Relay Talk
NAKAI Kyoko (Senior Communications Advisor for Kagawa Prefecture & Freelance Announcer)
～Kagawa Prefecture in Film: “That’s much more to Kagawa than just udon!”～
Strangers once gazed upon the beauty of the waters of Seto before them in wonder.
Growing up, I was unaware of the sights and sounds of the Seto region that formed a part of my everyday life. But, strangely enough, the acclaim received in recent years has given me an opportunity to reacquaint myself with the area.
I have worked as an announcer for a local broadcasting station for many years. Recently, I have gone through various phases of my career as an area coordinator, but I have always been involved in the region and world of film. So, I will shout out loud about my hometown, which appears in old and new films and videos, and its immeasurable value (lol).
2023 Sanuki Film Festival
Its location is unique to a compact prefecture, where the sea, mountains, fields and original Japanese landscapes can be easily accessed in little time, and weather conditions are suited to photography, with mild temperatures and little rainfall.
Photos courtesy of Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Studio
If you think carefully, the region has a high degree of cinematic (cultural) value as the location for the Sanuki Film Festival in which the prefecture invests a budget in local films and human resources development, and the presence of the Twenty-Four Eyes Movie Studio, a longstanding sanctuary for films on Shodoshima Island, in addition to favorable conditions for professionals in the film industry.
Film screenings are held outdoors every summer at Tamamo Park, Historical Site of Takamatsu Castle, which is an important landmark and historical site on Takamatsu’s waterfront, to build momentum for the restoration of the tower of Takamatsu Castle.
While too many to mention, ongoing events and activities in the local community that are linked to the film and video industry illustrate the significant potential of this region.
While too many to mention, ongoing events and activities in the local community that are linked to the film and video industry illustrate the significant potential of this region.
©1954 SHOCHIKU Co., Ltd.
My Kagawa in the Heisei years produced a much-discussed succession of films, ranging from “Twenty-four Eyes” from the old Showa period to “Crying Out Love in the Center of the World” (based on the novel, Socrates in Love), a film that pioneered the idea of tourism on location (pilgrimage to sacred sites), “UDON,” a unique film about food by a local director, and “Rebirth” (based on the novel, The Eighth Day), which served as a catalyst for reviving the traditional event of “mushi-okuri” to send off insects.
I think locals in the prefecture should be prouder of the fact that this area provided both a solid foundation and preparation for the finest and most admired works of the time to be created here.
I think locals in the prefecture should be prouder of the fact that this area provided both a solid foundation and preparation for the finest and most admired works of the time to be created here.
― “There’s much more to Kagawa than just udon!” project ―
Film has often been compared to a “composite art,” so I believe that the trend towards expanding the concept and scope of Kagawa as a “Prefecture of Art” is an inevitable move from the perspective of its history and relationship between hometowns and film.
Blessed with the DNA of love for culture and art, as well as an environment that both stimulates and indulges creativity, there are an endless number of elements that can be applied to Kagawa as the home of anything and everything.
It would be fantastic if everyone at the G7 Sustainable Urban Development Ministers' Meeting could also be exposed to something other than the obvious sightseeing locations, foods, and experiences, and encounter the spirit of what is unique to us and to this place.
Film has often been compared to a “composite art,” so I believe that the trend towards expanding the concept and scope of Kagawa as a “Prefecture of Art” is an inevitable move from the perspective of its history and relationship between hometowns and film.
Blessed with the DNA of love for culture and art, as well as an environment that both stimulates and indulges creativity, there are an endless number of elements that can be applied to Kagawa as the home of anything and everything.
It would be fantastic if everyone at the G7 Sustainable Urban Development Ministers' Meeting could also be exposed to something other than the obvious sightseeing locations, foods, and experiences, and encounter the spirit of what is unique to us and to this place.