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One million views! Talent and thoughts gathered in Otaru for the Corona Disaster. Inside Story of Fukushima Corporation's 70th Anniversary Video

2022.04.22

A short film produced in the winter of 2021 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Fukushima Corporation's founding in Otaru, Hokkaido, is now attracting attention as a "new branded movie that no one has ever seen before. The film received over 1 million views in just one week after its release in China, and as of April 2022, it has received an additional 1.63 million views, so it is not a coincidence that the film has received such a strong response.

For this interview, we asked Keisuke Fukushima, President of Fukushima Corporation, and Tomohiro Yamashita, CCO of Nurunuru Corporation, who directed and starred in the film, about the inside story that can only be told now.

Table of Contents
1 . becoming the third generation of a long-established construction company in the face of the Corona headwind
2 . starting activities in Japan in 2020 based on his influence in China
3 . branded movie about Otaru that even the locals have never seen before
4 . "We sometimes receive difficult requests," confesses the coordinator
5. "Your town can always be born anew.

Corona: Becoming the third generation of a long-established construction company in the face of a headwind

This 8-minute video, "Emotion - 'Re:' - A New Dawn for Otaru," was made to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Fukushima Corporation's founding. The main character is Tomohiro Okagawa, 36, who has returned to his hometown of Otaru after losing his job due to the new coronavirus.

Normally, when you think of a branded movie, you imagine a black-and-white image that starts with the founder's face and gradually turns to color," said Yamashita. But Yamashita's comical performance and his pretentious battle with Saito-san, who plays the grandfather, startle the audience right from the beginning. I was most nervous when I first showed the film to the employees and other people involved.

Keisuke Fukushima, president of Fukushima Corporation, who served as executive producer of the film, laughs. He studied architecture from the perspective of urban planning and city development in Tokyo during his university years, and made a U-turn in 2007. He has brought a new wind to Otaru by privately acquiring the (former) Okagawa Pharmacy, a historical building designated by Otaru City, and renovating it into a café and guest house.

It was in June 2020 that Mr. Fukushima inherited Fukushima Koumuten, founded by his grandfather, Masao Fukushima, in 1952. Even though it had been decided long before, his appointment came at a time when the new coronavirus was raging, and it was a headwind to start with.

The entire town of Otaru, where tourism is a core industry, was hit hard. （The (former) Okagawa Pharmacy applied for all available subsidies, and we took this opportunity to look back at the way we had been doing things and made efforts to improve and invest in equipment. The most difficult thing we had to do was to keep our employees motivated. I think everyone did a great job."

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Tomohiro Yamashita, who plays the lead role, is also from Otaru. He is an influencer who boasts immense popularity and views in China!

Based on his influence in China, he will start his activities in Japan in 2020.

In the same year that Mr. Fukushima became president, there is someone who moved from China to Japan to be active as an influencer. He is Tomohiro Yamashita.

I originally wanted to curate contemporary art. I was 26 years old when I decided to make China, with its remarkable economic development, my base of activities while I was also engaged in expressive activities. Thanks to you, I have become well known over there over the past 10 years, but from 2020, when the Corona Disaster is scheduled to begin, I will be making Japan my home.
During my time in China, I was a player in the advertising business, but from now on I would like to focus more on the producing business, which involves a more bird's-eye view, including budgeting. I am now thinking that it would be insincere not to be able to talk about money properly when trying to promote international exchanges and local communities. I am still studying management and economics.

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There was only one day of location shooting! This scene was shot in a Japanese-style room on the second floor of the (former) Okagawa Pharmacy

Yamashita-san and Fukushima-san are close to my house and the (former) Okagawa Pharmacy, and we talk a lot whenever I go back to Otaru. Mr. Fukushima now has a lot of local information and connections, but I am sure he must have had a hard time with the gap in awareness between Otaru and his hometown immediately after his U-turn. But now, when I hear from Mr. Fukushima, I feel Otaru has a great future. He makes me think, "We can do something together! He makes me think, "We can do something together!

