05 June 04 TV drama brings boom in tourism to Tokyo outskirts TOKYO � A major television drama about a band of masterless samurai guards in Kyoto toward the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate in the mid-19th century is sparking a tourist boom on the outskirts of Tokyo. The Tama district in Tokyo's western suburbs has previously received hardly any attention as a tourist spot. However, the region is fast becoming a tourist attraction due to the "Shinsengumi" television drama broadcast every Sunday night by Japan Broadcasting Corp (NHK). An event called "Chofu Shinsengumi Festa" festival is being held at the Tokyo metropolitan government's Jindai botanical gardens in the northern part of Chofu city. Shinsengumi is the name of a band of lordless samurai established in 1863 � three years before the last supreme leader of the Tokugawa Shogunate gave up power to restore imperial rule in Japan � ostensibly to guard Kyoto, which was the capital of the country, but actually to eliminate those bent on crushing the shogunate and following political thought that called for "revering the emperor and expelling the barbarians." The head of the group was Kondo Isami, who was born in the city of Chofu, now about a 15-minute train ride from Tokyo's Shinjuku station. Kondo organized Shinsengumi but was captured by government forces and beheaded in 1868 at the age of 34. The festival at the Jindai gardens has a special pavilion showing exhibits and videos that introduce the story of the TV drama and the history of Shinsengumi. A total of 35,000 people have visited the pavilion since it opened at the end of February. The city of Hino, birthplace of Shinsengumi deputy leader Hijikata Toshizo, is also holding the "Shinsengumi Festa in Hino." Shuttle buses make the rounds carrying passengers from the city's nearest railway station to the festival site and the places which keep reference materials on Hijikata. The Keio group's transport services that run passenger trains through both Chofu and Hino cities have maps for free at its railway stations for those who want to walk around areas connected with Shinsengumi. Hato Bus Co is operating a day-long tour program that takes passengers to points of interest. Its public relations department said the program is popular because a professional storyteller is on board who tells tales based on historical facts. Candies, locally brewed sake, towels, neckties and "haori" outer garments like those worn by Kondo, Hijikata and others are being put on sale to capitalize on the popularity of Shinsengumi. Tokyo is said to have lagged other big cities in developed countries in tourism administration. Welcoming a local groundswell for promotion of tourism, a metropolitan government official said the city government will not only support preserving the natural environment of the "Musashino" outskirts of Tokyo but also maintain historical spots. Shinsengumi has been taken up many times as the subject of novels and movies, but this is the first time it has become the key element of a major TV drama. NHK's feature dramas have always gained attention for promotion of tourism, including "One-Eyed Masamune," about the lord of the Sendai clan aired in 1987, and "Toshiie and Matsu," about the founder of the Kaga clan and his wife broadcast in 2003. Chief distinctions of "Shinsengumi" are that NHK assigned popular playwright Koki Mitani to write the scenario and has used young actors to make it a drama centered around a group of youths. |
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