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Tokai TERRA park |
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Our daily life depends greatly on the electricity. There is a nuclear power plant as one of the types of electric generation system. Nuclear power plants
supply
more than one third of total amount of electricity consumed in Japan.
Since our daily life is made up by the various home appliances, it can be said that nuclear power is very familiar to us. There are 16 nuclear plants and 53 nuclear reactors in Japan. The Tokai Power Station is located on the other side of Kuji river in a neighboring village, Tokai-mura. There are two reactors in Tokai Plant. The older one started operation in 1966 as the first commercial power reactor in Japan. It was already stopped and is in preparation for dismantlement. The second power station is the first large-scale nuclear power plant with BWR type reactor and its electric output is 1,100,000 kW. There might be few people who know how the plant is managed and operated, and a mechanism of power station. So we will introduce a good place for you to learn these things. It is TERRA park, PR pavilion of Tokai Power Station. |
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The power plant is heavily guarded. The policemen of Ibaraki prefecture
have
been guarding in the premises since the simultaneous multiple terrorists
act in
2001 in USA. . The patrol boat of the Japan Coast Guard has been observing for 24 hours on the sea. It is not permitted that the public visits the power plant itself. However, everyone can easily visit TERRA park which is located on the left from the gate. The name “Terra” comes from terra in Latin (earth) and emphasizes an ecological image of nuclear power. There are a lot of devices and mini theater to learn how nuclear power generation is managed there very safely. There are some games to get familiar with the science. And you can also see models of nuclear reactors. Moreover, there are various devices so that children can enjoy just playing there. There is a wading pool outside the building and many parents and children come there and have lunch in summer. It was a fresh surprise to know you can spend your free time and relax so close to the power plant. By the way, the total amount of radiation dose from the nuclear power plant is below 0.05Sv a year, which is the target value of the upper bound. It is said total radiation dose in daily life is 2.4 Sv for each person a year (Sv: Sievert, unit of radiation exposure) . So you can understand that it is safe in the site. You can also try measuring radiation of seaweeds and granite stone with a Geiger counter to realize that radiation exists everywhere in our life. There may be a lot of people who feel insecure about nuclear power. But it is just no use worrying. Why don’t you go to TERRA park and learn more? |
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| Guide of Tokai TERRA park (Tokai PR Pavilion) Address: 1-1 Shirakata, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki 319-1198 Tel:029-287-1252 Fax:029-287-1299 Access: 10-min.Tokai Station, JR Joban Line 10-min. Drive from Hitachi Minami Ota IC, Joban Highway Reservation is required only for a group. From 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. No holiday through the year except year-end and New Years day. |
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