Photo/Illutration A scene from “Drive My Car” ((c) 2021 “Drive My Car” production committee)

HIROSHIMA--The beleaguered tourism industry in Hiroshima Prefecture is turning its eager eyes toward fans of "Drive My Car," hoping they will make pilgrimages to locations featured in the popular film.

Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi's film won the best picture award in the non-English category at the 79th Golden Globe Awards, becoming the first Japanese movie to receive the accolade in 62 years.

The Hatchoza theater in the city center here has been showing the film since late last year, and has been packed with fans almost every day since the title won the Golden Globe in early January.

"Even though it is a long film that runs for three hours, the response is incredible," a representative said.

Starring Hidetoshi Nishijima, "Drive My Car" is based on a short story written by Haruki Murakami.

Many of the scenes were shot in Hiroshima, Kure, and Higashi-Hiroshima in the winter of 2020 with the help of the Hiroshima Film Commission.

"It will likely exert a powerful influence when we promote Hiroshima as a filming location to overseas productions," said Tomoko Nishizaki, who oversees attracting film productions at the commission.

The organization published a map on its website last summer for fans to trace locations featured in the movie, such as the Naka Incineration Plant and the Peace Memorial Park.

Its web traffic recently saw a sharp increase, with the site attracting more than 200,000 views by Jan. 14, according to the commission.

The islands in the Seto Inland Sea and a unique-looking bridge also appear in the film.

Osaki Shimojima island in Kure is home to the traditional Kangetsu-an Shintoyo inn, where the protagonist stays in the film.

The number of tourists visiting the island has plummeted due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

But the local Yutakamachi tourist association said it has been receiving inquiries from major travel agencies asking for guides to take sightseers to film locales after the pandemic settles down.

"We are happy to see how (the island) is attracting attention from a new customer base thanks to the movie," said Masae Ishida, a member of the association. "We hope many people will visit after the pandemic."

The film also received four awards at the U.S. National Society of Film Critics.

It was the first Japanese film to win the Award for Best Screenplay at the Cannes International Film Festival last year.

After winning at the Golden Globe Awards, which is considered the prelude to Oscars, expectations are rising for the picture to win big at the Academy Awards in March.

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Yoshijima Tsuri Koen, a park in Hiroshima's Naka Ward where some scenes of "Drive My Car" were shot, is seen on Jan. 15. (Takahiro Okubo)

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