Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture, is a sister city partner with Ultraman's hometown, "M78 Nebula."

Which Japanese city has a sister city relationship with Ultraman's hometown, the "Land of Light, Nebula M78"? Of course, if you're an Ultraman fan, you probably already know

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Sukagawa City Becomes Sister City with the Land of Light in the M78 Nebula

On May 5th, 2013, Sukagawa City in Fukushima Prefecture, the hometown of director Eiji Tsuburaya, known as the "God of Special Effects," and Ultraman's hometown, the "Land of Light in the M78 Nebula," became sister cities. At the sisterhood ceremony, the Mayor of Sukagawa and Father of Ultra, the "Space Guard Battalion Commander" from the Land of Light, signed an agreement (in Japanese and Ultra text)

Sukagawa City is a municipality located almost in the center of Fukushima Prefecture. The Abukuma River and its tributary, the Shakado River, flow through the center of the city, emptying into the Pacific Ocean. People have lived along the Abukuma River since the Paleolithic period. During the Edo period, Sukagawa-juku flourished as a post town on the Oshu Kaido road, and Matsuo Basho stayed there for eight days during his journey in "Oku no Hosomichi." Fukushima Airport opened in the city in 1993, and the city continues to serve as a transportation hub for Fukushima Prefecture

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Due to the fact that it is the birthplace of director Eiji Tsuburaya, a sister city relationship was formed with the "Land of Light in the M78 Nebula."

Our sister city partner, the Land of Light in the M78 Nebula, is the home of Ultraman, located in a celestial body 3 million light years away

As for why the "Land of Light in the M78 Nebula" and Sukagawa became sister cities, as written in the "Agreement," Sukagawa is the hometown of Eiji Tsuburaya (1901-1970), known as the "God of Special Effects" for his work on Godzilla and Ultraman, and 2013, when the partnership began, marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of Tsuburaya Productions, and the following year marked the 60th anniversary of Sukagawa City's incorporation. Furthermore, this initiative was also part of Tsuburaya Productions' efforts to support the recovery of Sukagawa City, which was severely damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011, as they are focusing on disaster relief activities

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Sukagawa City Ultra Hero Monument

Stretching south from JR Sukagawa Station in the center of Sukagawa City, Taimatsu Street (Torch Street) stretches for approximately 1.5 km. Seven Ultra Hero monuments are dotted along the street, guarding the city. Monsters can also be seen among them. Just strolling around is enjoyable. The street is lined with Ultraman goods shops, such as "SHOP 78 Otsuka-ya," an official Ultraman shop run by a relative of director Eiji Tsuburaya, and "Sukagawa Tourist and Souvenir Center Flatto," as well as shops selling exclusive Ultraman goods, gourmet food, and Sukagawa local specialties, including Bakery Tamakiya, a bakery that serves original Ultraman bread and cookies. Local restaurants and eateries are also available

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

In addition, the theme song for "Ultra Seven" is played every morning, and the theme song for "Return of Ultraman" is played in the evening over the disaster prevention radio that can be heard throughout the city

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

Have you heard of Sukagawa City M78 Town of Light, a virtual city created on the web as a result of the sister city partnership?

This "Sukagawa City M78 Town of Light" is a "virtual town" (website) that introduces various events related to the sister city partnership, and anyone can "register as a resident"!

I'll take a quick look at the homepage

The most prominent information is for [Sukagawa City M78 Hikari no Machi Resident Registration], so if you click on it, you will be taken to the resident registration application screen. Enter the required information as instructed and click the application button. A registration URL will be sent to the registered email address. Resident registration is not yet complete. Click on the registration URL sent to complete the registration. Registration is free

The resident registration card contains your name (nicknames are allowed), resident number, address, and the size of the land you own (it's quite large!). Now you are officially a resident of "Sukagawa City M78 Hikari no Machi."

Of course, since it is a virtual world, you will still be registered as a resident in the local government where you currently live, and you will not be charged resident taxes. Of course, the land is also fictitious

In return, there are resident benefits

・Ultra character translation table　

・Cute wallpapers of Ultraman and monsters *Various fun pictures available

・[Sukagawa City M78 Town of Light] email newsletter *Information about the town will be sent to you

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

[Sukagawa City M78 Hikari no Machi] Resident Registration

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

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The Sukagawa Special Effects Archive Center is packed with everything about special effects

The Sukagawa Special Effects Archive Center collects materials related to special effects works, the foundation of which was laid by director Eiji Tsuburaya, the god of special effects, and some of these materials are open to the public

Many of the towns, fighter planes, battleships, and other props used in filming, as well as masks and dolls, were either discarded or taken away after filming was completed, resulting in the scattering of all sorts of items. The Sukagawa Special Effects Archive Center has collected, restored, and preserved as much material as possible to preserve for future generations the world of special effects that many technicians meticulously created over many years, in an era before gas turbines. Seeing the various elaborate miniatures, you can see for yourself the incredible quality of special effects, which not only made the main characters, but everything else, look as close to the real thing as possible

In addition to numerous valuable exhibits, the museum is packed with the world of special effects, including an audiovisual room where special effects short films are screened every day, a townscape used for special effects filming, and a library

Sukagawa Special Effects Archive Center <Information>

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

Google Maps

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Eiji Tsuburaya Museum: See the original Godzilla movie

The Eiji Tsuburaya Museum, located inside the Sukagawa Community Center Tette, features exhibits that trace the footsteps of director Eiji Tsuburaya, as well as monster and mecha models, interview footage, a diorama of the special effects studio, and various related books. A must-see is the special video "Dream Challenge: Godzilla Appears in Sukagawa," shot by current special effects staff using a replica of the original Godzilla suit. This approximately 14-minute video can only be seen at the Eiji Tsuburaya Museum. Additionally, the interactive content "Craft Monster Construction" allows you to create your own original monster by combining parts

*As of June 2022, Craft Monster Museum is currently closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (reopening date is undecided, please inquire)

Eiji Tsuburaya Museum <Information>

• Facility name: Eiji Tsuburaya Museum (inside Sukagawa Civic 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 to January 3rd
• Parking: Yes
• URL: https://s-tette.jp/

Google Maps

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Sukagawa City is a truly fun city, home to Ultraman. Why not become a resident of "Sukagawa City M78 Town of Light" 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/

Google Maps

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