Dark Tourist Episode in Japan

The Netflix Original Dark Tourist follows New Zealand journalist, David Farrier, as he travels the world seeking tourist attractions that draw in people due to their danger or darkness. The show is very informative, but it also includes the personal opinions and experiences of David and his crew. There is currently one season of the show, and the second episode of this season focuses on dark tourism in Japan. David takes us to various places such as a radioactive town, a hotel run by robots, the suicide forest, and an abandon island city.

Nuclear Tourism in Fukushima

First, David takes us to Fukushima, the site of a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that caused the Daiichi nuclear station to explode and leak radiation. This explosion and radiation leak resulted in the death of over 20,000 people and the evacuation of the entire area. David takes us on a tour bus where he and other foreign tourists grow more anxious about the radiation levels throughout the day, constantly checking their pinging indicators. Even the areas that were not destroyed by the tsunami were touched by the earthquake and dangerous radiation, resulting in a desolate urban area that David experiences as quite chilling. The Japanese government appears to be trying to encourage people to move back into safe spots in the area, doing so by hiring entertainers and opening restaurants. However, the radiation
continues to be a concern, but also allows tourists to feel thrilled by the danger of it. The Japanese government was not very happy with this part of the episode, as they felt that the conversation of food grown in the radioactive area was offensive.

Henn Na Hotel: Robot Hotel