Inside Iino, Fukushima’s UFO village Today 06:28 am JST By M. R. Lucas IINO, Fukushima On the southwestern edge of Fukushima City, the rural district of Inomachi initially appears like any other small mountain town in Japan. A few shops remain open while older storefronts rust away and stay shuttered. Narrow roads lead into farmland or disappear into quiet hills. The threat of depopulation looms over everything — until the details begin to shift. Alien mascots adorn road signs. The elementary school entrance resembles a UFO. Streetlights mimic flying saucers, and even the community center features a saucer-shaped canopy. All of it sits under Senganmori, the sharply conical 462.5-meter mountain that overlooks the town. Iino may not resemble the Nevada desert, but it is the closest thing Japan has to Roswell. For generations, locals have associated the mountain with mysterious lights in the sky. How Iino embraced its UFO identity Mount Senganmori rising above the farms and homes of Iino. Image: Toshio Kanno/UFO Fureikan Director Toshio Kanno of the UFO Fureaikan (Friendship Center), a municipal UFO museum located halfway up Senganmori, puts it simply in an interview with Japan Today: “UFOs are our killer content — something no other town has in the same way.” Iino’s reputation grew in the 1970s when increased sightings and media coverage brought Senganmori into the national UFO conversation. The town has more recently embraced this identity, using it to rebuild pride and attract visitors. Kanno often tells local children, “You’re from the UFO town. Be proud of that.” Monthly community meetings focus on creating UFO-themed products and promoting local foods. In 2024, the town launched Soratobu Enban — a sake brewed with local rice and yeast that was sent into space — as part of its broader revitalization efforts. Inside Japan’s only UFO museum The UFO Fureaikan, located partway up Mount Senganmori. Image: Toshio Kanno / UFO Fureaikan Opened in 1992, the UFO Fureaikan sits along a cedar-lined mountain road. Its octagonal structure resembles a craft that landed in the early 1990s and never took off. After Iino merged with Fukushima City in 2008, the museum became part of the city’s cultural network. From Tokyo, Fukushima station is about 90 minutes on the Tohoku Shinkansen. From the station, take a 30-minute bus to the UFO-themed stop in Iino, then transfer for a short ride up the mountain. The museum attracts about 25,000 visitors each year, with 60–70% coming from outside Fukushima Prefecture. International visitors account for less than 5%. “The core fans — UFO maniacs — come from all over Japan, from Hokkaido down to Okinawa,” Kanno says. Inside, there are over 3,000 UFO-related items, including every issue of MU magazine — named after the lost continent “Mu” and regarded as Japan’s longest-running UFO and paranormal publication. The museum collection also contains photographs, replicas of artifacts and documents gathered by Arai Kiichi, one of Japan’s pioneering UFO researchers. According to Kanno, some of these include declassified CIA materials passed to Arai by American contacts. A short 3D film showcases Senganmori’s legends, and the top-floor sentō-style bath offers views of the Adatara range. Museum admission, which includes bath access, is ¥400 for adults and ¥200 for students. Shampoo, soap and dryers are provided, and towels are sold for ¥100. Outside, UFO Village continues the theme in a calm, lived-in way. What to eat and explore in the UFO Village Pinkara Stone Ramen served in a bowl carved from Mount Senganmori-sourced basalt. Image: Toshio Kanno/UFO Fureaikan Across from the museum, Panorama Restaurant serves the town’s signature dishes. The Double Jidori Ramen — made with Aizu jidori, a premium local chicken breed, and Kawamata game fowl, known for its rich, lean flavor — has been featured in national ramen publications and is available only while the broth lasts. Flying Fish Ramen adds another airborne theme, chosen because the fish leaps out of the sea. Pinkara Stone Ramen, served in bowls carved from magnetized pinkara-ishi basalt, is the most eye-catching item. Each bowl weighs about 10 kilograms, but the presentation has made it a defining attraction for visitors and photographers. A short walk down the slope leads to Kote Shrine, dedicated to Izanagi and Izanami, the divine pair from Japan’s creation story. Its forested, traditional setting contrasts with the alien motifs above, and its uncertain founding date adds to the area’s aura of mystery. The annual UFO festival in Fukushima Every November, Iino becomes Japan’s center of extraterrestrial excitement during the UFO Festival. The 2025 event, the fourth annual, on Nov. 8, drew about 4,000 visitors — almost matching the town’s population. The Alien Costume Parade included 130 participants ranging from cardboard creations to hyperreal designs. Stage events featured comedy performances, live music, and a discussion led by Takeharu Mikami, head of the Japan-based International Unidentified Flying Object Research Institute and editor-in-chief of MU. A Nissin Yakisoba UFO stall and local dishes, such as elephant-garlic gyoza, drew long lines throughout the day. The following morning, visitors joined the Senganmori Mystery Tour, a guided hike with Mikami limited to about 100 people. Kanno expects next year’s festival to take place around Nov. 7 and 8. Climbing Mount Senganmori The UFO Contact Deck at the top of Mount Senganmori. Image: クッキー /Pixta The trail to the summit takes about 20 minutes and passes more than 30 iwakura — megaliths considered dwellings of spirits. Stone alien statues line the path, and signs mix safety information with UFO-themed humor. Senganmori is known for magnetic anomalies. In certain areas, compasses may spin or point in unexpected directions due to the mountain’s basaltic composition. Legends tell of a giant carrying stones in a basket and stacking them into the mountain’s pyramid-like form. At the summit, the UFO Contact Deck offers panoramic views of the Azuma, Adatara, Abukuma, and Zao mountain ranges. Visitors often chant, ‘Bentora, Bentora, space people, this is a great town!’ — a playful phrase that emerged during Japan’s 1970s UFO boom and is treated as a lighthearted spell to welcome extraterrestrial guests. Why Iino’s UFO Village stands out One of the many stone alien figures found throughout the UFO Village. Image: Toshio Kanno/UFO Fureaikan Iino doesn't attempt to settle the UFO debate or claim to have definitive proof. What the town holds onto is the feeling — the sense of uncertainty that turns a quiet mountain into a place of possibility. Kanno described one such moment from a recent event: “I saw a yellowish glowing object moving in the sky.” He then summarized the town’s appeal: “That moment when someone thinks: ‘What was that?’ That not knowing — that’s the heart of the UFO experience.” Iino’s UFO Village offers a unique experience not found anywhere else in Japan, showing how a quiet mountain town can transform curiosity into community pride. UFO Fureaikan Address: 1-299 Aoki Kotekamimori, Iino-cho, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture 960-1303 Hours: 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (bath: 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) Closed: Mondays (next day if Monday is a public holiday); Dec. 29–Jan. 3 Phone: 024-562-2002 (UFO Interaction Center); 024-562-4771 (UFO Products Museum) Source: https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/inside-iino-fukushima-ufo-village