Yamanashi Film Commission Manager talks about the transformation of Minobu Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, into a vibrant tourist area through "YuruCan△! How "YuruCan△" transformed Minobu Town, Yamanashi Prefecture, into a vibrant tourist area [Collaboration no Gemba Part 16

With today's growing collaboration between various industries and subcultures such as anime and voice acting, there are many people who say, "Whoa, they're doing it! You're doing it," "What? You did it! and "Oh, you're doing it!" and "What?
Akiba Research Institute is going to visit the sites where these "collaborations" are being planned and ask about the appeal of the projects, interesting episodes, hardships, and other behind-the-scenes stories about the production! The series "Gemba of Collaboration" is a series of articles about the fascination of the projects, interesting episodes, and behind-the-scenes stories about the production.

In this 16th installment, we will be featuring a collaboration project between Yamanashi Prefecture and the TV anime "Yuru Can△," the latest episode of which is currently being broadcast by popular demand. While the situation continues to make it difficult to go out and have fun, the popularity of camping, which can be enjoyed in the open air, is exploding. Not only the anime, but also variety shows and other programs are featuring solo campers, and the focus on camping is growing even more.

We interviewed Mr. Seishiro Mukawa, who is in charge of the Fuji no Kuni Yamanashi Film Commission. Born and raised in Yamanashi Prefecture, Mr. Mukawa graduated from a local university and worked in film production in Tokyo before returning to his hometown in Yamanashi Prefecture after the March 11 disaster. In fact, he was involved in the launch of the current Fuji no Kuni Yamanashi Film Commission when he was a student.

We asked Mr. Mukawa, who knows Yamanashi Prefecture inside and out, to tell us how the collaboration with "YuruCan△" came to be, the story behind the launch, how fans and local residents responded to the collaboration project, and his vision for the future.

-- Please tell us how the collaboration with "YuruCan△" came about.

Mukawa: The Yamanashi Film Commission, to which I belong, receives 500 to 600 inquiries a year about filming on location in the prefecture. We actually accept about 150 to 170 of those requests, and in terms of the number of days, we are shooting about 300 to 360 days a year. We accept requests for a variety of genres, including movies, dramas, music videos, and commercials.

We are in full operation all year round, aren't we? So, you don't make offers from film commissions to shoot at your place? Then, don't you make offers from film commissions to shoot at your place?

Mukawa: Thankfully, since the establishment of the film commission, we have always been fully booked, so we have not made many offers. We respond to requests in the form of accepting them.

Q: While film commissions often attract films and productions for regional revitalization, what do you think is the reason for the concentration of offers in Yamanashi Prefecture?

Mukawa: First of all, the location. For example, even if you return to Shinjuku at 23:30, you can shoot until 21:00. Just a short distance from the center of the city, there are many landscapes where you can see Mt. There are a surprisingly large number of productions that feature scenes of short trips, which is why I think they are so useful for dramas and other productions. However, they are often used in the setting of some country town, and although we have done a lot of location shooting, there are almost no works that depict Yamanashi Prefecture as Yamanashi Prefecture in the works.

So that's where "YuruCan△" comes in.

Takekawa: I was hooked, and it was around the time after the first volume was released and before the second volume was released that producer Masaichi Hotta of DeNA approached me with the idea. When I read the manga, I found it "interesting" and at the same time was surprised that the work was set in the Konan area where Minobu Town is located.

The area has been trying to attract various types of tourism with its food and culture, but it has been a difficult area for tourism, especially in winter, to attract visitors. The area is famous for the production of stamps and washi paper, the most famous of which is Minobu-san Kuon-ji Temple, the head temple of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism. The most famous temple is Minobu-san Kuon-ji (身延山久遠寺), the head temple of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism. Although many people visit in the spring, sightseeing in the winter is difficult. But actually, the town is beautiful and has a long history in the production of stamps and Japanese paper, so I had hoped that people would visit not only Minobu-san Kuon-ji Temple but also the surrounding towns for their own purposes.

Q: Did you have any hesitation in collaborating with anime when you had tried every possible means and they had not worked?

Mukawa: There was no choice but not to do it. It was a genre I had never done before, so I wanted to try it and then judge how it would turn out. I started by reading and understanding the work in order to appeal to the people in the tourism department of the prefectural government about the possibility of attracting people to the project. There are many people in charge of tourism who are flexible and open to new ideas within the government, as well as those who think a bit sharply. We received many comments that the works were "interesting," so now we shifted our focus to how to get the local people to accept the works.

Q: If you suddenly say, "We are going to collaborate with an anime," people may ask, "What are you going to do? I'm sure that would be a bit of a challenge.

Mukawa: It is the local people who actually interact with the fans who visit the place. Without their understanding, it will not lead to a "sanctuary". Talking about souvenirs, food, and services goes beyond that. First of all, we started by making the local residents and the older generation in Minobu Town aware of anime.

Q: How did you go about this?

