Wonderful bike & train tour in Fukushima 福島大好きおじさんの自転車・鉄道旅日記

（#Hill of Feelings, Shinchi, Dec. 3, 2022. #想いの丘 新地12/3/2022）
Today I visited Shinchi Town in the northernmost of coastal Hamadori region. Coastal area of the town was devastated by tsunami at the time of March 11th, 2011 earthquake. The tsunami wave destroyed Shinchi railway station and further came up close to the town office. 1/5th of the town area was inundated and 119 residents became the victims. Photo above shows Hill of Feelings, a memorial monument for the disaster.
本日は、浜通り最北端の新地町を訪れました。2011年の大震災で、町面積の5分の1が浸水し119人が犠牲になりました。写真は、慰霊碑「想いの丘」です。


（#Hill of Feelings, Shinchi, Dec. 3, 2022. #想いの丘 新地12/3/2022）
The hill is about 10 meters high, which is estimated as the height of the tsunami. From the photo above you can imagine how high the tsunami wave came from the ocean and assaulted the town.
想いの丘は、高さ10mです。町を襲ったとみられる高さです。写真から、如何に高かったか想像できます。


A panel shown above explains that a pair of stone pillars of the monument describe people helping each other, and a bell in the center means hope toward future.
慰霊碑の脇の説明では、2つの石柱が支えあう人々を、中央の鐘は希望を表すとあります。


The description on a stone shown above explains that there was local graveyard for this district in here but the gravestones and ashes were all washed by the tsunami. They were collected and now are at Ryushoji Temple graveyard 2km away on a higher ground.
写真の石の説明では、震災前ここには地区の墓地が有ったがお墓は津波で流されてしまった。現在、墓石と遺骨は集められ2km離れた高台の龍昌寺にあります。


（#Disaster Prevention Park, Shinchi, Dec. 3, 2022. #釣師防災緑地公園 新地12/3/2022）
A large disaster prevention green space park was developed along the coastal area where tsunami hit. Photo above shows the park office in the center.
津波が襲った沿岸部には、大規模な防災緑地公園が整備されました。写真は、その管理棟です。




（#Disaster Prevention Park, Shinchi, Dec. 3, 2022. #釣師防災緑地公園 新地12/3/2022）
A large-scale disaster prevention forest is under development as shown in the pictures above.
公園内には、広大な防災林が出来つつあります。（写真）


（#Disaster Prevention Park, Shinchi, Dec. 3, 2022. #釣師防災緑地公園 新地12/3/2022）
There are many routes of walkways in the park. One of them is an elevated walkway as shown above. This connects the park center and the upper walkway where you can look out over the ocean, beaches, and fishing ports. A mountain you see beyond the extension of this pathway is Mt. Karo, a landmark of Shinchi. It’s about 4 hours of walking from the station to the summit.
公園内には、歩道がいくつも整備されています。写真はその1つで、空中歩道と呼びます。園の中央部と、海・海岸・漁港などを見渡せるしおさい歩道を結びます。写真で空中歩道の延長線上にある山は、新地町のシンボルの鹿狼山です。駅から頂上まで歩いて4時間ほどです。


Photo above shows Tsurushihama seaside beach seen from the upper walkway along the coast. The beach was restored from the disaster.
写真は、釣師浜海水浴場です。公園のしおさい歩道から見ました。津波被災から復旧しています。


Photo above shows Fukko Flag or revitalization flag at the center of the park.
写真は、公園中央にある復興フラッグです。


（#Shinchi Energy Center, Dec. 3, 2022. #新地エネルギーセンター 12/3/2022）
Photo above shows Shinchi Energy Center located 5-minute walk north from the station. This provides electricity, warm and cold waters to the neighborhood area including hotels, public bathhouse, and community center. It generates energy by cogeneration system using LNG and solar power. It also stores electricity using lithium-ion batteries.
写真は、駅から北へ5分ほど歩いたところにある新地エネルギーセンターです。ここから近隣の施設に、電気・温水・冷水を供給しています。ホテル・温浴施設・町民会館なども対象です。LNGのコジェネレーションシステムと太陽光発電がリソースです。リチウムイオン電池の蓄電も行っています。


