https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsEIBUto2QE
Anyone visiting Nozawa last season may have noticed an occasional movie crew and camera floating around the village. A new release feature film was being shot in our little town. It has a lot of famous Japanese Actors and is based on a novel by a very famous Japanese writer Keigo Higashino.
It is a mystery thriller with a bit of comedy thrown in as only the Japanese can do. The name of the film is “Shippu Rondo”. The story line is a secret weapon is stolen from the lab. But as it is top secret the lab staff cannot tell he police so they need to find it for themselves and it is supposed to be somewhere on the slopes of Nozawa Onsen. See if you can spot some of the slopes it was filmed on. Some great 80’s style ski suits also make an appearance in the shots.
Here is a link to study up on some of the courses in Nozawa Onsen Ski Courses in Nozawa Onsen
Lots of Nozawa Lanmarks and Scenery in the movie
Have a look at the trailer and you may notice a few spots in Nozawa that you know. Buna Restaurant gets featured well as does the Ski Patrol Office and naturally some of the beautiful mountains and village. Many locals also feature as extras in the film and stunt doubles in the skiing scenes. They were even a few long term guests from overseas who had a spot as extras in the film.
The resort is hoping that the exposure will help to stimulate the domestic market and more Japanese will come up and visit Nozawa in both winter and summer. This often can happen for a place in Japan after it is the starring location for a movie or tv drama so see what it brings. The movie opens at the end of November in Japan and looks pretty good.