Iino: A Town Dedicated to the UFO Phenomena
In Japan, there lies a small place on the outskirts of the ever-expanding Fukushima that consistently probes into the question of life beyond earth. Iino was a town located in the Date District of Fukushima, Japan. In 2003, with a small popular of just over 6,500, the town was incorporated into the expanding city of Fukushima. Although it may no longer be a dedicated town, the lore of Ino, and the nearby Mount Senganmori, are bound to intrigue
Surprisingly, the number of UFO sightings in Japan is quite a bit lower than here in America. But, despite the lower number of reports that are still centuries old stories that may be linked to extraterrestrials and UFOs in Japan. However, since the COVID-19 pandemic, the reports of UFOs have been increasing.
This brings us to the new UFO research center and museum in Iino. The International UFO Lab was founded in June 2021 with a mission: to collect, analyze and disclose information on sightings of unidentified flying objects in Japan, and around the world.
Takeharu Mikami, the current director of the lab, is also the editor-in-chief of Mu, a monthly magazine founded 40+ years ago dedicated to studying supernatural phenomena (not dissimilar to our Fortean Times). They hope to publicize and get closer to the UFO phenomena. Even the general public can become members for 10,000 yen ($90) to 30,000 yen. Members are entitled to receive special T-shirts and locally brewed sake and eligible to attend UFO-related events.
In an interview with Vice, the UFO Lab Director, noted that “The first and most important goal is to collect videos and photos.”
But UFOs are nothing new to the longtime inhabitants of Iino. For decades, the locals have been seeing UFOs, and touting the town as the preeminent place in Japan to witness and research. Iino is known as ‘The Home of UFOs’ (UFO no Sato) and there are a range of extraterrestrial sculptures and carvings located throughout the town In fact, before 2021 there was a UFO museum about halfway up the infamous Mount Senganmori that has been operating since 1992.
The strange shape of Senganmori has led to rumors that it was used, long ago, as an alien base or even that aliens artificially created it.
The blog image is not directly related to the story. It is of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope and NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope joined forces to create this striking composite image of one of the most popular sights in the universe. Messier 104 is commonly known as the Sombrero galaxy because in visible light, it resembles the broad-brimmed Mexican hat. However, in Spitzer's striking infrared view, the galaxy looks more like a "bull's eye." Public Domain