It's a stuffed bear with a round face, round ears and cute eyes.
Aiku, an adorable bear mascot, is what Yauko Shoji makes at her studio in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture. The mascot is a reminder of her hometown of Okuma from where she and her family were forced to leave 11 years ago in the wake of a reactor meltdown at Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Shoji, 74, carefully sews the stuffed animals one by one. She knows she cannot go back to the area where she lived for at least a number of decades, but her feelings for her hometown have never faded.
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