Several people are expected to participate in an initiative to plant about 20,000 cherry trees in coastal area in Fukushima that was devastated by the tsunami and nuclear disaster.

A number of residents and volunteers as well as those who left the area following the disaster are participating in the project to plant the saplings in Fukushima's coastal Hamadori region during the next decade.  Those backing the project have said that it would welcome the people to the area when they return after decades.

Project leader Yumiko Nishimoto said that everyone will be able to return to the area in about three decades.  Entire areas of Fukushima have been evacuated following the tsunami and the nuclear disaster.  The evacuations began as reactors in Fukushima faced a meltdown because the plant was swamped by the 2011 tsunami.  Experts have said that the some areas will remain inhabitable for daces to come.

The authorities have reducing mandatory evacuation zones as radiation levels fall and several areas south to the plant is being repopulated by the residents.  Cherry blossom not only offer the environmental benefits but they also have a special place in Japanese culture as people gather around the trees during blooming of the flowers to eat and drink.