Minamiaso’s hot spring PR movie won the Japan Grand Prix, the highest award, at the JWTFF Japan International Film Festival 2025!

Minamiaso hot spring PR movie wins the Japan Grand Prix, the highest award, at the JWTFF Japan International Film Festival 2025! ​ Minamiaso Tourism Bureau, General Incorporated Association Press release: March 21, 2025 Minamiaso’s hot spring PR movie won the Japan Grand Prix, the highest award, at the JWTFF Japan International Film Festival 2025! This is the second installment of the “Waku, Minamiaso” project, in which local creators depict Minamiaso as a hot spring resort, a feat that won both the top prize in the category and a double.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/81094/13/81094-13-41e9f6ca31cd8975fdf589def49426e3-2121×1414.jpg Scene from the award ceremony/Many guests from overseas also participated in the 3-day video festival
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https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/81094/13/81094-13-bdb3c34e1323d11166c45176ca313139-2121×1414.jpg The video “Waku, Minamiaso issue 2” produced by the Minamiaso Hot Spring Inn Association won the Japan Grand Prix, the highest award, in addition to the top award in each category at the 7th Japan
International Tourism Film Festival (JWTFF 2025). The 7th Japan International Tourism Film Festival (https://jwtff.world/) was held in Maniwa City, Okayama Prefecture on March 19, 2025, with 138 films nominated in the domestic category and 1,132 films in the
international category. ■Overview Video Festival: 7th Japan
International Tourism Film Festival Award details: • Tourism Destinations Regions Category Grand Prize • JAPAN Grand Prix (highest award) Award-winning work “Waku, Minamiaso issue 2” https://img.youtube.com/vi/1S-KU2F7wc0/sddefault.jpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S-KU2F7wc0 • URL:
https://youtu.be/1S-KU2F7wc0 Director: Haruki Anami (from Oguni Town, Kumamoto Prefecture) ■Waku Minamiaso Project It started in 2019 with a gathering of creators based in Kumamoto. Minamiaso is a hot spring town that has been revived after the earthquake, and its daily life is expressed through booklets and videos. The second installment, “Waku Minami Aso issue 2”, will be released in April 2024.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/81094/13/81094-13-c66c402f1d0ed58b417022c78dca2e8a-1378×1034.jpg Booklet “Waku, Minamiaso issue 2”
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/81094/13/81094-13-303d3e21174281807f25d4c34eca18b8-1378×1034.jpg Writing stories about hot springs and people
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/81094/13/81094-13-6ad31769168e8150ddcc7853070bf4dd-1378×1033.jpg Expressing the atmosphere through careful interviews Editing: Yoshiko Otsuka Photography: Akiko Yamaguchi (Y/STUDIO) Design: apuaroot Written by: Yoshiko Otsuka Mai Mitsuboshi Asako Iseki Video: Haruki Anami Producer: Kazuyuki Ozasa ■Judge comment
Maki Fukushima (Japan International Tourism Film Festival Japan Division Jury Chair/Video Director) For the first time in a long time, I was able to come across a video with a sense of smell and warmth. “Waku, Minami Aso.” No matter what you do, you can’t capture the scent on film. No matter how cold a day you shoot, it won’t show the
temperature. However, on rare occasions I come across images that make me feel this way. That feeling we call . The clear air of Minamiaso is reflected in the carefully shot images, the words that speak quietly to the heart, and the music that gently touches the heart. Once you watch it, you’ll feel like your mind and body are soaking in a milky white hot spring. The warm people and delicious food make it feel like a hometown. In order to discover things that haven’t changed and things that have slightly changed, let’s say “I’m home” like in the video and go home. What’s your next day off? Takashi Kigawa (JWTFF general director) In the tourism department that I belong to, I teach that the best part of tourism is the extraordinary feeling. However, while teaching, I sometimes wonder what is extraordinary. We are already able to see the other side of the earth through video, and it feels like we have already experienced an extraordinary world. Once again, this video “Waku, Minamiaso” depicts everyday scenes. However, this casual everyday life seems extraordinary to those of us who are busy with our daily tasks. The moment when you can suddenly face your inner self, that is surely the moment when you regain your sense of humanity from an inhuman situation. I think the video work “Waku, Minamiaso” teaches us that this is “extraordinary.” ■Japan World’s Tourism Film Festival | Japan International Tourism Film Festival The Japan International Tourism Film Festival (JWTFF) is an international film festival that aims to convey the charm of the region to the world through tourism films and contribute to the promotion of tourism. It is the only film festival in Asia that is officially a member of CIFFT, an international tourism film festival network accredited by UNWTO (United Nations World Tourism Organization). A wide variety of tourism videos submitted from all over the world will be screened, and each award will be decided after a rigorous review by the jury. The 7th event in 2025 was held in Maniwa City, Okayama Prefecture from March 17th to 19th, and there was lively discussion at the forum related to “tourism” and “images.” ■Contact information regarding this matter Minamiaso Village Hot Spring Inn Association/Kazuyuki Ozasa onsen@minamiaso.info 0967-67-2222