[Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture] Sister city partnership with Ultraman's hometown, M78 Nebula Land of Light? What is Sukagawa City M78 Hikari no Machi?

Which city in Japan has a sister city relationship with Ultraman's hometown, "M78 Nebula Land of Light"? Of course, if you are a fan of "Ultraman", you probably know this.

Sukagawa City has become a sister city with [M78 Nebula Land of Light]

It was May 5, 2013, and a sister city partnership was realized between Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture, the hometown of director Eiji Tsuburaya, known as the "God of Special Effects," and Ultraman's hometown, "M78 Nebula Land of Light." . At the partnership ceremony, the agreement (Japanese version and Ultra text version) was signed by Mayor Sukagawa and Ultra's father, a "Space Security Battalion Commander" from the Land of Light.

Sukagawa City is a municipality located almost in the center of Fukushima Prefecture. The Abukuma River, which flows into the Pacific Ocean, and its tributary, the Shakado River, flow through the center of the city, and people have lived along the Abukuma River since the Paleolithic era. During the Edo period, Sukagawa-juku flourished as a post town on the Oshu Kaido, and Matsuo Basho stayed here for eight days during his journey on the Oku no Hosomichi. In 1993, Fukushima Airport opened in the city, and the city has played the role of a transportation hub for Fukushima Prefecture, both now and in the past.

A sister city partnership with M78 Nebula Land of Light was realized because it is the birthplace of director Eiji Tsuburaya.

Our sister city partner [M78 Nebula Land of Light] is Ultraman's hometown located on a celestial body 3 million light years away.

The reason why [M78 Nebula Land of Light] and Sukagawa City became sister cities is as written in the "memorandum of understanding". It is the birthplace of Eiji Tsuburaya (1901-1970), who is known as "God," and the partnership began in 2013, which marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of Tsuburaya Productions and the 60th anniversary of Sukagawa City's incorporation the following year. It was the year. This initiative is also part of Tsuburaya Productions' efforts to support the recovery of Sukagawa City, which was severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011. It was.

Sukagawa City Ultra Hero Monument

Seven Ultra Hero monuments are dotted along the approximately 1.5km stretch of Torimatsu Dori, which stretches south from JR Sukagawa Station in the center of Sukagawa City, protecting the city. There are also monsters in between. It's fun just to take a walk. The street is lined with Ultraman goods and shops such as SHOP 78 Otsukaya, the official Ultraman shop run by director Eiji Tsuburaya's relatives, and Flatto, the Sukagawa tourism product center, as well as original Ultraman bread and cookies. There are shops selling Ultraman goods and gourmet food that can only be purchased here, such as Bakery Tamakiya, a bakery shop where you can eat ``Bakery Tamakiya'', shops selling Sukagawa's specialty products, and restaurants in the town.

Other monuments can be seen at major spots in the city, such as Ultraman in front of the station, the Ultra Father Monument at City Hall, and the Jet Beetle at Fukushima Airport.

In addition, the melody of the theme song of ``Ultra Seven'' is played every morning and the melody of the theme song of ``The Return of Ultraman'' is played over the disaster prevention radio that can be heard throughout the city every morning.

Anyone can become a resident [Sukagawa City M78 Hikari no Machi]

Do you know about the “virtual city” “Sukagawa City M78 Hikari no Machi” that was created on the web due to the sister city alliance?

This "Sukagawa City M78 Hikari no Machi" is a "virtual town" (website) that introduces various events related to the sister city alliance, and anyone can "register as a resident." !

I'll take a look at the homepage right away.

In the most conspicuous place is the information [Sukagawa City M78 Hikari no Town Resident Registration], so click on it and you will be taken to the resident registration application screen. Enter the required information as instructed and click the apply button, and the registration URL will be sent to the registered email address. Up to this point, resident registration has not yet been completed. Click on the registration URL sent to you to complete your registration. Registration is free.

