In March, 2011, the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant exploded, causing a large amount of radioactive effluent to leak. Iitate Village, designated by some as "one of the most beautiful villages in Japan," was more than thirty kilometers away. But because of the direction of the wind, snow, and rain, it was heavily effected by radiation. For this reason, a month after the nuclear disaster, the Japanese government ordered the municipality to evacuate entirely. As a result, approximately 6,000 residents were forced to leave their homes.