Photo above shows the route of providing each energy underneath the ground to each facility.
写真は、各施設へのエネルギー供給の地下の配管を指しています。


Photo above shows Shinchi Station of JR Joban Line. This is the northernmost railway station in Hamadori region. Because the former station was completely washed away by the tsunami, this is the new one.
写真は、JR常磐線の新地駅です。浜通り最北端の鉄道駅です。震災前の駅が津波で破壊されたため、新駅です。


Photo above shows a scale model of the former Shinchi Station before the disaster.
写真は、震災前の旧駅の模型です。


As you leave the station, on your left you can find tourist information center as shown above. They also provide free rental bike if you wish.
駅を出て左の建物に、写真の観光案内所があります。希望なら、無料のレンタサイクルもあります。


And beyond the tourist center building there is a small park area called Kankaido Park. There is a monument for a historic school called Kankaido, the building of which stood there before the disaster. But the historic building was washed away by the tsunami.
観光案内所の向こうに小さな観海堂公園があります。震災前にここに建っていて、津波で流された観海堂という校舎（史跡）の記念碑があります。


A description board by the monument shown above says that the school was established in 1872, the first ever school in modern Japanese education system. But the school building was much older, it was built in 1769 more than 250 years ago.
記念碑の脇の写真の説明文では、学校は近代日本最初の学校として1872年に開校し、校舎は更に古く250年以上前の1769年（江戸時代）建立とのことです。

The exact route and locations are shown in a map below. The map can be scaled up and down with click and scroll. Walking distance today was about 7km.
ルートと場所は、下の地図を参照ください。地図は、クリックとスクロールで、拡大・縮小が可能です。今回歩いた距離は、約7kmでした。

（Iwaki Tanabata Festival, Iwaki, August 8, 2019. いわき七夕まつり いわき 8/8/2019）
Today was another hot mid-summer day in Fukushima. Iwaki Tanabata Festival or the Star Festival took place at the main streets in front of JR Iwaki Station. A number of large tanabata decorations swayed as they were hung above the crowds as shown in the picture above. Well known Sendai Tanabata Festival was also being held on the same day in Miyagi Prefecture, but please be reminded that this local tanbata festival was also great.
今日も、福島県は暑い真夏の日でした。いわき駅前の通りでは、いわき七夕まつりが開催され、写真のような七夕飾りが多数風に舞いました。宮城の仙台七夕まつりが有名ですが、いわきの地元の方々のこのお祭りも盛大です。






（Iwaki Tanabata Festival, Iwaki, August 8, 2019. いわき七夕まつり いわき 8/8/2019）
Some other photos of today were shown in the pictures above. There were many kinds of them.
七夕飾りは、写真のようにたくさんの種類がありました。


（Usuiso Beach, Iwaki, August 8, 2019. 薄磯海水浴場 いわき 8/8/2019）
In the meantime, more beaches along the Pacific coast reopened in this season (a total of 7) as the reconstruction work of seawalls and access roads were completed after they were destructed by the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Usuiso beach was one of them, which reopened in 2017, and which was located right next to a landmark Shioyazaki Lighthouse as shown in a picture above. Although not so many people were on the beach today, still, many local families were enjoying sunbathing and swimming.
一方で、この夏更に多くの海水浴場が福島の浜通りで再開（全7カ所）しました。2011年の東日本大震災で壊れた防潮堤や道路の再建が完成したからです。薄磯海水浴場（2017年再開）もその1つで、ランドマークの塩屋崎灯台のすぐとなりにあります。本日は、地元の家族連れが多く来て楽しんでいました。


Usuiso district was severely hit by the tsunami at the time and today new seawalls were built and also new disaster prevention forest belt higher than the seawall was added in the inland area as shown above. The young trees have just started to grow.
震災当時、薄磯地区は津波の大被害がありましたが、現在新たな防潮堤が完成し、その内陸側に更に高い防災緑地（写真）ができて、まだ若いですが木が生長しつつあります。

