Do you like to watch Japanese dramas? Have you ever seen "Shikao" starring Hiroshi Tamaki and Haruka Ayase, or the Japanese films "Princess Toyotomi" and "Kamogawa"? In fact, these film and television works are all adapted from the novel works of Japanese writer Wan Chengmuxue. If you're a book or theater fan, follow the words of Manjo Muxue and explore his osaka, Nara, and Kyoto. Next, take you through the world of the "Kansai Trilogy" book!
▋ Novelist "Wancheng Muxue" small archives
Born in 1976 in Ikoma City, Nara Prefecture, Japanese writer Megura Manjo grew up in Osaka, while attending the Faculty of Law at Kyoto University, and his upbringing was like a "Kansai Trilogy" that jumped around the Kansai circle. In 2006, his debut film "Kamogawa Holmo" won the fourth Annual Boyle Eggs Newcomer Award, officially debuted as a writer, combining the humorous style of realistic background and fantasy setting, capturing the hearts of many fans, and in 2007 he launched his second work "Deer Man", which was also well received. "Kamogawa Holmo" takes Kyoto as the story stage, and "Shikao" takes place in Nara, but what about Osaka? The 2009 work "Princess Toyotomi" tells a legend about Osaka, and these three novels of Manjo Mugaku are collectively known as the "Kansai Trilogy".
Cover of the novel Princess Toyotomi
Cover of the novel "Deer Man"
Cover of the novel "Hermo Kamogawa"
The works of Manjo Mugaku are humorous and have a sense of imagery, and later successively launched Japanese dramas or film versions, such as "Shikao" was adapted into a Japanese drama by Fuji TV in 2008, invited Hiroshi Tamaki, Haruka Ayase, a number of unwashiko and others to perform, the whole drama was filmed in Nara, and the footprints left by the "Shikao" crew can still be found in many scenic spots, and then the production team of "Shikao" launched the film version of "Princess Toyotomi" in 2011, starring Shinichi Tsui, Haruka Ayase and Shoso Okada. Once again, the fantasy world of the novel was translated into a live-action version, and "Kamogawa Holmo" was adapted into a movie in 2009, starring Takayuki Yamada, Chiaki Kuriyama, and Takeshi Hamada. Therefore, whether you are a book fan or a theater fan, it is very suitable to arrange a trip to Kansai!
▋Osaka in Princess Toyotomi
The story of Princess Toyotomi begins with three investigators of the Accounting Inspection Bureau, Matsudaira, and his subordinates, Asahi and Torii. Their job is to check whether the various public units are actually using the state budget, but in the Osaka area, there is a strange organization called "OJO", which has no official name and confusing business content, but can use the national budget of up to half a billion yuan every year! In the process of stripping away the cocoons, the three investigators gradually discovered the ancient secrets hidden under Osaka Castle...
Step point suggestion 1: Osaka Castle
If you are a movie fan, "Princess Toyotomi" is really too good to step on! Because this work is full of classic Osaka atmosphere, the three people often look at "Osaka Castle" in the play, which is also the cover of the original novel, which is the most representative landmark of the work. Osaka Castle, along with Nagoya Castle and Kumamoto Castle, is also known as the "Three Castles of Japan", and is also ranked among the top 100 castles, also known as "Golden Castle" or "Kinjo Castle", built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the three masters of the Warring States, whether it is a historical position or in the hearts of Osaka people, it can be said to be a spiritual symbol, and the biggest "Gong" in the story is buried here!
Step point suggestion two: Okabori shopping street
The Okori Shopping Street, where OJO is located, is actually a long shopping street in the chuo ward of Osaka City, with a total length of about 800 meters, although it has been through the Great Osaka Air Raid during World War II (1945), it has not been damaged, the ancient longhouse form has been preserved, and the complicated and winding alleys often make tourists confused about the east, west, south and north, but it also happens to be the best place for "mysterious organizations" to hide.
Step point recommendation three: Daodunbo, Xinzhai Bridge
In the movie version of Princess Toyotomi, there is a very famous scene in which Haruka Ayase, who plays Torii, walks through the empty Osaka, and the places she passes are very representative and highly recognizable, including Dotonboru and Shinsaibashi, which is also the location of the "Guliguo Billboard" where travelers are sure to come to take pictures.
◾"Kao" Naka Nara
"Deer Man", which is set in Nara, is closely related to "deer" and mythology, both in novels and movies. The plot mentions a man with a somewhat weak personality, Takanobu Ogawa, who becomes a substitute teacher at the Nara Girls' Academy under the circumstances of fate. One day, Ogawa meets a talking deer in front of Nara Park, who claims that it has existed since a thousand years ago to protect mankind and must hold a "repression ceremony" every 60 years, but because Ogawa did not do his best to be a messenger transporting the "Eye", the "Eye" was transferred, and the deer turned the man's face into a deer face as punishment, and warned him that if he did not take the "Eye" back, Japan would be destroyed. As a result, Ogawa was confused, but in order to protect his daily life and all of Japan, he began to unfold a fantasy struggle story.
