Japan, with its distinct four seasons, is gearing up for the vibrant cherry blossom festival. This wave of cherry blossoms will gradually move northward from the southernmost Okinawa. Although the delicate beauty of spring cherry blossoms can already be seen from mid- to late March, Japan’s “back garden,” the Tohoku region, still offers snow-covered landscapes like a silver-white world until the end of March. Especially in Akita Prefecture, located in a heavy snowfall zone, the season is in full bloom with colorful, thick snow.
To promote Akita’s snowy scenery and winter attractions, Akita’s Director in Taiwan, Akita Dog Michi, specially shared her secret snow-viewing spot “Take the Inland Railway to See the Aoni Tree Ice” in the newly launched travelogue “A Little Snow Trip.” She also visited the filming location of the Korean drama IRIS, which has extremely high viewership ratings in Korea, exploring the romantic scenes of the lead actors Lee Byung-hun and Kim Tae-hee. The newly trending Akita sightseeing landmark “Ugo Town,” which has recently gained significant attention, also made it onto Director Michi’s travelogue, allowing readers to experience the excitement of emerging manga-themed traditional houses.
The super-popular Korean drama IRIS filmed in Akita last year. After airing in Korea, its viewership rating soared to nearly 40%, not only setting a new record but also sparking a tourism boom to Akita among Koreans. This March, IRIS is set to premiere in Japan, and it is expected that the charm of the male lead Lee Byung-hun and the female lead Kim Tae-hee will ignite another wave of Akita travel enthusiasm. Taking advantage of her local insights, Director Michi takes everyone to preview the IRIS filming locations and explores the romantic traces left by the lead characters: from the romantic date at the mixed-gender hot springs of Tsuru-no-Yu, to the scene where they embrace tightly in front of the Tatsuko Statue at Lake Tazawa, and even the room at the Lake Tazawa ISCHIA Hotel where they stayed and filmed—complete with preserved shooting sets and items used by actor Lee Byung-hun, all available for visitors to see when staying overnight.
The Akita Inland Railway is a famous sightseeing train in Japan, running from Eagle’s Nest Station in the north to Kakunodate Station in the south. It is hailed as one of Japan’s most beautiful and pristine scenic railways. This small, retro-style train with only two carriages shuttles daily through the fields, plains, and mountainous areas of Akita Prefecture. The Aoni Station along the line leads to the Aoni Ski Area, where you can see the tree ice. Until the end of March this year, the Aoni tree ice can still be viewed—just take the Akita Inland Railway to explore it.
Recently, Ugo Town in Akita Prefecture has become wildly popular thanks to a young man named Takahiro Yamauchi, who used a manga beauty marketing strategy to promote local tourism, attracting a large number of young visitors. Takahiro Yamauchi not only paired manga beauties with the nationally treasured traditional house of the Suzuki family to create postcards and posters, but also launched Akita rice packaged with manga beauties, achieving astonishing promotional results. For more information about Akita, visit the "Michi Diplomacy Project."
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