There can be few tougher jobs than the one that Zoe Vincent has taken on.

More than five years after the east coast of Japan was rocked by the largest earthquake in living memory – a magnitude nine tremor that triggered a devastating tsunami which, in turn, crippled three nuclear reactors – the 23-year-old Briton's task is to highlight Fukushima Prefecture... as a tourist destination.

She is undaunted at the scale of the undertaking, however, and insists that a region that has become synonymous with tragedy is one of the most scenic, historic and welcoming regions of Japan. And it's safe.

Fukushima prefecture covers more than 5,320 square miles and is renowned for its spectacular scenery Credit: alamy

"Yes, it's a big task, but we just have to crack on," said Vincent, who is originally from Milton Keynes.

I get asked if it is safe to eat the local food and whether people are still living here. And the answer is, of course, always yes Zoe Vincent, Fukushima Overseas Promotion Specialist

Vincent can vividly remember seeing images of the March 2011 disaster unfolding on television while she was still in the UK, but it never put her off starting a Japanese Studies degree at Edinburgh University and later taking a job teaching in Nagasaki.

She joined the Fukushima Prefecture Tourism and Local Products Association in August as its Overseas Promotion Specialist, and has already delivered presentations to travel firms in Malaysia and Australia.

She is also promoting the prefecture through websites, on social media and through her blog, and has discovered that photos of some of the region's top sites attract a lot of attention.

"The most frequently asked question is about safety. Most people have no idea of the size of the areas that have been affected by the radiation", she said. "I also get asked if it is safe to eat the local food and whether people are still living here. And the answer, of course, is always yes."

"The prefecture had a lot of 'disaster tourism', but we want to move towards 'hope tourism'," said Vincent Credit: alamy

At present, 130 square miles of the prefecture immediately surrounding the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant are categorised as "difficult-to-return-to zones", where radiation levels spiked above 50 millisieverts per year after the three reactors suffered meltdowns.

The prefecture, however, covers more than 5,320 square miles and is renowned for its 135 onsen (hot springs), spectacular scenery, cherry blossoms in spring, and impressive local cuisine – including the "best" peaches in Japan.

"Immediately after March 2011, the prefecture had a lot of 'disaster tourism', but we want to move towards 'hope tourism', to change the image of Fukushima and to look towards the future," said Vincent.

The prefecture counts visitors by the number of nights they spend in local accommodation, with the figure for the year from January 2010 coming to slightly over 96,000 nights. In the year of the disaster, that plummeted to 27,540 but it recovered to 56,420 in 2015.

"I have felt passionate about this job since I started and I know there is no point in feeling intimidated about the scale of the task," Vincent said. "We just have to figure out the best way to go forward".