Mukawa: We started by asking for cooperation from local government officials, the Chamber of Commerce, and other young people, visiting meetings where the mayor and residents exchanged opinions, and using circulars to announce the date of the anime's broadcast. After gaining a clear understanding of why and how fans wanted to visit the model town of Minobu, we began discussions and activities to attract them to the area. What we valued was the communication between people, so we visited the town many times and tried to talk directly with them. We valued having them participate and experience the event as a party. Failures and successes must be experienced before they can lead to the next step. Failures can be made the best use of, and if they succeed, the accumulation of successful experiences will lead to a sense of improvement, which in turn will lead to an improvement in the quality of the event. As a result, the community will become more and more energetic. This is something I keep in mind not only when producing "YuruCan△," but also when I am involved in other projects.

Q: Did you encounter any difficulties?

Mukawa: Everything is difficult at first. This was the first time for me to collaborate with an anime set in Yamanashi Prefecture, and even if I made a mistake, I was determined to make it fun so that I could say "It's my first time! Even if I made a mistake, I was happy to say, "It's my first time! But before I knew it, "YuruCan△ SEASON 2" was broadcast, interspersed with the short anime "Heyacan△," and a live-action film was also produced. A movie was also decided to be produced. I feel that this is a successful example of a media mix where everything is going well. I am truly indebted to Mr. Afuro, the author of the original work.

A: The event "The First Motosu High School Festival" was also a local event, wasn't it?

Mukawa: The music festival is now an official event, but we were the ones who started the music event. The accompaniment was wonderful, and we thought it was meaningful to hold the first official event in our hometown, in the schoolyard of a school in the town of Minobu, which is rich in nature. We thought that doing it by ourselves would have an impact, and it would be a good opportunity to let the fans know about the sacred place of "YuruCan△". We thought it would be a good opportunity to let the fans know about the "YuruCan△" sanctuary.

You are the chairman of the Gojyogaoka Revitalization Promotion Council, aren't you?

Mukawa: His day job is as a monk, Mr. Mitsunobu Fukayama (laughs). He asked local volunteers to share information with him every night at the temple. Temples have always been a stronghold for local people. It was a very natural progression, especially since it was a place that had such a function when the temple school existed. A monk trusted by the community would take the lead. I thought it was very interesting and I found it very compelling. Mr. Fukayama's presence was really significant. Now, when we hold camping events, we get about 100~200 groups of campers. It was also a good trend that such a service naturally arose in the local community, where shopkeepers serve tea to their customers. I feel that the small town, which was not a tourist spot, has become more vibrant.

A: In a good way, I think the lack of showiness fits the taste of the work.

Mukawa: It's not like, "We're going to hold an event at the model site for 'Yuru Can△', so come on out and join us! It fits the worldview of the work. We started the project not knowing whether the original work or the anime would be a hit or not, so I was talking with producer Hotta at the time, "Let's not heat things up all at once, but rather let's warm things up like an egg being rewarmed. I think that kind of attitude also suited the taste of the work and the town.

Q: What was the reaction of the fans?

Mukawa: I participated in real events, so I heard real feedback from the fans there (laughs). The other thing is social networking. I am a film commissioner, so I pay special attention to the relationship between local people and fans. It is because of the people who live there and protect them that we have created the attractive areas and environments that appear in our films. That is why locations and sacred places exist. We try to give the greatest respect to the local people as well as to the fans, and although we sometimes see negative comments on social networking sites, they are often not true. ...... I know this because I have been involved in many different productions, but with "YuruCan△", the fans are very well mannered and I rarely hear of any problems with the locals in Yamanashi Prefecture.

A: That's wonderful.

Mukawa: On the official website and on the website of Yamanashi Prefecture, there are also notes and requests when visiting sacred places.

Fans often follow up with each other to call attention to manners and information on campgrounds. For this reason, as something I should do, I try to communicate regularly with local people and share the information I get from them with the publicity staff of the productions, producers, and other various parties.

Q: So, because information is shared, various projects are born. You recently collaborated with Hello Kitty, didn't you?

Mukawa: There was a collaboration between Sanrio and "Yuru Can△. Sanrio and Yamanashi Prefecture have a long-standing relationship, and Hello Kitty is the tourism navigator for Yamanashi Prefecture. I have also participated in the collaboration through collaborative goods and location shooting. We at the film commission are from the location side, but I am involved in every project with an eye to making sure that the filming goes smoothly.

Q: What are your goals for the future?

Mukawa: Shizuoka Prefecture will make many appearances in "Yuru Can△ SEASON 2," which is currently airing. Wide-area cooperation among Yamanashi, Nagano, and Shizuoka prefectures is our current major goal.

We hope to cooperate across prefectural boundaries so that fans can enjoy and comfortably tour the model areas.

ーー When I saw the Yamanashi Prefecture tourism website, I was grateful that Nagano Prefecture was introduced even though it is in Yamanashi Prefecture.

Mukawa: The Japan Film Commission (JFC), of which the Yamanashi Film Commission is a member, is a nationwide organization, so it would be better if we could work together to promote our films. We should expand the film and its model locations while respecting the world view of the film. I would like to do something fun and welcoming to the fans.

Q: Mr. Mukawa, who knows Yamanashi Prefecture inside and out, what are your favorite places to visit in winter?

Mukawa: Mt. Fuji in winter is exceptional. Fuji in winter is exceptional. The air is clear and you can see a very beautiful Mt. Fuji makes many appearances in "YuruCan△," so I hope you will enjoy its various faces.