I recently visited Iwaki, Fukushima province to visit Spa Resort Hawaiians. Partially because it sounded interesting, and partially to buck the trend of overseas tourists avoiding Fukushima province.
I noticed publicly visible radiation counters while I was there. The one below, in a photo taken by a taxi driver who noticed me trying to take a photo by myself, was near Iwaki train station, but there was also one near the Iwaki City Coal and Fossil Museum.
Although I assume the counters were designed to reassure locals and tourists that radiation levels are reasonably low, for me it served as a bit of a "been there, done that, got photo proving it" thing, even if it turns out 0.164 microsieverts per hour is less than the global average of background radiation. It got me wondering which places on earth that I can visit have the most radiation.
Criteria:
- Both man-made and natural radation are of interest: I'm interested in both human history and in geology.
- Reasonably accessible: something accessible to ordinary tourists, not only journalists or nuclear scientists or local residents.
- Well documented: an area having information about its radiation (eg how a nuclear accident occurred, or the history of nuclear weapon testing at the place) would be preferable.
- Radiation levels available: ideally some public structure like the one I was photographed with, but otherwise a place where radiation measurement devices are not prohibited.
- Tourists welcome: if tourists aren't welcomed in an area by locals for legitimate reasons, then I'd be understanding of that.
- On earth. Can't be the moon or Mars!
If there's a place on earth that has the least amount of radiation, and it is open to tourists, then I'd be interested in visiting that as well.