The Remains of Ukedo Elementary School in Namie Town

The Remains of Ukedo Elementary School in Namie Town

The Remains of Ukedo Elementary School in Namie Town (震災遺構浪江町立請戸小学校) are located in the coastal area of Fukushima prefecture.

Ukedo Elementary School, located 300 meters from the sea, was having classes when the earthquake struck at 2:46 p. m. on March 11, 2011. 

A few minutes later, a tsunami warning was issued for Ukedo. The school staff urged students to evacuate immediately to nearby Mount Ohirayama, approximately 1.5 km from the school. 

When the tsunami hit about 40 minutes after the earthquake, all of the students and staff had evacuated safely.

The school building suffered great damage from the earthquake and the tsunami, as did most of Namie town, which shortly after became under evacuation order due to the nuclear disaster (the evacuation order for some areas in Namie Town was lifted on March 31, 2017).

In 2021, the remnants of the Ukedo Elementary School building opened to the public. The facilities remain largely untouched, with debris, broken floors and ceilings, smashed objects, collapsed furniture and other school items. Visitors can see the extent of the destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami and learn about the importance of disaster preparedness.

At the entrance, you can scan a QR code using your phone to access the English translation of each explanation panel as you proceed through the school grounds.

Venue Details

Venue Details
Websitehttps://namie-ukedo.com/en/
Contact

0240-23-7041

Best SeasonAll Year
Opening Hours

9:30 a. m. - 4:30 p.m. Last entry at 4:00 p.m.

Closed: Tuesdays (or the following day if the Tuesday falls on a public holiday) and year-end holidays (December 28-January 4).

ParkingFree
Entrance Fee General Admission: 300 yen. High school students: 200 yen. Elementary and Middle School Students: 100 yen. Discounts are available for groups of over 20 people (previous reservation through the website is required for group visits of more than 20 people).
Access Details
AccessMotsutaira-56, Ukedo, Namie Town, Futaba District, Fukushima Pref. 979-1522
View directions
Getting there

By Car: About 25 min. from the Joban Expressway Namie IC

By Train: About 15 min. by taxi from Namie Station (JR Joban Line). Please note, though, that there are no taxis lined up at the station, so please be sure to make your travel arrangements in advance.

 

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    Fukushima’s Revitalization Educational One-Day Tour

    This is a model itinerary for visitors who would like to learn about Fukushima’s revitalization. The coastal area of Fukushima is the only place in the world to have survived a triple disaster: an earthquake, a tsunami and a nuclear disaster. Following extensive decontamination efforts and a great deal of demolition and reconstruction, several areas that were once designated as ‘difficult to return’ have started welcoming both residents and visitors again, with many residents eager to share their stories with the world. This itinerary centers on the towns of Futaba and Namie, both of which were severely affected by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident in 2011.  The first stop is Futaba station and the surrounding Futaba Art District, a mural art initiative that pays homage to the residents and folk art of the town. From there, you’ll visit the Great East Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum, which has a detailed account of the area before, during, and after the disaster. At the museum, you’ll learn about the stories and testimonies of locals, as well as the plans and ideas for the future of Fukushima. The last stop is the remains of the Ukedo Elementary School in Namie town. Although the school building, located only 300 meters from the sea, sustained great damage from the tsunami, students, teachers and staff were able to evacuate from the school safely, for which it is known as a ‘miracle’ school.  This is a one-day itinerary, but we recommend staying somewhere in the coastal area of Fukushima after your visit.

    Fukushima’s Revitalization Educational One-Day Tour

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The Suzuki Brewery in Namie Town

The Suzuki Sake Brewery used to operate a sake brewery in Namie Town's Ukedo district, this building was located steps from the sea and was physically destroyed by the tsunami wave. This left the owner of the brewery without a home or a livelihood. They managed to evacuate with the necessities of the brewery and after the disaster, the brewery was moved to Nagai City to the mountains of Yamagata Prefecture in October 2011 (the same year as the earthquake). Since then, they’ve continued to brew sake with the hope of preserving the traditional sake brewing techniques that had been developed by generations of brewers in Namie Town. Finally, on March 20, 2021, the brewery was able to return to its hometown of Namie with the opening of a new brewery at the Namie Roadside Station. Here, visitors can watch the Suzuki brewers at work making their delicious sake. They even use locally grown rice to make some of their sake, with a focus on maintaining their hometown flavor. At the Namie Roadside Station, you can visit the sake brewery and taste their freshly brewed sake. For visitors who don't drink sake, there is also a sake flavored soft serve ice cream that is absolutely delicious. The soft serve comes in a traditional wooden sake cup!

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<p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#202833">In a crescent shaped cove separated from the mainland on the&nbsp;small island known as Bentenjima Island, you will find the mysterious Bentenjima Shrine. The vermillion painted tori gate stands out against the jagged stone and the powerful waves. It is believed that the shrine was land based until an earthquake that occurred in 1410 resulted in the formation of this jagged rock island. The construction date of the original shrine is unknown. </span></p><p style="text-align:justify">&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#202833">The island is also known as Wanigafuchi because, according to legend, a creature known as a &ldquo;wanizame&rdquo; (crocodile shark) lived on the island. Half crocodile, half shark, this creature can be seen in many old Japanese paintings. The creature may have been believed to cause the swirling water and violent waves that crashed against the rocks, sometimes resulting in people getting swept into the water. Another legend suggests that the wanizame once kidnapped a young woman from Iwaki who had wandered out to explore the island.</span></p><p style="text-align:justify">&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#202833">This coast is lined with small round pebbles that shine when the water hits them. However, do not take any of these pebbles home, legend says that anyone who takes pebbles home from this coast will suffer from eye disease. </span></p><p style="text-align:justify">&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:#202833">This area was once a very popular destination for tourists and I highly recommend checking out the photos on the Iwaki city website linked below. It is all in Japanese, but you can read it with the google translate extension on google chrome browsers.</span></p>

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