{"id":43625,"date":"2018-05-30T06:59:27","date_gmt":"2018-05-29T21:59:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/weekly\/?p=43625"},"modified":"2018-05-30T16:08:18","modified_gmt":"2018-05-30T07:08:18","slug":"2-yuri-on-ice-and-the-katsudon-boom-in-karatsu-city-saga-prefecture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/inst\/weekly\/feature-en\/2018\/05\/30\/43625\/","title":{"rendered":"All Katsudon Leads to Waseda!!\u3000#2\u201cYuri !!! on Ice\u201d and the Katsudon Boom in Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u201cYuri\u2019s katsudon\u201d<\/h3>\n

Facing the Genkai Sea is Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, the hometown of Waseda University\u2019s second dean, Tameyuki Amano, and the location of the Waseda Saga Junior High and Senior High School. Next to the school towers the city\u2019s symbol, Karatsu Castle, and lining the Karatsu Bay like the arc of a rainbow is the Rainbow Pine Grove, one of Japan\u2019s three major pine groves. While the picturesque city is blessed with marine products, according to A Collection of Data Relating to Karatsu City Issues (presented by Karatsu City), the rate at which the city\u2019s population is aging is higher than the national average, and it\u2019s estimated that in 50 years the current population of 125,000 will be cut in half. Hearing talk of a katsudon \u201cboom\u201d in Karatsu City, the Waseda Weekly editorial team went to investigate.<\/p>\n

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A shopping arcade which appears in the anime<\/p><\/div>\n

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Kyomachi Shopping Arcade, the model for the anime\u2019s shopping arcade. Look at the tiger design on the shirt to the right and try to find it in the anime screenshot.<\/p><\/div>\n

From October 2016, unusual sights could be seen around the depopulating and aging city of Karatsu. The owner of a clothing shop in the Kyomachi Shopping Arcade in front of JR Karatsu Station explains: \u201cThere was a sudden increase in young women and foreign tourists taking pictures in front of the store. I had no idea what was happening.\u201d These young women and foreign tourists with cameras in hand could also be seen at the onsen<\/em> facilities, and they were all ordering katsudon.<\/p>\n

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The home of Yuri\u2019s family is an onsen lodge called Yu-topia Katsuki<\/p><\/div>\n

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The entrance to Kagamiyama Onsen Tea House Bijin no Yu<\/p><\/div>\n

It just so happens that Yuri on Ice<\/em>, a figure skating themed anime, had begun airing on television (TV Asahi), and the city in which the anime takes place, the fictional Hasetsu, Kyushu, was modeled after Karatsu City. Thus Karatsu City became a \u201cpilgrimage\u201d site for fans of the anime. The favorite food of protagonist Yuri Katsuki, coach Victor Nikiforov, and rival Yuri Plisetsky is Yu-topia Katsuki\u2019s katsudon. According to Kagamiyama Onsen Tea House Bijin no Yu, after which the anime\u2019s onsen lodge is modeled, the number of katsudon orders increased to 200 per day on weekends and holidays following the anime\u2019s airing.<\/p>\n

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Victor stuffing his cheeks with katsudon<\/p><\/div>\n

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Yuri\u2019s rival, Yuri Plisetsky, is also a fan of katsudon<\/p><\/div>\n

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Yu-topia Katsuki\u2019s dining hall<\/p><\/div>\n

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Kagamiyama Onsen Tea House Bijin no Ya\u2019s dining hall. Here many tourists are seen eating katsudon (this photograph was taken on a weekday when it was not busy).<\/p><\/div>\n

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Katsudon is an important part of the anime<\/p><\/div>\n

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Kagamiyama Onsen Tea House\u2019s katsudon<\/p><\/div>\n

The anime\u2019s popularity extends overseas and among its fans is world-class figure skater Evgenia Medvedevan. International fans are constantly uploading their own katsudon recipes to Youtube.<\/p>\n

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I’ll take it. Pack him, please pic.twitter.com\/riGHu0Iyj4<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Evgenia Medvedeva (@JannyMedvedeva) 2017\u5e744\u670819\u65e5<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Evgenia Medvedeva posing like Victor from the anime (taken from her twitter account)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As the anime\u2019s popularity continued to soar domestically and internationally, so did Karatsu City\u2019s popularity as a tourist attraction.\u00a0 Mitsurou Kubo, the anime\u2019s creator, in addition to sharing information on social media, has visited the city and participated in anime-related collaborations. Local newspapers have covered Karatsu City\u2019s transformation into a \u201cpilgrimage\u201d site and the sudden increase of katsudon-eating women. Local city residents have even formed the Hasetsu City and Karatsu City Friendship Association, officially establishing friendly relations between Karatsu City and the fictional Hasetsu City. In addition, \u201cSaga on Ice,\u201d a regional promotion campaign supported by Karatsu City and Saga Prefecture\u2019s government administrations, was implemented from March to May 2017.<\/p>\n

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An official \u201cpilgrimage\u201d guide<\/p><\/div>\n

Seeing the anime\u2019s popularity as a golden opportunity to inform people of the city\u2019s charms, residents of the depopulating Karatsu City attempted to use the anime to revitalize their community. As part of the \u201cSaga on Ice\u201d campaign, local administrations distributed an official \u201cpilgrimage\u201d guide and collaborated with local restaurants to create collaborative meals and goods, and organized events which could only be experienced in Karatsu City. Of course rounding off the pilgrimage was the katsudon at Kagamiyama Onsen Tea House.<\/p>\n

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The Hasetsu ice rink which appears in the anime<\/p><\/div>\n

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Waseda Saga School, which served as the \u201clocation\u201d model for the anime\u2019s ice rink<\/p><\/div>\n

