KURE, Hiroshima -- A hillside location in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, that was depicted in the animated film "Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni" (In this Corner of the World) will be developed as a tourist spot for the movie's fans.
The film depicts Hiroshima and the nearby port city of Kure before and after the 1945 atomic bombing, and was a hit at home and abroad.
The Kure municipal government has tentatively named the planned site "Suzu-san ni aeru oka" (The hill where you can meet with Suzu) after the film's lead character, Suzu. The plan includes outlining on the ground the layout of the house that Suzu marries into.
The municipal government said it will earmark 7.9 million yen for the project in the city's initial budget for fiscal 2018, and aims to complete the site by the fiscal year ending in March 2019.
The planned site is on a plot of land measuring about 200 square meters on the 737-meter-high Mt. Haigamine in the city. Fumiyo Kono, the author of the manga on which the film is based, chose the area as the model for Suzu's home after getting married. Kono's relatives used to live at the site, and the manga artist, a Hiroshima native, donated the land to Kure in March last year.
The city will build a life-size room layout of Suzu's house with paving blocks, based on Kono's sketches. The layout will include the entrance hall, the engawa porch and tatami-mat rooms. The city will also plant dandelions, which are featured in the film, on the site.
As fans of popular films and manga often visit the places where the stories unfold, "We hope the site will inspire fans to think of the scenes in the film," an official of the municipal government said.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
