Shop
 Explore 

31 haunting photos of Fukushima 5 years after the nuclear disaster.

The 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, forced over 150,000 people to evacuate their homes.

Five years later, many people are still unable to return due to dangerously high radiation levels in the area.

In the coastal areas affected by the tsunami, the devastation was obvious and profound.

In some places in the nuclear exclusion zone, however, many homes and businesses remain standing, heartbreaking reminders of the lives people left behind when they fled.

1. Despite the devastation, some sets of power lines are still standing, along with many buildings.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

2. An abandoned street in Namie, Japan.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

3. Another street corner. The vending machines are still stocked.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

4. A coffee shop with a van parked in front.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

5. A car, still in good condition, buried under plant growth.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

6. An empty school hallway. The bulletin board still has posters hanging on it.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

7. Roadside businesses. The stalls are still standing, but the merchandise is gone.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

8. A house with its satellite dish still set up.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

9. The outside of a local store with its vending machines also still stocked.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

10. A child's bike, partially buried.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

11. A deserted home, moderately damaged. Its surroundings have been leveled.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

12. A child's swing, still standing in a park.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

13. A big stuffed animal, a tray full of dishes, a laundry basket, and other hastily abandoned items.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

14. Laundry left hanging on a line.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

15. A window with five years of plant growth both inside and out.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

16. Trucks in a parking lot. Shrubbery has completely claimed the bed of the one on the far left.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

17. A pile of irradiated wood cleared by workers in Okuna, Japan.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

18. Toys and masks inside the window of a home.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

19. A sign advertising pachinko at a nearby business.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

20. A Hello Kitty doll, a chair, and a piano inside an abandoned home.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

21. A house with its garage left open.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

22. Another house whose air conditioning unit has fallen out of the window.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

23. A stopped clock.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

24. A home in the middle of a field. You can still see the solar panels on top.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

25. A statue in graveyard.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

26. A car in an overgrown downtown parking lot.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

27. A rearview mirror, still attached to a buried car.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

28. More personal items. Some cups and decorative pots.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

29. A radiation monitoring station in the front yard of a house on the highway.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

30. A large garage.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

31. A tiny figurine left hanging inside a home.

Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

People fleeing crises like these — natural disasters or otherwise — deserve our support, whether or not they have homes to go back to.

Even though a time may come when the area is once again relatively safe, for many former residents of the exclusion zone, the memory of the tragedy makes going back seem unimaginable. It's the same impossible choice faced by refugees and evacuees around the world fleeing from their war-torn home countries: risk returning to a dangerous, possibly deadly place or confront an unfamiliar and potentially unwelcoming new community.

No one wants to be forced to leave their entire life behind. For millions of people around the world, however, it's unavoidable.

For those of us who live in relative safety, we should help those who can't go home again build new lives among us.

Family

Korean mom has a perfect response to the teacher who called her son's lunches 'disgusting'

Good for her for standing up for her child's culture.

via Roman Harak/Flickr

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

Keep ReadingShow less

parenting

Pop Culture

Rick Astley covered Foo Fighters' 'Everlong' and it's shockingly great

Consider yourself Rick-Grohled.

Rick Astley/YouTube

Rick Astley rocking his Foo Fighters 'Everlong' cover.

Rick Astley has to be the luckiest '80s musician on the planet. The whole "Rickrolling" phenomenon has given his hit song "Never Gonna Give You Up" a reach far beyond its natural life span, and kept the guy a household name far longer than he probably would have been.

(For those who are unfamiliar, Rickrolling is when you make someone think they're being sent to a website, but the link goes to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" video instead as a joke. It's a silly viral bait-and-switch gag that's been going since 2006.)

But what people may not realize, because his most famous song has become an internet joke, is that Rick Astley is actually a really freaking great musician. The man can saaaang and it seems he's only gotten better with age.

Keep ReadingShow less

Education

People are raving about how much easier it is to read with 'bionic reading' font

This viral tool could be a game-changer for some.

Photo via Canva, @WhattheADHD/Twitter

The 'bionic reading' font is designed to help keep you focused and read faster.

Reading is a fundamental tool of learning for most people, which is why it's one of the first things kids learn in school and why nations set literacy goals.

But even those of us who are able to read fluently might sometimes struggle with the act of reading itself. Perhaps we don't read as quickly as we wish we could or maybe our minds wander as our eyes move across the words. Sometimes we get to the end of a paragraph and realize we didn't retain anything we just read.