Where there is katsudon there is Waseda. One high school student documented the city\u2019s anime-inspired promotion campaign. Kai Takayama, a second-year student at Waseda Saga High School and member of the school\u2019s broadcasting club, produced a documentary centered on the activities of Akinori Kawakami, Chairman of the Hasetsu City and Karatsu City Friendship Association. Kawakami is the manager and chef of a steak restaurant which Takayama frequents. The two eventually became friends and Takayama decided to produce a documentary highlighting Kawakami\u2019s activities. The documentary was shown at the 2017 National High School Cultural Festival in Miyagi Prefecture where approximately 20,000 high school students from Japan and overseas gathered to present the fruits of their arts and culture endeavors.<\/p>\n

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Pictured on the right is Takayama who produced a documentary for the 2017 National High School Cultural Festival in Miyagi Prefecture. On the left is Norihiko Mukai, fellow broadcasting club member working together with Takayama on a dramatic production.<\/p><\/div>\n

Originally from Tokyo\u2019s Suginami Ward, Takayama enrolled in the Waseda Saga Junior High School as a first-year student and moved into the Hattaro Student dormitory. He now considers Karatsu City his second home. \u201cI actually watched Yuri on Ice<\/em>. One day chef Kawakami said, \u2018I want to better Karatsu City with this anime. That\u2019s why I formed the Hasetsu City and Karatsu City Friendship Association.\u2019 As a resident of Karatsu City, I also wanted to contribute in my own way, so I decided to produce a documentary,\u201d explains Takayama.<\/p>\n

\u201cI admire Kawakami\u2019s passion for his hometown. I think that now the best way to revitalize this city is with the anime. It fits with the times.\u00a0 Tourists and cosplayers come into town during the holidays, so I interview them. Kagayami Onsen\u2019s katsudon is also popular so I went there to cover it and try it myself. I strongly feel that the city is livening up at the movement. With my documentary I want to capture and share the passion of Karatsu City\u2019s residents.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Chef Kawakami preparing steak<\/p><\/div>\n

Takayama, who enjoys \u201cmaking-of\u201d documentaries of movies, hopes to enroll in Waseda University\u2019s Studies in Theatre and Film Arts course at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. In the future he hopes to work in the film industry. \u201cWaseda Saga High School has first-year students go on a Tokyo field trip, but sadly I didn\u2019t go to Sanchoan where katsudon originated. I think a katsudon excursion in the field trip would give students a good opportunity to learn about Waseda University\u2019s history and culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Chef Kawakami cosplays as Yuri<\/p><\/div>\n

We went to Caravan, Kawakami\u2019s restaurant, to speak directly with the central figure of Takayama\u2019s documentary. \u201cThere are many first-year junior high students who leave their hometown to live here. That\u2019s why when a group of kids come to my restaurant I give them a special \u2018Waseda discount\u2019 on their Saga-gyu lunch sets. We are entrusting these kids with the future of Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, and Japan, so it\u2019s the least I can do,\u201d says Kawakami.<\/p>\n

In February 2017, as Chairman of the Hasetsu City and Karatsu City Friendship Association, Kawakami visited Saga Shimbun\u2019s president, Seiichiro Nakao (1984 Waseda University School of Commerce alumnus and head of Waseda University\u2019s Saga Alumni Association), to explain the necessity of using Yuri on Ice <\/em>to revitalize the city and gain the support of the newspaper. Takayama followed Kawakami to this meeting and recorded it for his documentary. Without the passionate and energetic Kawakami, the \u201cSaga on Ice\u201d regional promotion campaign may have never come to fruition.<\/p>\n

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Chef Kawakami amd Saga Shimbun President Seiichiro Nakao posing as Yuri on Ice characters (from Kawakami\u2019s facebook page)<\/p><\/div>\n

Kawakami is famous among Yuri on Ice<\/em> fans. He was greeted by large groups of fans when he arrived at Haneda Airport to attend a Yuri on Ice<\/em> event in Tokyo. Customers mid-pilgrimage flock to Kawakami\u2019s restaurant, and he is surrounded by creators\u2019 signatures and various goods. Kawakami expresses his love for Yuri on Ice<\/em> and Karatsu City by reciting lines from the anime and doing \u201cteppanyaki triple axel\u201d performances for customers. After closing up shop for the day, Kawakami took us to Karatsu Castle, one of his favorite scenic spots. As we climbed the stone steps, we came across a bench where Yuri and Victor sit in the anime. An arc of light shined on the Karatsu Bay and Matsuura River and a magnificent skyline unfolded in front of our eyes.<\/p>\n

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The night skyline from Karatsu Castle<\/p><\/div>\n

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The same skyline portrayed in the anime but from the opposite side<\/p><\/div>\n

After completing culinary training in Tokyo and Fukuoka, Kawakami took over his father\u2019s restaurant. His father, who passed away five years ago, struggled to keep the restaurant in business. Kawakami, who has grown the restaurant into a Michelin 1-star restaurant, spoke to us about Karatsu City\u2019s current state of affairs. \u201cWhen I look at this curve of light I really feel like I am in Karatsu, like I\u2019ve returned home. But Karatsu continues to decline. It\u2019s energy continues to fade. Some parts of the shopping arcade look like a ghost town. Some people have taken their lives after their livelihoods were destroyed. I want to use Yuri on Ice <\/em>as an energy source for regional creativity to prevent this light in front of us from fading away. That\u2019s where I am directing all my energy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although the anime resulted in an unprecedented boom in popularity for Karatsu City, the city has harbored sadness in its shadows for many years. How does Takayama\u2019s documentary portray the city?<\/p>\n

All Katsudon Leads to Waseda!!\u3000#1Matsuya Foods Chairman Kawarabuki: \u201cBringing Katsudon to all of America\u201d<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n