Fifteen years after the 2011 tsunami that triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster, a classroom at Kumamachi Elementary in Fukushima remains frozen in time. Textbooks, pencils and empty bento boxes still sit on desks. Outside, weeds, susuki grass and a rusting bicycle have overtaken the playground. Radiation levels are still too high for residents to return, though short visits are permitted. Former pig farmer Norio Kimura visited the site, still dreaming of returning to his coastal home after his daughter Yuna and two relatives died in the tsunami. The Japanese government says conditions are safe for brief stays but not permanent resettlement. Nature has thrived, but loss lingers.
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