By MANABU KITAGAWA/ Staff Writer
April 24, 2024 at 07:00 JST
Akane, the main character of a promotional clip produced by the Uji city government in collaboration with Kyoto Animation Co. (Provided by the Uji city government)
UJI, Kyoto Prefecture--The city government here enlisted the help of renowned Kyoto Animation Co. to create a promotional video in which characters from different periods feature to celebrate the city’s rich history.
One of them is Murasaki Shikibu, a Heian Period (794-1185) noblewoman who wrote “The Tale of Genji.”
Uji appears as a locale of “Uji Jujo” (10 Chapters of Uji) of the classic novel. The city is home to Byodoin temple and other cultural properties dating from the Heian Period.
The six-minute clip centers around Akane, 23, who comes to Uji. She meets a rabbit named Usakichi at Ujijinja shrine who takes her to various sites across the historic city.
The municipal government produced a key visual last fall to promote the charms of Uji with the help of Kyoto Animation, which was targeted by an arsonist in 2019 that resulted in 36 deaths.
The video was produced based on the illustration. The clip is available for viewing on smartphones in the city via an exclusive website at (https://mobicp.jp/yukashiki-uji/).
A 30-second version is available on the city’s official YouTube channel at (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgJ7MoqT8Lk).
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