Land minister Akihiro Ohata in early May said the government will construct temporary housing for all March 11 evacuees in time for the Bon holidays in mid-August. But speaking to those already living in such accomodations in Fukushima Prefecture makes it clear such housing units are not homes, and rebuilding their lives will take more than providing a roof over their heads.
"When the earthquake hit and the nuclear power plant was damaged, we were desperate to get out of our hometown. But now we feel the urge to return," 62-year-old Eiko Tamura, from the town of Namie, told The Japan Times.
Tamura and her husband, along with their son, his wife, and two children had to evacuate their home, which is about 20 km from the radiation-leaking Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. But while she considers herself lucky to have settled into temporary housing in the town of Shirakawa, a sense of not belonging lingers.