The exact route and locations are shown in the map below. The map can be scaled up and down with a click and scroll.
ルートと場所は、下の地図を参照ください。地図は、クリックとスクロールで、拡大・縮小が可能です。

（Matsukawaura Big Bridge at Soma City, Sept. 6, 2018. 松川浦大橋 相馬 9/6/2018）
As it was a rare fine day today in recent rainy windy days, I went on cycling around Matsukawaura Lagoon starting from the city center of Soma. Photo above was Matsukawaura Big Bridge located in the northernmost part of the lagoon, which was restored last year from damage by the earthquake and tsunami disasters 7 years ago. The photo was taken from a seaside park just beside the bridge. It was only about 500m long, but the bridge has been a landmark of the region. When I visited the bridge in 2012 it was the time the repair work had just began and was closed.
雨や風の日が続く中、本日は晴で相馬市中心部から松川浦の周りをチャリで走りました。写真は松川浦の北部にある松川浦大橋で、去年やっと大震災の修理を終えて再開通しました。写真は、脇にある公園から撮ったものです。５００ｍほどの橋ですが、地域のランドマークになっています。２０１２年に橋を訪れたときは、修復工事が始まったばかりで通行止めでした。（２０１５年も未だでした。）


（Matsukawaura Big Bridge at Soma City, Sept. 6, 2018. 松川浦大橋 相馬 9/6/2018）
This was a view on the bridge.
橋の上から見ると、このようになります。


On the way, I first stopped at a huge mega solar plant in Isobe district, only a part of which was shown in the photo above. The solar plant extended over a large field area with a road in the center, located close to the southernmost end of Matsukawaura Lagoon. The plant was the largest of this kind in Fukushima Pref. generating maximum electricity of 52.5MW. Wow!
走り始めてから最初に出会ったのは、磯部地区にある巨大な太陽光発電所です。中央の道路をはさみ、両側に広大に広がっていて、写真はごく一部です。松川浦の最南端に位置し、福島県で最大の52.5MWの出力です。


Then I pedaled toward north along the recovered seaside road called Osu-Matsukawa Route. The road reopened in this April with most of the road protected by continuous secure seawall resulting in no ocean view as shown in the picture above.
そのあと，今年再開通した海岸沿いの大洲松川線に沿い北に向かいました。写真のように、防潮堤が連続して海が見えません。


（Osu-Matsukawa Route at Soma City, Sept. 6, 2018. 大洲松川線 相馬 9/6/2018）
But there was a part of the road with great ocean view as shown above!
しかしこのあと、一部海が見えました（写真）。


（Matsukawaura fishing port at Soma City, Sept. 6, 2018. 松川浦漁港 相馬 9/6/2018）
As I passed the Matsukawaura Big Bridge, mentioned in the beginning, and turning to left I arrived at Matsukawaura fishing port as shown above. The port was fully recovered compared to when I visited in 2012 and 2015.
松川浦大橋を渡り左へ行くと、直ぐに松川浦漁港です。２０１２年や２０１５年のときから、完全に復活しています。


Then I came to Haragama-Obama seaside beach as shown above which just reopened during this summer season. The site was one of the only four seaside beaches in Fukushima that could reopen to date in Hamadori region since the Great East Japan earthquake disaster.
そのあと、今年の夏に再開した原釜尾浜海浴場です。震災後、浜通りで再開した海水浴場は未だ４箇所ですが，その１つです。


A new three-story watchtower was built at the center of the beach as shown above.
３階建ての新しい監視塔が、中央に建っています。


Right next to the beach there was a memorial as shown above inscribed with all the victims’ names in Soma City.
そのすぐ隣に、相馬市東日本大震災慰霊碑が建っています。その向こうに見えるのが、海水浴場です。

The exact route and locations are shown in the map below. The map can be scaled up and down with a click and scroll.
ルートと場所は、下の地図を参照ください。地図は、クリックとスクロールで、拡大・縮小が可能です。