Food & Water safety post 3/11.

[Dotanbatan]

I'd like to know how those living in Japan view food and water safety 3 years after the 3/11 disaster.

For people living in prefectures bordering Fukushima Ken, are you drinking tap water or bottled water only?

Do you make much effort to identify the source of the foods / drinks, and is it an easy thing to do? This would be very difficult with processed foods and products with multiple ingredients I imagine.

I've spent the last couple of hours searching around online and found the usual contradictions and confusions - and am not much the wiser!

I will soon be living in the Kanto area so this is an immediate concern for me.

 

[Mike Cash]

I live in Gunma and never give a thought to it.

For all that Japan is a small country, "Kanto"'covers a large area. Where do you plan to locate?

 

[Dotanbatan]

I live in Gunma and never give a thought to it.

For all that Japan is a small country, "Kanto"'covers a large area. Where do you plan to locate?

Ibaraki or Tochigi .

My wife's family live in these two prefectures and they also don't seem to be worried about the radiation threat much. A couple who live in Tochigi with their young child don't drink tap water now ..... but that's about it I think.

 

[Mike Cash]

Bottled water home delivery (in those big upturned old-fashioned bottles) is commonly available these days and probably pretty affordable. Most of the companies will provide you with the dispenser unit free in order to get your business, so there's little to no expense involved on that end. So if it is important to you, avoiding drinking tap water at home need not involve lugging cases of water home from the supermarket.

 

[Dotanbatan]

Bottled water home delivery (in those big upturned old-fashioned bottles) is commonly available these days and probably pretty affordable. Most of the companies will provide you with the dispenser unit free in order to get your business, so there's little to no expense involved on that end. So if it is important to you, avoiding drinking tap water at home need not involve lugging cases of water home from the supermarket.

Yeah, I think I know the type ... the big 4 gallon bottles. Sounds like the way to go, thanks for the tip.

 

[Mike Cash]

Yeah, I think I know the type ... the big 4 gallon bottles. Sounds like the way to go, thanks for the tip.

My favorite drinking water comes from a little natural spring in the mountains of Ashikaga. I drink it just as it is....right out of the tap, so to speak....and my family marvel that I don't drop over dead from doing so.

If you know where to look, you can find several natural springs that people have fixed up and run pipes down to the roadside for easy access and bottle filling. It isn't unusual for people to drive a considerable distance just to fill up a carload of 20 liter tanks with the water to take home with them.

 

[Glenski]

Have you asked your employer or the city hall where you plan to live?

 

[Dotanbatan]

Mike,

The springs do sound good ..... do you add to the taste with a splash of Johnny Walker?

Ashikaga shouldn't be too far from where we decide to lay our futon, so I might ask for directions after we get settled in.

Glenski,

I won't be working for the first few months and will then do mainly contract work for non Japanese Companies .... for the first year or so anyway.

I will probably contact the Shiyakusho when we have finalised out location ... not sure how much help they'll be mind you!

How about you...... is it something that concerns you and guides what you buy and eat?

 

[Glenski]

Glenski,

I won't be working for the first few months and will then do mainly contract work for non Japanese Companies .... for the first year or so anyway.

I will probably contact the Shiyakusho when we have finalised out location ... not sure how much help they'll be mind you!

How about you...... is it something that concerns you and guides what you buy and eat?

nope, doesn't bother me way up here in Hokkaido .

 

[Vincent3]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but contamination of food and water has been on my mind as I think more about returning to Tokyo.

Has there been any credible concern in Tokyo recently? I'm not a scientist, but the most credible reports I've seen say that radiation in Tokyo is well within safe levels.

Here is a daily sampling of tap water:
http://monitoring.tokyo-eiken.go.jp/monitoring/w-past_data.html

At Narita and Haneda:
http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001051848.pdf

Around Tokyo:
Measurement results of environmental radiation levels in Tokyo

Bloomberg article:
Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

Again, I'm not a radiation scientist and can't vouch for any of this.

 

[Dotanbatan]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but contamination of food and water has been on my mind as I think more about returning to Tokyo.

Has there been any credible concern in Tokyo recently? I'm not a scientist, but the most credible reports I've seen say that radiation in Tokyo is well within safe levels.


Here is a daily sampling of tap water:
窶徭窶愿?窶堙個絶?ｦ窶慊ｹﾂ絶?ｦ窶吮??窶堙娯?｢ﾃｺﾅｽﾃ銀?拿窶卍ｲﾂ債ｸﾅ停?ｹ窶ｰﾃ骸/url]

At Narita and Haneda:
[url]http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001051848.pdf

Around Tokyo:
Measurement results of environmental radiation levels in Tokyo

Bloomberg article:
Tokyo Radiation Less Than Paris's Three Years After Meltdown - Bloomberg

Again, I'm not a radiation scientist and can't vouch for any of this.

My fears have mostly fallen away since arriving in Japan ... Most of which I can attribute to the locals and expats I've met not worrying about it too much.
We looked into getting a bulk bottle system with a dispenser that gives you chilled and hot taps - クリクラ ( CreCla ) is the name of the company. We gave it a miss at this stage as You have to buy a pile of vouchers in advance and there is also a minimum order which seemed much more than we would need.
I've been buying larger bottles for drinking and my wife has just been using tap water for cooking and soups etc.