Fukushima Watch Co., a watch manufacturer in the Odakaku district of Minami-Soma, has begun selling wristwatches under the brand name "Odaka" that are inspired by the local community recovering from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

　福島県南相馬市小高区の時計メーカー「Fukushima Watch Company」は、2011年の東日本大震災から立ち直る地元をイメージした腕時計「Ｏｄａｋａ」の販売を開始した。

　The first model in the brand's wristwatch series comes in five colors -- black, blue, green, brown and red. The company, which was founded in November last year, has named the colors after common agricultural products in the Odakaku district. For example, "broccoli green" and "chili pepper red."

　昨年11月に創業した同社のシリーズ第１弾として、黒、青、緑、茶、赤の全５色を製作。色の名前は「ブロッコリー・グリーン」「チリペッパー（唐辛子）・レッド」など、小高を代表する農産物を連想させている。

　Entry into the Odakaku district by residents was restricted for five years and four months from March 2011, when the tsunami caused by the earthquake triggered the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

　小高区は大震災の津波で東京電力福島第1原発事故が発生した2011年3月から5年4カ月にわたり、住民の立ち入りが制限された。

　Masayasu Hiraoka, formerly a watch designer in Saitama Prefecture and now a Fukushima Watch representative, had been volunteering in affected areas in the Tohoku region and encouraging local people with displays of fireworks. Through his volunteer activities, he learned about the Odakaku district and moved there last year from a desire to be more substantially involved in reconstruction efforts.

　「Fukushima Watch Company」代表の平岡雅康さんは当時、埼玉県内で時計デザイナーをしていたが、被災地を元気づけるために東北各地でボランティアとして花火を打ち上げる中で小高区を知り、本格的に復興に携わりたいと昨年、移住した。

　Hiraoka said that Odakaku's clean air, which prevents dust from getting into the wristwatches' precision mechanisms, and the landscape, which resembles a rural European town with the sea, mountains and vineyards, were deciding factors in his decision to move to the area.

　空気が澄んで時計の精密機械にちりが入りにくいことや、海と山とブドウ畑が広がる欧州の田舎町のような風景が決め手になったという。

　The back sides of the wristwatches are made of glass, revealing the devices' tiny mechanisms in action. Through the watches, Hiraoka hopes that people will feel that the gears of the Odakaku district, which were once stopped due to the evacuation order, are turning again, ticking out the time needed for recovery.

　時計の裏面はガラスになっており、小さな機械の動く様子が見える。避難指示で街の時間が一度止まった小高の歯車が再びかみ合い、復興の時を刻んでいることを感じてほしいとの願いを込めた。

　One hundred watches of each color will be sold. They cost ¥66,000 each. Orders can be placed through the official online store (https://fukushima-watch.shop/).

（　Translated by The Japan News　）

　販売本数は各色１００本ずつ。価格は６万６０００円。公式オンラインストア(https://fukushima-watch.shop/)で注文を受け付けている。

　【　２０２３年５月１２日付・福島民友新聞掲載　】