[Fukushima] If you want to meet aliens, go to Fukushima! ? Iino Town's specialty is UFO. 　

Have you ever seen a UFO?
I only have it once. But I haven't met an alien yet, right? So I visited Iino-cho (formerly Iino-cho, Date District) in Fukushima City. Iino, known as the home of UFOs, is home to a facility called the UFO Fureaikan. I am intrigued by the fact that it is not a museum, archive, or memorial hall, but a "fureai" hall.

Let me introduce you to the UFO Fureaikan, which is a must-visit not only for people interested in UFOs but also for gourmets (I'll explain why later!).

Why is it a UFO village in the first place?

There have been many UFO sightings around Senganmori in the north of Iino Town for a long time.
By the way, Senganmori is not a forest but a mountain.
The mountain itself is full of mysteries, with a beautiful conical shape and strong magnetic field, and there are also mysterious megaliths surrounding it. If you analyze this area using Senganmori as a key point, you will see why it is called the Mystery Zone.

This area is described in detail in ``The Mystery of Senganmori,'' which is being shown in the 3D theater at UFO Fureaikan.
This is a very convincing video, and I couldn't help but watch it. ``The Mystery of Senganmori'' can be screened by asking a staff member after viewing the permanent exhibition.

Mystery zone? to the exhibition room through

I wrote about the 3D theater earlier, but let's start again from the entrance.

First, pay the 400 yen admission fee at the reception desk, then turn left.
Once you pass through a somewhat kitschy place called the "Mystery Zone Entrance," you will find a passageway lit with blue light. If you pass through here, you will reach the exhibition room.
The exhibition room is divided into the ``Space Area'' and ``Alien Area,'' and the highlight is the ``Alien Area,'' where there are UFOs and aliens.

In addition to the panel exhibits that change from time to time, there is also a corner with alien figures where you can take commemorative photos.
Explanations of various UFO sightings around the world, UFO photos, and research documents related to UFOs are also on display.
Also pay attention to the library donated by UFO researcher Kinichi Arai. If you're a UFO enthusiast, you might find the book you've been wanting to read here.

There are some well-known episodes of UFO sightings, but if you read the explanation again, the movie "Independence Day" will become much more familiar. What would we do if a giant, aggressive UFO came flying...Will the current Japanese government be okay? I started to worry.

It might be a good idea to take a bath and wait for a UFO.

After viewing the exhibition room and 3D theater on the first floor, head to the second floor.
There is a bath.
Visitors can bathe freely in the men's and women's observation baths. Since it is a bath with a view, the view is quite spectacular.
If you saw a UFO while soaking in the bathtub, wouldn't your heart skip a beat just thinking about it?

There is a large Japanese-style room on the same floor as the bath, where you can lie down and take a break. The view overlooking the mountains from this Japanese-style room is wonderful. Perhaps because it was a weekday, it was very quiet and relaxing.

Then I suddenly thought that if your companion has no interest in UFOs or hates UFOs (?), you can just have them stay on the second floor while you enjoy the first floor. It seems possible to use it like that.

After the UFO Fureaikan, head to the UFO Products Center

The UFO Products Center is located down the hill from the UFO Fureaikan.

As the name suggests, you can purchase products from Iino Town and the surrounding area here. I especially recommend things related to UFOs. There are some things that are hard to find elsewhere.

A panoramic restaurant is attached to the product hall.
There are various light meals on the menu, but I tried the double chicken ramen (salt), which is said to be the best.
The base of the soup is made using the bones of two types of chicken that are representative of Fukushima: Kawamata gamecock, a specialty of Kawamata Town near Iino, and Aizu Jidori.
The message on the banner was an understatement: ``Delicious! It's supposed to be'', but this is definitely delicious. To be honest, I was quite surprised. And it's only 650 yen.

And the two types of fried foods, Hodahoda Ball and Danda Ball, are also amazing.
It was so delicious that I asked the staff, ``How do you make this?'' He answered, ``Hodahoda balls are made with seasoned rice mixed with vegetable curry, and two types of cheese at the core. I make it into a rice ball, wrap the pork belly around the outside, dip it twice in bread crumbs mixed with grated cheese, and fry it for a long time.'' It was briefly explained, but I can't help but wonder how much time and effort it took... Japanese-flavored dandan balls are also available. And even though it's very filling, it only costs 110 yen! I want you to kneel down in front of the convenience store fries.

Also, although it was sold out when I visited, I was told that you can also drink coffee made here using beans from Bakuguri Coffee, a famous shop in Iitate Village that is currently operating in Fukushima City.

I highly recommend the panoramic dining room, including its view.
I thought I would come again just to eat here.

After the UFO Fureaikan, I also want to visit the shopping street and Senganmori promenade.

It takes less than 30 minutes by car from Fukushima Station to UFO Fureaikan. By bus, take the JR bus bound for Kawamata High School from the east exit of Fukushima Station, get off at the "UFO no Sato" bus stop, and walk for about 10 minutes (as it is uphill). It's surprisingly close.

It would be great if you could see a UFO here!
But if you can't see it, try walking along the Senganmori UFO trail.
It might also be a good idea to visit Iino town. There are aliens everywhere in the Iino-cho shopping district thanks to the ``meet and greet project'' that invites aliens to the town!

INFORMATION