2019-2020 Fellow: Kat Lonsdorf | Japan
Kat Lonsdorf is a Wisconsin native who started learning Japanese as a kid. She worked in the restaurant industry and hosted an educational travel show for kids all across the globe before landing at NPR’s All Things Considered, where she has truly considered all the things, from hard-hitting pieces about Zimbabwe’s election to soft-hitting pieces about the everlasting legacy of Bob Ross.
She pitched us a story from Fukushima, Japan — site of the second-largest nuclear disaster in history — where evacuated residents were allowed to return to their long-deserted hometowns nearly a decade later.
Kat shipped off to Japan in February 2020, and her reporting trip was cut short by the pandemic. That didn't stop her from reporting a deep roster of stories in a short time.
2023 Update: Kat is a producer for NPR’s All Things Considered. You can follow her on Twitter @lilkat_bigworld
“Tiny Field In Tokyo Marathon Another Casualty Of Japan's Coronavirus Response” — All Things Considered, 3/2/2020
“Tokyo Cherry Blossom Festival Draws Crowds Despite Coronavirus Warnings” — NPR.org, 3/24/2020
“Now Postponed, The Olympic Torch Relay Was To Bring Hope To Ravaged Fukushima” — All Things Considered, 3/26/2020
“A Reminder That Nature Is Strong’: In Japan, A 1,000-Year-Old Cherry Tree Blooms” — All Things Considered, 4/14/2020
“What Recovery Looks Like In Japan Almost A Decade After Fukushima Nuclear Disaster” — Two-Way: All Things Considered, 9/7/2020
“The Ghost Towns Behind The Gates” — NPR.org, 9/8/2020
“How 2 Towns That Host Fukushima Power Plant Recover After 2011 Nuclear Disaster” — All Things Considered, 9/8/2020
“How The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Affected The Energy Industry In Japan” — All Things Considered, 9/9/2020
“After 2011 Disaster, Fukushima Embraced Solar Power. The Rest Of Japan Has Not” — All Things Considered, 9/10/2020
“Fukushima Has Turned These Grandparents Into Avid Radiation Testers” — Weekend Edition, 9/11/2020
“A Karaoke Bar Is Helping A Japanese Town Come Back To Life After Fukushima Disaster” — All Things Considered, 9/12/2020