By TSUTOMU YAMATANI/ Staff Writer
February 14, 2022 at 08:00 JST
DAISEN, Akita Prefecture--To turn around the struggling local tourism and fireworks industries hurt by the pandemic, the city is producing a promotional video to show the world the charms of the Omagari fireworks festival.
City officials hope it will help encourage the export of fireworks shells and attract visitors to the city to give the local economy a boost once the pandemic is over.
The video will be broadcast in North America and Europe and streamed on YouTube.
"We'd like to introduce our fireworks to regions that are likely to take an interest in them," an official said.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications solicited projects using visual content to promote information on local tourism, culture and industry.
Daisen was one of 18 municipalities and organizations selected from among applicants across the country, and one of three entities chosen in the Tohoku region.
The city government has teamed with Akita Television Co., which was chosen to be a content producer and distributor for the program, to create the promotional video themed on traditional fireworks. The project will cost about 13 million yen ($113,000).
The video promo will showcase pyrotechnicians making shells and fireworks displays, in addition to incorporating their artistic qualities.
It aims to capture how Japanese people find aesthetic beauty in fireworks to promote them as a form of long-standing traditional culture.
The video is expected to be completed in February and then shown on TV and online.
The city government decided to promote Omagari's fireworks in North America, a major consumer of fireworks, and Europe, which includes many countries known for their highly artistic tastes, such as Italy, Spain and France.
France is also home to a world-class fireworks production company.
With many fireworks festivals canceled due to the pandemic, fireworks manufacturers have found themselves in dire straits.
But the city government is hopeful that it can turn around the difficult situation this year.
"Omagari's fireworks spectacle is supported by pyrotechnicians from 28 fireworks production companies around the country. We want to promote the highly artistic quality of Japanese fireworks," Daisen Mayor Hiroyuki Oimatsu said.
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