[Iitate Village, Fukushima Prefecture] The most beautiful village blessed with nature “Maina Village Iitate”

Iitate Village is a village surrounded by beautiful nature on a plateau at an altitude of 400 meters in the northern part of the Abukuma Mountains. Iitate Village coexists with rich nature and is a member of the ``Japan's Most Beautiful Villages Association.''

What kind of place is Iitate Village?

Iitate Village is located in the northern part of the Abukuma Mountain Range, about an hour's drive from Fukushima City.
The average annual temperature is approximately 10 degrees Celsius, and the annual precipitation is around 1,300 mm, making it a cool climate unique to the highlands. The winters are bitterly cold, but the summers are cool and pleasant. In the midst of rich nature, we have preserved and inherited the ``modest lifestyle'' that is unique to Iitate Village.

However, when the Great East Japan Earthquake hit in 2011, an unprecedented disaster, Iitate Village was affected by the nuclear power plant accident, and the entire village was forced to evacuate.

The evacuation order was lifted in 2017, six years later.
Currently, around 1,500 people live in Iitate Village, about one-fourth of the number before the earthquake.

Iitate Village issues a "Furusato Resident Card" to those who have an interest in the village as a "Furusato Resident."It is said to be a way to deepen connections with those who support Iitate Village and to cherish long-term emotional exchanges.
There are over 900 people outside the village, outside the prefecture, and even overseas who have a ``Furusato Residence Card'' that proves that they care for Iitate Village, and everyone involved in the village is moving forward together.

What is “Madei” that symbolizes Iitate Village?

Iitate Village is known as "Maina Village".

``Madei'' comes from the word ``true hand'' (both hands together).
It has the meanings of ``without sparing time'', ``carefully'', ``with all your heart'', ``humblely'', ``with all your heart'', ``taking your time'', and ``slowly''.

“Eat as much as you can.”
“Raise your children as quickly as possible.”

The word "madei" has been used since ancient times. The slow life of the Iitate style is called the ``Madei Life,'' and has been the basic philosophy of building the village.

Special products of Iitate village

Iitate beef, a type of Japanese black beef, is highly rated as a branded beef. Before the earthquake, the area was known as a producer of Wagyu beef under the Iitate Beef brand, with 230 cattle farms raising 2,800 head of cattle.

However, due to the nuclear accident, everyone was evacuated from the village.
Cattle farmers were forced to close down or relocate to other areas, or continue their business in other areas. In 2019, dairy farming resumed in Iitate for the first time in 8 years and 4 months! Eight breeding farms have reopened, earning profits by selling calves born to parent cows to other areas. (November 2020)

At the roadside station in the village, we are selling retort products such as hamburgers that will last 365 days at room temperature in hopes of the revival of Iitate beef.

Other specialties include highland vegetables that take advantage of the cold climate, flowers such as lisianthus, frozen rice cakes, frozen daikon radish, and doburoku.

The symbol of the village “Iitate Village Roadside Station Mai-kan”

The roadside station opened in August 2017 as one of the bases responsible for the reconstruction and revitalization of Iitate Village.

The first thing that catches your eye when you enter the roadside station building is the flowers spread out on the ceiling!The theme of Maikan is flowers, which are the village's core industry, and the roof in the center of the building is designed to resemble a flower basket.You will be greeted by bright flowers that are carefully cared for throughout the year.

The Maikan is an essential part of life in the village, with a product store, farm direct sales store, food corner, and convenience store. As it is one of the few commercial facilities in the village, many villagers and construction workers working in the village visited during lunchtime.

At the farmers' market, vegetables and seasonal flowers such as lisianthus, gypsophila, and stock are on sale, which have been painstakingly grown by villagers who have resumed farming in Iitate Village as a recovery base. When I visited in August, colorful dahlias were on sale at unbelievable prices. There are also repeat customers who come to buy fresh flowers.

Also,“Doburoku” in Iitate Village, which is certified as a special Doburoku zoneYou can purchase specialty products from the village such as local sake and local sake. You can also enjoy meals such as the special pork bowl made with rice from Iitate Village and the Natsuhaze soft serve topped with homemade natsugoby jam.

On the north side of Maikan, there is a multipurpose plaza called Fukaya Kazeko Hiroba.
There is plenty of space for children to run around, including flower paths and grassy fields. We also discovered the Pokemon manhole “Poke Lid” in Iitate Village!
There is also an indoor exercise facility with wooden slides and puzzles, so you can have fun no matter the weather.

INFORMATION

• Name: Iitate Village Roadside Station Maikan
• Address: 12-1 Fukaya, Iitate Village, Soma District, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0244-42-1080
• Access: 1 hour by car from JR Fukushima Station, 30 minutes by car from Minamisoma IC on the Joban Expressway
• Business hours: March-October 9:30-18:00 November-February 9:30-17:00
• Closed: Every Wednesday, year-end and New Year holidays

GOOGLE MAP

Ebisu-an, a place for villagers to relax

Ebisuan is a long-established restaurant that has been operating in Iitate Village for over 60 years.After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, it moved to Fukushima City and continued its operations, but in April 2019, it was the first restaurant in the village to reopen for the first time in six years.

Ebisuan's specialty is the special udon noodles that are made by hand early every morning!Among them, "Gomoku Udon" is said to be the most popular menu item at the restaurant. A hearty dish with plenty of stir-fried ingredients such as cabbage, chives, carrots, and pork.

On this day, I received ``Niku Udon'' and ``Inari-san''.
Ebisuan's handmade noodles have a good texture, and rather than being slippery and slippery, the udon feels more chewy and chewy, like ``suiton'' or ``dango soup.'' It was a gentle and heartwarming cup that made me feel nostalgic even though I had it for the first time.

During the lunch time, in addition to villagers who were in the middle of farming, there were also many workers who had come to work in Iitate Village for reconstruction work.
It is probably a place of relaxation for people related to Iitate Village.

Additionally, in 2018, the idol group Arashi visited as part of the NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen program. As a fanatic writer, I was able to enjoy a meal at a table where members of Arashi were sitting, and this is the only time I felt excited.

INFORMATION

• Name: Ebisuan
• Address: 101 Ihi Azacho, Iitate Village, Soma District, Fukushima Prefecture
• Phone number: 0244-43-2018
• Business hours: 11:00-15:00
• Closed: Tuesday

GOOGLE MAP

Maina Village Iitate Summary

When I visited Iitate Village in August, it was a midsummer day with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees, but Iitate Village was a very pleasant place with a cool breeze. The sunflower field that blooms across from the roadside station Mai-kan is so tranquil that you forget the passage of time and want to stare at it forever.

Iitate Village has recovered from the earthquake and is steadily moving forward on a new path!
We would be happy if you could learn about the current situation of ``Maeina Village Iitate'', which is moving forward with ``sparing no effort'' and ``carefully''.