So, if you have ever watched, played, read or heard of the STALKER Series, Metro 2033 or Roadside picnic and their respective novels, movies and video games than you will get the basic concept.

Basic Plot:
Immediately following the Japanese Earthquake in 2011 the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station was severely crippled by the resulting Tsunami. The meltdown and explosions of the reactors caused an exclusion zone to be created around the plant. The residents evacuated during the Tsunami were not allowed to return, the potential for radioactive exposure too serious to allow human habitation. Everything was left as it was, the Tsunami damage, the state people left their houses a still life picture brought to life.

Two years later the Fukushima by unknown means suffered a second crippling explosion. The blowout incident further reinforced the restrictions inside the Zone of Exclusion as rumors of mutated creature and dangerous anomalies began to appear. Travel by vehicle or aircraft became almost impossible as the radiated, warped and twisted landscape rejected humanity. The Nuclear Plant is abandoned by it's skeleton crew after attempts by the Self Defense Forces to regain entry to the facility all ended up disaster.

Soon though, people who were brave enough to explore the Zone discover precious artifacts. Items that held amazing, almost magic power to effect their surroundings and their users. From curing cancers or freezing time. These artifacts sell for huge profits, they attract the attention of scientists and investors, governments and militaries world wide.

The only people able to navigate the Zone safely are so-called STALKER's. Adventurers that are able to skirt around the dangers, hiking deep into the dangerous zone to find these artifacts. The most daring believe the most valuable artifacts lie within the NPP it's self and even a rumor that a Wish Granter exists in the reactor core able to grant any wish.
Further details, atmosphere:

It's unsettling in a few ways and shares many similarities with Chernobyl. In Chernobyl people had a bit of a warning, they knew about the evacuation, took stuff with them, shut the doors and locked the windows. In Fukushima everyone literally had 15 minutes to run as far as they could before the Tsunami hit, leaving EVERYTHING behind.

Japanese Society, unlike in the Ukraine is a little different. Chernobyl became the victim of looting, vandalism. In Japan, it's literally the same exact way as people left it. The stores still have shelves and shelves of food and product on them for example.

Also Chernobyl as a city and all the surrounding villages were left intact. In Japan some towns were left too, spared, especially further away from the shore but the closer you get to the coast and NPP the more warped the landscape becomes. Fields of mangled cars, collapsed buildings, abandoned boats two miles inland and so on. And another unsettling thing is a lot of the infastructure still survived. So the lights still come on, the power still works.. things that were left on when people ran away may still be powered up today.

Pictures for setting reference material:


Mutated animals native to Japan replace the typical ones, radiated blind dogs with eyes fused shut for example.
Because of the nature of Japan as a country everything is, different. There is less an importance on firearms, as Japan largely bans them. It's more about exploration, discovery, atmosphere and maybe fear, a bit of stealth. Much of the combat would be hand to hand with improvised weapons.

The NPP of course is the goal of all STALKER's but the closer you get, the more violent it gets, the destroyed landscape rejects you, anomalies are abundant and the environment becomes unstable. The fact that the NPP is on the coast means maybe there could be interesting mutants around the coast as well.

Anomalies can range from violent dangerous ones, cracks that form under your feet, causing you fall in and become crushed or lodged too far down for rescue. Or something unsettling and creepy. TV's turning one by themselves, the sound of people, glimpses of the past, the future, doorways that once passed bring you somewhere you did not intend to go and so on. I want to keep some of the good ideas to myself as a surprise.
Looking for a small group, only two or three others dedicated advanced Roleplayers willing to stake out a story in this environment together. We can discuss ideas and the logistics of it below.

I'm will also consider a "dungeon master / GM" approach to this where the group decides where to go, what to do, how to react and I'll post settings, descriptions, outcomes and so on in response to what they do.