A Japanese woman, Chikako Fujii, used to leave the TV on all the time, but since the Fukushima nuclear disaster inspired her to go “off grid” nearly four years ago, she has consumed literally no energy supplied from her regional power company.
Fujii, 55, a textile dyeing artist, uses a tiny amount of electricity generated primarily by solar panels set up on her veranda that measure a total of just 1.6 square meters. The lifestyle choice means that Fujii cannot power an air conditioner, a refrigerator or a TV with such a small quantity of energy, but those things don’t concern her.
A resident of Kunitachi, western Tokyo, Fujii terminated her contract
with Tokyo Electric Power Co. in September 2012, after rolling blackouts
were implemented in the wake of the March 2011 Great East Japan
Earthquake and tsunami. Read more
