When Time Started Moving Again in Odaka
— Why Fukushima Watch Company makes watches in Odaka —
There was a time when our town stopped moving.
And now, quietly,
time has begun to move again.
Hello.
We are Fukushima Watch Company.
We make mechanical watches in a small coastal town called Odaka,
located in Minamisoma City, Fukushima, Japan.
If this is your first time encountering us,
there is something we would like to share before talking about design or specifications.
This is the story of Odaka,
and the stories we value most.
A Place Where Time Once Stopped — and Began Again
Odaka lies in the southern part of Minamisoma, facing the Pacific Ocean.
It was once a castle town, known for craftsmanship, tradition, and everyday life rooted in skill and care.
In March 2011, everything changed.
After the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident,
residents were forced to evacuate.
Odaka was one of those towns.
For nearly six years, no one was allowed to live here.
At one point, the population dropped to zero.
Photo:Odaka Station Street before the evacuation order was lifted.
A town where signs of life disappeared, and time stood still.
The sounds of daily life faded.
People vanished from the streets.
In every sense, time had stopped.
And yet, in that silence, something unexpected happened.
Nature was preserved.
The landscape became still, dignified—
almost like a quiet European countryside.
Rather than mourning the time that was lost,
we wanted to begin marking a new time from here.
That conviction became the starting point of
Fukushima Watch Company.
Photo:Every winter, migratory birds return to this land.
In the silence, nature never stopped moving.
Sharing Stories
The philosophy of Fukushima Watch Company is simple:
“Sharing stories.”
We do not make watches merely to tell time.
What we want to create is
a story itself—
in the form of a wristwatch.
Making watches here in Odaka,
while time flows quietly around us,
is already one of those stories.
But what matters most lies beyond that.
When someone chooses our watch
and wears it through their own life,
the future they live with it—
that is where infinite value exists.
Photo:A moment from an event held at one of our retail partners.
Through watches, people’s time begins to overlap.
These moments, layered one by one, are the future we imagine.
Infinite Futures Within Finite Time
Human life is finite.
Time is limited.
That is why we cherish each second
and want to speak, listen, and share as much as we can.
Our dream is that one day,
Odaka—and Fukushima—will be known as
“the Geneva of Japan.”
Just as a small Swiss town became a global center of watchmaking.
From Odaka, Fukushima, to the world—
delivering watches and the stories they carry.
If we can walk that future story together with you,
nothing would make us happier.
Time once stopped here.
Now, together,
we begin again.
Photo:Odaka today.
New cafés, bookstores, and a sake brewery are slowly appearing.
Watch the movement of Fukushima.
A place evolving while living alongside nature.
Please keep an eye on what comes next.
If this story resonated with you, you may want to explore the watches born from Odaka.