Step point suggestion 1: Nara Park
After watching "Deer Man", how can you not like the deer who are a little sloppy, a little arrogant and cute? Therefore, the most recommended place to step on is, of course, the "Nara Park" where thousands of deer live! In the story, the place where Ogawa and the talking deer first meet is also here. Why are there so many deer in Nara? According to legend, the guardian god of the Fujiwara clan, Takeru, migrated here on a "white deer" in 710 AD, and since then the deer have been regarded as the messengers of the gods, but this group of "messengers of the gods" is not so difficult to get close to, as long as you have a deer shell in your hand, they will follow you closely! However, it should be noted that the fawns are not as docile as imagined, and in the past, there were often incidents of passengers being injured by deer because of the wrong way of feeding deer shellfish, so everyone should pay attention to it.
Step point recommendation two: Wakakusa Mountain
Whether it is reading the "Shikao" novel or watching a Japanese drama, in addition to trying to solve the mystery, you will definitely be attracted to Nara's leisurely and healing atmosphere, in japanese dramas, Fujiwara Sensei, played by Haruka Ayase, once took the male protagonist Ogawa played by Hiroshi Tamaki to the commanding heights to overlook Nara, and Nara under the reflection of the pink sky was both fantastic and gentle. This scene was filmed on Mount Wakakusa on the east side of Nara Park, which is not only a popular mountaineering area for locals and a famous cherry blossom viewing place in spring, but also a good place for Nara deer to bask in the sun.
Step point recommendation three: Pingcheng Palace traces
The third "Deer Boy" attraction is dedicated to fans, and the antique city gate in the background of the novel cover is actually the main gate of The Heiseong Palace, "Suzaku Gate". Heijo Palace was the seat of the imperial castle in the Nara period (710-794 AD), and the Suzaku Gate, as the main gate, was the first façade to welcome foreign envoys and travelers, and it faced the wide Suzaku Road, which reached the luocheng gate at the southern end. However, after entering the Heian Period, the imperial castle was moved to present-day Kyoto, and The Heisei Castle and The Heisei Palace were abandoned, and after a thousand years, the Suzaku Gate was restored in 1998 and became a representative sightseeing spot in Nara.
▋Kyoto in Kamogawa Holmo
What is your impression of Kyoto? Is it the elegant and quaint texture, the neat and clean streets, or the beautiful encounters that may meet the beauty of kimono around the corner? In the world of Wancheng Muxue, Kyoto is a somewhat silly but absolutely wonderful fantasy ancient capital! The owner of the novel "Kamogawa Holmo", Kondobe, is a fresh person who has just been admitted to Kyoto University, because kyoko Hayara, a girl with a beautiful nose, fell in love at first sight, and in order to increase the chance of contact, he chose to join the same society "Kyodai Green Dragon Society" with her, not knowing that the real identity of the members of the Green Dragon Society is actually "warriors", and must fight with three other universities in a game called "Holmo", and the weapon of the battle is actually the "little ghosts" in the "other world"!
Step point suggestion 1: Kyoto University
Whether you are a fan of "Kamogawa Holmo" or a fan of the movie, the most unmissable attraction is "Kyoto University"! The protagonists are all students of Kyoto University, and the film is filmed directly in the dormitory of Kyoto University, "YoshidaLiao", which is full of realism. If the highest institution of learning in Kanto, Japan is the University of Tokyo, then the Kansai region can compete with Kyoto University, this university is known for its free school spirit, the opening ceremony and graduation ceremony and other serious occasions are always engaged in cross-dressing parties, and every year at the school celebration "November Festival" Students also have to spoof the bronze statue of former president Mr. Orita, but although it is so crazy, this school has proudly produced more than ten Nobel Prize winners and two Japanese prime ministers, super excellent!
Step point recommendation two: Aoi Matsuri
The next thing to introduce is not the location, but an important celebration mentioned in the story: the "Aoi Festival". The Aoi Festival is a ceremony held on May 15 every year by the Shimo-kamo Shrine and the Kami-Kamo Shrine (Kamobetsu Shrine), and is listed as one of the three major festivals in Kyoto, originating back to 545 AD, when the society suffered from years of famine and the spread of plague, the emperor held a "Kamo Matsuri" to pray for a good harvest of grain and appease the famine, and the dress and driving of the ceremonial personnel were decorated with "Aoi Leaves", so it was also called "Aoi Matsuri".
Step point suggestion three: Yasaka Shrine
Finally, back to the cover spot of the novel, which has been introduced in the first two works, the cover of "Kamagawa Holmo" is quite interesting, and a glimpse of this design- the scene of three boys and a girl crossing the zebra, is it reminiscent of the album cover of abbey road, the musical work of the legendary rocking group Beatles? In fact, this scene is a reference to the "Shijo Pass" in Kyoto City, which not only includes the popular shopping area around Karasuma Shijo on the Garden Road, but also crosses the Kamogawa River and finally arrives at Yasaka Shrine, which can be said to be the main road that runs through the city center, and the cover also recreates the street scene with red lanterns hanging in front of the merchants, full of Japanese wind, which is also quite in line with the story atmosphere of "Kamogawa Holmo".
What do you think of the Kansai Trilogy of Wancheng Mushu? After visiting these attractions in person, the text and images have become more intimate, and it is possible to go back to reading novels or Japanese dramas again, and book fans and movie fans, do not hurry up and plan a trip to Kansai?