. 4, 2012, after official campaigning kicked off for the Dec. 16, 2012, general election.

Japan general election

Japan general election

IWAKI, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, president of the Democratic Party of Japan, makes a stump speech in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Dec. 4, 2012, after official campaigning kicked off for the Dec. 16, 2012, general election.

Japan general election

Japan general election

IWAKI, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, president of the Democratic Party of Japan, makes a stump speech in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Dec. 4, 2012, after official campaigning kicked off for the Dec. 16, 2012, general election.

Foreign minister thanks Fukushima Hula girls

Foreign minister thanks Fukushima Hula girls

TOKYO, Japan - Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba (L) shakes hands with a Hula girl from a spa resort in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, at the ministry in Tokyo on Oct. 24, 2012. Gemba thanked the Hula girls for their role as a goodwill ambassador at a Pacific island summit in Okinawa in May 2012.

Comedian completes 9-day marathon across quake-hit area

Comedian completes 9-day marathon across quake-hit area

IWAKI, Japan - Comedian Kampei Hazama (C) finishes his nine-day marathon at Spa Resort Hawaiians in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Aug. 21, 2012. Hazama ran around 460 kilometers across the three northeastern prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima that were hit hardest by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in an effort to encourage those living there.

Surfing in Fukushima for 1st time after nuclear disaster

Surfing in Fukushima for 1st time after nuclear disaster

IWAKI, Japan - A man surfs in waters off the town of Naraha, Fukushima Prefecture on Aug. 11, 2012, a day after the government lifted a no-entry zone designation on the town, including the surrounding sea. A group of local surfers got on their boards the same day for the first time after the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

1st Fukushima beach opens since nuclear disaster

1st Fukushima beach opens since nuclear disaster

IWAKI, Japan - Three local women working as tour guides, including Yukiei Hakozaki (L), enter the water at Nakoso beach in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 16, 2012, marking the start of the swimming season on the Marine Day public holiday. The beach opened the same day as the prefecture's only functioning beach for the summer, with all other beaches to remain closed following the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011.

1st Fukushima beach opens since nuclear disaster

1st Fukushima beach opens since nuclear disaster

IWAKI, Japan - Parents and their son have fun at Nakoso beach in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 16, 2012, the Marine Day public holiday. The beach opened the same day as the prefecture's only functioning beach for the summer, with all other beaches to remain closed following the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011.

1st Fukushima beach opens since nuclear disaster

1st Fukushima beach opens since nuclear disaster

IWAKI, Japan - Three local women working as tour guides enter the water at Nakoso beach in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on July 16, 2012, marking the start of the swimming season on the Marine Day public holiday. The beach opened the same day as the prefecture's only functioning beach for the summer, with all other beaches to remain closed following the Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011.

Japan gov't planning to buy disputed isles

Japan gov't planning to buy disputed isles

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda meets the press in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture on July 7, 2012, to comment on the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The Japanese government is planning to buy some of the disputed islands, also claimed by China and Taiwan, from a private owner in a bid to increase its control over the islands, government sources said the same day.

Handicapped people in Fukushima

Handicapped people in Fukushima

FUKUSHIMA, Japan - Photo of May 2012 seminar held in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, to explain to handicapped people in simple and clear terms the framework for applying for compensation from Tokyo Electric Power Co. over the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. TEPCO has been criticized for its complicated and troublesome compensation application procedures, and experts said the hurdle is even higher for many handicapped people.

Cherry blossoms bloom in Tohoku

Cherry blossoms bloom in Tohoku

IWAKI, Japan - Some blossoms bloom on the someiyoshino breed of cherry tree in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on April 13, 2012. The tree, located some 300 meters from seashore, was flooded about 80 meters high at the time of the March 2011 tsunami.

Concert using tsunami-damaged piano

Concert using tsunami-damaged piano

TOKYO, Japan - A charity concert is held in Takashimaya department store in Tokyo's Nihombashi district on March 22, 2012, using a grand piano (R back) that has been repaired after being damaged by the March 2011 tsunami in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture.

Steller sea lion back to Fukushima aquarium

Steller sea lion back to Fukushima aquarium

CHIBA, Japan - A Steller sea lion called Fuku is hoisted in a cage by crane at Kamogawa Seaworld in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture, on March 21, 2012, to be transported to Aquamarine Fukushima in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture. Fuku was evacuated to the Chiba aquarium after the March 2011 quake and tsunami, and is the last evacuee of the Fukushima aquarium to be sent home.

Radiation expert fighting Fukushima contamination

Radiation expert fighting Fukushima contamination

TOKYO, Japan - Shinzo Kimura (L), a radiation hygiene expert, talks with Chuhei Sakai (C), the leader of a group of residents promoting decontamination in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, while measuring radiation levels in Iwaki on Feb. 22, 2012. Kimura quit his job at the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health when his boss at the government-affiliated institute refused to give the green light for the 44-year-old scientist's trip to Fukushima to collect soil and air samples immediately after the explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on March 12, 2011.

Iwaki on eve of tsunami anniv.

Iwaki on eve of tsunami anniv.

IWAKI, Japan - Candles form a word meaning ''prayers'' and the figures ''3.11'' in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture on March 10, 2012, on the eve of the first anniversary of the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and massive tsunami in northeastern Japan.

Kyoto geisha visit Fukushima

Kyoto geisha visit Fukushima

IWAKI, Japan - A group of geisha and ''maiko'' apprentice geisha from Kyoto dance at the Spa Resort Hawaiians leisure complex in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Feb. 27, 2012. The geisha visited the facility to assist in efforts to bring back tourists to the area hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and ensuing nuclear disaster.

Kyoto geisha visit Fukushima

Kyoto geisha visit Fukushima

IWAKI, Japan - The Hula Girls dance group and a party of geisha and ''maiko'' apprentice geisha from Kyoto are pictured at the Spa Resort Hawaiians leisure complex in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Feb. 27, 2012. The geisha visited the facility to assist in efforts to bring back tourists to the area hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and ensuing nuclear disaster.

Kyoto geisha visit Fukushima

Kyoto geisha visit Fukushima

IWAKI, Japan - A ''maiko'' apprentice geisha (L front), receives a lei from a member of the Hula Girls dance group at the Spa Resort Hawaiians leisure complex in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Feb. 27, 2012. A group of geisha and maiko from Kyoto visited the facility to assist in efforts to bring back tourists to the area hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and ensuing nuclear disaster.

Kyoto geisha visit Fukushima

Kyoto geisha visit Fukushima

IWAKI, Japan - The Hula Girls dance group and a party of geisha and ''maiko'' apprentice geisha from Kyoto are pictured at the Spa Resort Hawaiians leisure complex in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Feb. 27, 2012. The geisha visited the facility to assist in efforts to bring back tourists to the area hit by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and ensuing nuclear disaster.

Christmas tree formed with smiling faces on umbrellas

Christmas tree formed with smiling faces on umbrellas

IWAKI, Japan - People create the shape of a Christmas tree on Dec. 23, 2011, using umbrellas bearing the smiling faces of children from areas hit by natural disasters around the world, in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, an area hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Irish singer O Maonlai in Fukushima

Irish singer O Maonlai in Fukushima

IWAKI, Japan - Irish singer Liam O Maonlai plays an instrument with students at an elementary school in Iwaki, Fukushima, on Dec. 7, 2011. Some of the students at the school have evacuated from areas near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.