IGA, Mie -- An increasing number of fans of the megahit Japanese anime film "Kimi no Na wa" (your name.) are flocking to the city of Iga in Mie Prefecture because of its identity as the nation's largest producer of kumihimo traditional Japanese braided cords, a key item that brings together a boy and girl as the main characters in the 2016 film.
The story in the film actually centers around Gifu Prefecture's Hida region, but Iga boasts a unique facility where visitors can enjoy a hands-on kumihimo-making experience. It is located near Iga Ueno Castle.
At the facility, called "Iga Kumihimo Kumi no Sato," I saw two young sisters intently moving their hands while sitting in front of doughnut-shaped wooden tables from which silk threads in colors such as pink, blue and gold were hung. Wooden spools dangling from the table struck against each other, making pleasant clacking sounds.
"It's fun," said the younger sister, 8-year-old Kokomi Hasegawa from Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, who was humming a tune. Her sister Nanami, 14, said she watched the film with fascination. "Now I can feel closer to the film," she said with a radiant smile.
Some of the film's fans visit the place on their own, like Taketsugu Okada, 20, from Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture. "It's different from Hida, but here I could get a taste of the world depicted in the film," he said, looking happy with a kumihimo key ring he had made. He is an avid admirer of "Kimi no Na wa," telling me he had seen it at the theater three times.
"At first, I didn't know what was going on," said Masahiro Hiraoka, 53, an executive of Mie Prefecture's kumihimo association, which operates the Kumi no Sato facility.
The facility used to be in an area close to Ueno Higashi Interchange on the Meihan Expressway, away from an urban zone, until it moved to its current location in April 2017. Most visitors were middle-aged or older women coming to the facility by car as kumihimo are often used for such kimono accessories as obijime sash bands and haori half-length coats.
One day, a boy -- looking like a junior high or senior high school student -- showed up at the facility on his own by bicycle. "Can I experience [kumihimo-making]?" he asked. At that time, Hiraoka saw it as nothing more than a rarity, but it was only the beginning -- the facility started receiving young couples and groups of junior and senior high school boys. Wondering why such a thing could occur, Hiraoka asked these young visitors why they came. "Because I saw [kumihimo] in 'Kimi no Na wa,'" they answered.
To check out what they said, he went to a cinema to watch the movie. And sure enough, there was a scene in which a major character makes kumihimo with the same kind of tools as those available at the facility. "So that's it!" he thought. By then, it was already widely reported that some fans of the anime film had made pilgrimages to Hida. At the time of the film's release, however, there was no facility in Hida where they could have a hands-on kumihimo-making experience. Then "Kimi no Na wa" fans turned their eyes toward Iga.
The number of people taking part in making kumihimo at the facility surged from 3,495 in fiscal 2015 to 4,453 in fiscal 2016. Then it more than doubled to 9,124 in fiscal 2017. August 2017 alone saw about 1,500 visitors coming for the experience, partly because it was during summer holidays.
The film also created new ties. The municipal government of Hida requested the association help train kumihimo instructors as it prepared an exhibition from January to February in 2017 to feature items related to the film such as storyboards and to provide visitors with hands-on kumihimo-making experience. The training session was subsequently organized at the Kumi no Sato facility.
Iga kumihimo is a government-designated traditional craft. It has many long-standing fans who love the pliant texture of handmade cords. In the years around 1970, there were nearly 100 specialist kumihimo workshops in the city. Local craftspeople continue seeking new ways to apply the skills to products other than kimono, such as ties and scarfs, but the industry is shrinking: The number of workshops has dropped to about 20.
"We'll work hard to make kumihimo something familiar to young people, as they came to know it through the film," Hiraoka said.
Kumi no Sato is about a five-minute walk from Uenoshi Station on the Iga Line. A 30-minute kumihimo experience costs 1,100 yen including tax. Participants can make such items as key rings, bracelets and cell phone straps.
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