Haunting video shows Fukushima four years on from nuclear disaster

Tomioka is located 10 kilometres south of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Photo / Vimeo, HEXaMedia

The town of Tomioka, near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, has been largely abandoned since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The tsunami caused a nuclear incident that was the largest since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.

Fukushima Tomioka the abandoned city 2015 from HEXaMedia on href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo.

Thousands of people were evacuated from the area surrounding the nuclear plant following the tsunami on March 11, 2011, and have not been able to return to their homes.

The government has taken a cautious approach to residents returning, with areas surrounding the Fukushima nuclear power plant divided into three zones, based on radiation levels.

Pink zones remain off-limits, while yellow and green zones are open to visitors.

Residents are able to visit for short periods of time - up to a few hours - with special permits.

Although the government has lifted bans on entering parts of Tomioka, many former residents from the town of 16,000 choose to stay away because of contamination fears.

The government is not expected to clear the town for living until at least 2017.