Interest
Kadokawa Envisions 'Cool Japan' Headquarters in Saitama
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
The monolithic publisher Kadokawa Shoten is envisioning an all-encompassing home for The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' "Cool Japan" initiative on a nine acre plot in Tokorozawa, Saitama. The complex would take over a former sewage treatment plant and draw foreign visitors to the often neglected Saitama area.
Dubbed the "Cool Japan Forest Vision" thanks to the site's lush greenery, Kadokawa hopes it would house a nursery, school, museum, library, and cafe. The exact specifics are still being hashed out by Kadokawa executives and Tokorozawa representatives.
"This proposal from Kadokawa will literally (make Tokorozawa) a cultural base and will lead the Cool Japan movement. This will really be a treasure for us," Tokorozawa Mayor Masato Fujimoto said at a news conference on Thursday.
"Cool Japan Forest Vision" is estimated to cost 30 billion yen (US$238.8 million) and planners hope to have it established by the Tokyo 2020 Olympics to draw attendees. Polls have shown foreign tourists often skip over Saitama in favor of Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Chiba prefectures.
The area already boasts several connections with anime and manga. Tokorozawa is the home of director Hayao Miyazaki and horror manga creator Hideshi Hino. Saitama is also the setting of anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, Lucky Star, Kamisama Kiss, Crayon Shin-chan, and The Anthem of the Heart.
Source: Japan Times