The resident card includes your name (nickname is acceptable), resident number, address, and the number of square meters of land you own (it's quite large!). With this, I became a resident of "Sukagawa City M78 Hikari no Machi".

Of course, since this is a virtual world, you will not lose your resident registration in the municipality where you currently live, and you will not be required to pay resident tax. Of course, the land is also fictitious.

In return, there are resident benefits.

・Ultra character translation table　

・Cute wallpaper of Ultraman and monsters *There are various fun pictures

・[Sukagawa City M78 Hikari no Town] mail magazine *Information about the town will be sent to you.

Additionally, for a fee (300 yen), you can have a paper resident card issued at Sukagawa City Hall or Sukagawa City Community Plaza (it cannot be issued online or by mail). For those of you who think it's a hassle to go all the way just for a fictitious resident card, Sukagawa City is full of facilities, monuments, gourmet food, and souvenirs related to Ultraman and special effects. It is well worth going out of your way to receive your resident card. Strolling around Sukagawa City is fun.

[Sukagawa City M78 Hikari no Town] Resident Registration

URL: https://m78-sukagawa.jp/

“Sukagawa Special Effects Archive Center” packed with everything about “Special Effects”

The ``Sukagawa Special Effects Archive Center'' collects materials related to the special effects works that were founded by director Eiji Tsuburaya, the god of special effects, and some of them are on display to the public.

Many of the props, masks, dolls, etc. used in filming, such as cities, fighter planes, and battleships, were thrown away after filming, or someone took them home, and many of them were scattered. At the Sukagawa Special Effects Archive Center, as much material as possible is collected, restored, and preserved in order to preserve for future generations the world of special effects that many engineers painstakingly created over many years in an era when there was no such thing as GC. I am. When you look at the various elaborate miniatures, you can witness firsthand the wonders of special effects works that bring everything close to the real thing, not just the main characters.

In addition to many valuable exhibits, the museum is packed with the ``special effects world'' such as the ``audio-visual room'' where special effects short films are shown every day, a townscape for special effects shooting, and a library.

Sukagawa Special Effects Archive Center <Information>

• Facility name: Sukagawa Special Effects Archive Center
• Address: 22 Nakachimae, Hashirata, Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0248-94-5200
• Opening hours: 9:00-17:00
• Admission fee: Free
• Closed: Tuesdays (the following weekday if Tuesday is a holiday)
• Parking: Yes
• URL: https://st

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"Eiji Tsuburaya Museum" where you can see the original Godzilla movie

The Eiji Tsuburaya Museum, located in the Sukagawa Civic Exchange Center Tette, exhibits director Eiji Tsuburaya's footprints, monster and mechanical models, interview footage, a diorama of the special effects studio, and various related books. etc. are on display. What you can look forward to is the special video ``Dream Challenge Godzilla Appears in Sukagawa'', which was shot by current special effects staff using the original Godzilla suit (reproduction). This is a 14-minute video that can only be seen at the Eiji Tsuburaya Museum. In addition, in the hands-on content "Craft Kaiju Daikoshin," you can create your own original monster by combining parts.

*As of June 2022, "Craft Kaiju Daikoshin" is suspended to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus infection (reopening date is undecided, please contact us)

Eiji Tsuburaya Museum＜Information＞

• Facility name: Eiji Tsuburaya Museum (inside Sukagawa Citizen Exchange Center “tette”)
• Address: 4-1 Nakamachi, Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0248-73-4407
• Opening hours: 9:00-17:00
• Admission fee: Free
• Closed: Tuesdays, December 29th - January 3rd
• Parking: Yes
• URL: https://s-tette.jp/

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Sukagawa City is a really fun Ultraman town. Why not become a resident of "Sukagawa City M78 Hikari no Machi" and explore Sukagawa City?

Sukagawa City＜Information＞

• Contact: Sukagawa City Tourism and Products Promotion Association
• Phone number: 0248-88-9144
• URL: https://www.sukagawa-kankoukyoukai.jp/

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