栄村の震災見学　Touring the Earthquake Damage in Sakae Village

Sakae Village earthquake damage

商工会のセレモニー後の震災地見学ツアーにも参加しました。県道などの道にひびがまだ入っていて、ブルーシートが掛けてあった建物や山崩れがみえました。しかし、道が人売れる様になっていて、ＪＲ飯山線の線路も直られて、皆さんは努力なされています。感心しました。

一番の山崩れは町の温泉施設、中条温泉「トマトの国」の隣でした。県の林務課によると、土砂などを整理するのに10年以上かかるそうです。しかし、温泉施設が横の杉の林で守られた様で崩れが近くまで来たけど建物と温泉の源泉は大丈夫でした。12月に再度オープンするように作業が進んでいるそうです。

最後は道の駅「信越さかえ」に寄りました。地元の野菜や民芸品が大量で出ていて、村人の元気が伝わってきました。トン汁は美味しそうでした！

私達家族は栄村の奥の秋山温泉郷の切明温泉に行きました切りで、栄村の中心辺はこれから冒険したいと思いました。雪国の独特の文化が面白そうです。ＮＰＯ栄村ネットワークで沢山のお勧めコースがある様で、これからも栄村に訪ねてみたいと思います。

栄村のアクセスは上信越道飯山ＩＣから国道117号、もしくはＪＲ飯山線で森宮野原駅。
ＮＰＯ栄村ネットワークのＨＰはこちら。
中条温泉「トマトの国」のＨＰはこちら。
さかえ信越道の駅のＨＰはこちら

After the Chamber of Commerce ceremony, there was a bus tour of the areas in Sakae Village damaged by the earthquake. We saw a lot of houses being repaired but the collapsed ones have apparently been cleaned up. Most of the roads were passable, but a lot of cracks in the road surface remain.

The biggest landslide was next to the town's main onsen bathhouse, "Tomato no Kuni". Fortunately the bathing facilities themselves were protected from the slide by a grove of cedar trees. While the prefectural government plans on taking over 10 years to stabilize the slide zone, "Tomato no Kuni" is on schedule to be repaired and open by this December.

Along the main highway is the Sakae Shin-etsu Road Station. I was glad to see an abundance of local farm products and handicrafts for sale. It looks like the villagers have really bounced back from the earthquake.

Until now, my only experience with Sakae Village has been to enjoy the remote Kiriake Onsen. But now seeing the main village has made me want to come back and explore more. The villagers' lives are shaped in large part by the hardships of deep winter snows, giving the area a unique culture. There is a volunteer organization called Sakae Network that offers tours giving insight into the village's lifestyle -- perfect for further exploration.

Access to Sakae Village is via Route 117 from the Iiyama IC on the Shin-Etsu Expressway, or JR Iiyama Line from Nagano Station (Morimiyanohara Station being the village's main stop).

For More Info:
Sakae Shin-etsu Road Station website
Sakae Network website
"Tomato no Kuni" Onsen website