Himawari, the Symbol of Hope and Recovery

The Sunflower (ヒマワリ - himawari in Japanese) is a popular plant in Japan, where it has been cultivated since the 17th century. I've seen sunflowers growing wild in Japan, even in some urban areas, like the one from this picture, on the shores of the Sumida river, in Tsukishima. Also, himawari is one of the city symbols of Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture.

A very interesting fact is that the sunflower has unusual properties, being able to extract from the soil toxic substances, like lead, arsenic or uranium. More than this, after the Chernobyl accident, it has been observed in Ukraine that the sunflower can extract the cesium-137 and the strontium-90 from the soil. The explanation is that radioactive cesium is somehow similar to kalium (potassium), a commonly used fertilizer, and if kalium is not present, the sunflowers will absorb cesium instead!

So, following the observations from Ukraine, a campaign started recently in Japan to sow sunflowers on the fields around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. After harvesting, the plants will be decomposed, so only a small amount of radioactive waste will remain.

That way, himawari becomes a symbol of hope and recovery for Japan...