People with focus or attention issues can struggle with reading, despite having no actual reading disabilities. It can be extremely frustrating to want to read something and have no issues with understanding the material, yet be unable to keep your mind engaged with the text long enough to get "into" what you're reading.

Keep ReadingShow less

Joy

Airbnb host wakes his guest up in the middle of the night so she wouldn't miss the northern lights

Best. Host. Ever.

@penslucero/TikTok

Pency Lucero taking in the Northern Lights

Seeing the northern lights is a common bucket list adventure for many people. After all, it ticks a lot of boxes—being a dazzling light show, rich historical experience and scientific phenomenon all rolled into one. Plus there’s the uncertainty of it all, never quite knowing if you’ll witness a vivid streak of otherworldly colors dance across the sky…or simply see an oddly colored cloud. It’s nature’s slot machine, if you will.

Traveler and content creator Pency Lucero was willing to take that gamble. After thorough research, she stumbled upon an Airbnb in Rörbäck, Sweden with an actual picture of the northern lights shining above the cabin in the listing. With that kind of photo evidence, she felt good about her odds.

However, as soon as she landed, snow began falling so hard that the entire sky was “barely visible,” she told Upworthy. Martin, the Airbnb host, was nonetheless determined to do everything he could to ensure his guests got to see the spectacle, even offering to wake Lucero up in the middle of the night if he saw anything.

Then one night, the knock came.

Keep ReadingShow less

nature

Family

Badass bikers show up for abused children, offering advocacy and protection

They become an abused child's "biker family," and they let the child—and everyone else—know that NO ONE messes with their family.

Bikers Against Child Abuse/YouTube

When you are a child who has been abused by people who are supposed to protect you, how do you feel safe?

That question is the heart of Bikers Against Child Abuse International (B.A.C.A.), an organization dedicated to creating "a safer environment for abused children." With specific training and extensive security checks, the frequently big and burly members of B.A.C.A. serve as protectors of chid abuse survivors, giving vulnerable children people to call on when they feel scared, and even showing up in court when a child asks them to.

Keep ReadingShow less

bikers

31 haunting photos of Fukushima 5 years after the nuclear disaster.

The 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan, forced over 150,000 people to evacuate their homes.

1. Despite the devastation, some sets of power lines are still standing, along with many buildings.

2. An abandoned street in Namie, Japan.

3. Another street corner. The vending machines are still stocked.

4. A coffee shop with a van parked in front.

5. A car, still in good condition, buried under plant growth.

6. An empty school hallway. The bulletin board still has posters hanging on it.

7. Roadside businesses. The stalls are still standing, but the merchandise is gone.

8. A house with its satellite dish still set up.

9. The outside of a local store with its vending machines also still stocked.

10. A child's bike, partially buried.

11. A deserted home, moderately damaged. Its surroundings have been leveled.

12. A child's swing, still standing in a park.

13. A big stuffed animal, a tray full of dishes, a laundry basket, and other hastily abandoned items.

14. Laundry left hanging on a line.

15. A window with five years of plant growth both inside and out.

16. Trucks in a parking lot. Shrubbery has completely claimed the bed of the one on the far left.

17. A pile of irradiated wood cleared by workers in Okuna, Japan.

18. Toys and masks inside the window of a home.

19. A sign advertising pachinko at a nearby business.

20. A Hello Kitty doll, a chair, and a piano inside an abandoned home.

21. A house with its garage left open.

22. Another house whose air conditioning unit has fallen out of the window.

23. A stopped clock.

24. A home in the middle of a field. You can still see the solar panels on top.

25. A statue in graveyard.

26. A car in an overgrown downtown parking lot.

27. A rearview mirror, still attached to a buried car.

28. More personal items. Some cups and decorative pots.

29. A radiation monitoring station in the front yard of a house on the highway.

30. A large garage.

31. A tiny figurine left hanging inside a home.

People fleeing crises like these — natural disasters or otherwise — deserve our support, whether or not they have homes to go back to.

Good for her for standing up for her child's culture.

Consider yourself Rick-Grohled.

"I told him that we have the opportunity to make things right."

This viral tool could be a game-changer for some.

Best. Host. Ever.

They become an abused child's "biker family," and they let the child—and everyone else—know that NO ONE messes with their family.