In 2018, the village of Katsurao began a unique program to restore soil fertility to fields that had been devastated by the radiation from the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant in March 2011. Katsurao began subsidizing the seed cost of farmers who agreed to plant crimson clover, which can be plowed into the earth as green manure. True to its name, the plant is characterized by three leaves, with bright red flowers. In 2021, for example, a total of 388.5 kg of seeds were distributed to 45 villagers, and the area planted is gradually increasing each year. A side benefit of the program has been the bright red carpets of the crimson clover’s flowers that bloom every year from mid to late May—and social media coverage and word of mouth has popularized the season and turned the area into a favorite tourist spot. It has now become a symbol of the village of Katsurao’s recovery. Those interested in visiting the area during the peak flowering season should check with the village’s reconstruction center called Azeriya (contacts below), as the clover is plowed into the soil soon after.