Branded Movie: Otaru as even the locals have never seen it before

There were several foreshadowing events leading up to the production of the branded movie. Here comes another new creator. Mr. Kodai Ito, a videographer who uses drones to communicate the charms of Hokkaido.

Mr. Ito, who was part of Mr. Fukushima's extensive network of contacts, and Mr. Yamashita joined together to form the first team in the winter of 2020 to undertake a video project to attract tourism to Otaru, which was to be renewed for the first time in 16 years. The first time they saw Mr. Ito's finished video, their reaction was....

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From "Emotion - 'Re:' - A New Dawn for Otaru. Mr. Ito's film "ODYSSEY" was also screened at the 150th anniversary ceremony of Hokkaido.

I was surprised. What is this quality? I was astonished. Even we, as locals, had never seen Otaru before. I was filled with a strong desire to let more people know about these beautiful images.

On the other hand, Fukushima continues, the impact of Corona on the construction industry came at the same time.

We were getting a lot of stories of plans being abandoned before the work started coming to our construction company, and we felt we had to do something about it. Being in business for 70 years means that the company has been with the city. If we can be a stepping stone for the revival of Otaru's tourism industry in anticipation of the post-Corona period, and if we can reiterate to the company what we are aiming for, everything will start moving in the right direction. These thoughts coincided with the 70th anniversary of the company's founding, and at the same time the Fukushima Corporation Group issued a declaration of the SDGs, we applied to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's J-LOD(5), which Yamashita-kun suggested, to make a branded movie.

J-LOD (5) is the fifth round of the subsidy program that supports the production of "branded content" that tells a story and evokes customer sympathy for the company's stance and philosophy.
The proposal that Mr. Fukushima and his team applied for was prepared by Mr. Yamashita. A glimpse at the contents of the proposal reveals an analysis with an eye on the Chinese market, which is their forte (keywords such as "family" and "snowy landscape" and casting Chinese influencers as guests), and a story plot that is nearly complete, surprising in its accuracy.

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Director Shunji Iwai's "Love Letter" ignited the popularity of Otaru in China. This film pays homage to that film and is positioned as a "second love letter" sent from Otaru to the rest of Japan.

When I saw Mr. Ito's film for the first time, I felt a sudden surge of emotion. When everyone sees it, they think, "Otaru is great! I decided to use it in the best place. I was determined to use it in the best place.

When people ask me, "What did you eat yesterday? When people ask me what I ate yesterday, I want it to be a memorable dinner that I had on a special occasion, not just an everyday meal that I can't remember. With this in mind, Yamashita says, "I set the release date for February 14, Valentine's Day.

I was also very enthusiastic about the project because it was Mr. Fukushima's work, and I wanted to do something that would benefit the land to which I am attached. I wanted to make a positive impact on the land that I am so attached to.

Confession of the coordinator: "I sometimes receive difficult requests.

The production of the film began at the end of 2021 and lasted a total of three months. While the production progressed at an astonishing speed, Yamashita emphasizes, "What was absolutely indispensable was the presence of a coordinator like Mr. Fukushima.

The basic idea of local branding and regional development starts with accepting people from outside the region. When it comes to creators, you have "foreigners" who have ideas that are far removed from those of the locals. I think it is natural that there will be friction. However, Mr. Fukushima did all the coordination and traffic control so that we could concentrate on our creative work. Otherwise, I don't think we would have been able to complete the project in such a short period of time.

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Mr. Yamashita, based in Japan for the first time in 10 years, and the Sapporo production team also met for the first time. They accepted us well, even though they might have thought, "Who the hell is this guy?

Mr. Fukushima, who has been involved in architectural design, video works, and spatial installations since he was in his twenties, is himself an expressive person, which is why he was able to serve as a bridge between the local community and creators. Here again, the factors behind the success of "Emotion - 'Re:' - A New Dawn for Otaru" became clear.

