In early November, the street fair was re-created at the edge of Nihonmatsu's center, with 70 stalls.

WSJ: Displaced Japanese Town Tries to Stay Intact

One preschooler showed off a dosimeter worn around her neck, a requirement for children in Nihonmatsu and other places relatively close to Fukushima Daiichi.

WSJ: Displaced Japanese Town Tries to Stay Intact

On a fine summer day she drives to Nihonmatsu, 56km (35 miles) from the ruined nuclear plant at Fukushima, and notes her Geiger counter ticking higher: another step in the DIY defence against radioactivity.

ECONOMIST: Japan risks another crisis over decontamination