On June 8, the evening edition of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported on a fascinating phenomenon — one that may be a harbinger of a broad cultural and social movement in Japan.
The article was about a movie being made in Aomori Prefecture in the Tohoku region of the country. Titled "Ultra-Miracle Love Story," it is being billed as jun-aomori-san (a pure product of Aomori).
Scores of movies have been set in Honshu's northern prefectures that comprise the Tohoku region. Recently we have had the Oscar-winning "Okuribito (Departures)," set in Yamagata; "Hula Girl" in Fukushima; and "Tsuri-kichi Sanpei (Sanpei's Hooked on Fishing)," which uses Akita as a location.