My role was to let the talented creators coming from the outside decide where they wanted to land. To tell you the truth, when I first came to Otaru, I was a bit of a snob in the eyes of the locals. I realized that wasn't good enough, so I reformed my personality to become the person I am today, so I understand the feelings of people from both inside and outside. There are times when I receive difficult requests. I've worked hard to prepare them, but I didn't take them..." (laughs). (laugh) But when creators concentrate on their work, the finished product is sure to bring results. This branded movie taught me that.

Your town can always be reborn anew.

The Fukushima Corporation Group consists of Fukushima Corporation, the (former) Okagawa Pharmacy, N LLC, an architectural design company, and Fukushima Shoji, a real estate business.
Even though it is a branded movie, the PR of the company is only a little in the ending. The film is a brand movie, but it is a little bit of PR for the company. I wondered if the employees of the entire group and all related companies would understand the fun of the creative process that boldly threw out the conventional wisdom, and the message we really wanted to convey in the film.

On the day of the screening, Mr. Fukushima watched with bated breath as he heard the words, "That was so good! I love it! The applause and smiles on the faces of those present were the answers Mr. Fukushima and his team most wanted to hear.

The J-LOD (5) website, which provided support for the project, introduced it as a case study adopted in FY2020, and gave it a very high evaluation: "The comical direction, which at first glance seems excessive, forces you into the story, and you find yourself feeling the charm of the town of Otaru and the warmth of the people living there, (omission) emotionally and accurately conveying the possibility of regional revival. The film received a very high evaluation.

Looking back on this series of projects, it is clear to anyone who looks at them that the team was solidly built, with the longstanding relationship of trust between Mr. Fukushima and Mr. Yamashita, the catalyst of Mr. Ito's filming, and Mr. Yamashita's tremendous influence on the Chinese market.
Nevertheless, when you hear the line from the grandfather in the film, "You can always be reborn anew," you may find that your preconceived notions of what could have been done in Otaru, but was surely impossible for us, will melt away quietly like spring snow.

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The lines written by Yao Aoyama, who also wrote the script, seep into your mind along with the lingering beauty of the images.

I think there are people in every region who have their own aspirations and have put down roots in the area. If these people don't stay small in their hometowns and continue to challenge themselves by increasing their contacts with people outside the community, I am sure they will find a clue someday. It doesn't matter how small it is. I want you to keep challenging yourself. Mr. Fukushima encourages them to continue taking on challenges.

This film was a major stepping stone for Mr. Yamashita's achievements in Japan. He was impressed by the ability of the Sapporo creators, who he worked with for the first time in his hometown, and felt a response of "This is a model for local creation movies that can be used throughout Japan and even in Asia! Yamashita was impressed by the ability of the Sapporo creators, who were working together for the first time in his hometown.

He felt that the film would be a model for other regional movies that could be made throughout Japan and even Asia. "I think it will be a good opportunity for people who are trying to do their best in various places to convince people around them that they can do it. Even if the scale of the budget is different, if you consult with us about it, we creators can narrow down our knowledge and come up with the best answer. First of all, please feel free to consult with us. We are waiting to be called by the "host family" that welcomes us to your town!

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This film has been nominated for the "BRANDED SHORTS 2022 Short List," which features corporate branding movies. The final nominated films will be announced in May 2022!

●Fukushima Corporation https://fukushima-km.co.jp/
●Nurunuru Corporation https://nulunulu.asia/
Tomohiro Yamashita's official biribiri channel https://space.bilibili.com/1643718
Tomohiro Yamashita's official Twitter https://twitter.com/jibo33
Reactor Corporation https://reactor.jp/
●Hiroshi Ito's company Geograms http://geograms.jp/

Writer Profile

佐藤さん Yuko Sato

Lives in Sapporo and supports bookstores, publishers and book-related people in Hokkaido with her web magazine "Hokkaido Bookstore Navi". Owner of Seesaw Books, a new bookstore shelf in Kita 18-jo, Sapporo. Author of "The Miracle of the NAGAMARE Kaikyo" about railroad tourism in Hokkaido through the Isaribi Railway in southern Hokkaido.