White windmills gently turn in a green pasture where cows graze in Kuzumaki in the Kitakami mountains of Iwate Prefecture.
The scene is attracting tourists, who bring added revenue to the small town, which also profits from selling wind-generated electricity to a power utility.
"We have promoted green energy in an effort to revitalize the local economy," Kuzumaki Mayor Tetsuo Nakamura said, adding that the number of tourists reached 300,000 last year, about 70,000 more than before the windmills were installed.
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