[Central Railway Company] Pay attention to the expression on Ryohei Suzuki’s face as he immerses himself in the energy of the Buddha statue! “Izaiza Nara” new CM “Kofukuji Edition” will start
broadcasting from August 29th (Thursday)
*Tokai Passenger Railway Co., Ltd.*
Press release: August 28, 2024
**
Pay attention to the expression on Ryohei Suzuki’s face as he immerses himself in the energy of the Buddha statue! “Izaiza Nara” new CM “Kofukuji Edition” will start broadcasting from August 29th (Thursday) *Rediscover the ancient and modern charm of Nara! Tour an energetic town with a thousand-year story
Special events such as night viewing and illumination of Kofukuji Temple will be held during the campaign period! Commercialization of sweets that appear in commercials*
As part of the 6th Nara tourism campaign “Izaiza Nara,” the Central Japan Railway Company will release a new commercial starring Ryohei Suzuki, “Izaiza Nara “Kofukuji Edition” on August 29th (Thursday). Broadcasting will start sequentially. In conjunction with the campaign, we will also start selling campaign-limited travel plans for Kofukuji Temple and plans that allow you to fully enjoy the gourmet food in the Naramachi area.
* “Izaiza Nara” new TV commercial “Kofukuji Edition” story * *Broadcast starts on Thursday, August 29, 2024*
“Here we go, here we go”
This commercial, which begins with the line “Kofukuji Temple,” tells the story of Ryohei Suzuki’s journey through Kofukuji Temple, a world heritage site located in the center of Nara City, and the Naramachi area. The story depicts Ryohei Suzuki experiencing a “time-travel” experience at Kofukuji Temple, encountering many valuable cultural properties such as the Ashura statue, and the modern-day Chukondo Hall. Please pay attention to the expression that captivates you with its overwhelming sense of scale and color. Ryohei Suzuki heads out to Nara after visiting Kofukuji Temple.
There are scenes of her enjoying sweets while looking out at the garden in the shoin, and of her natural self, smiling at the deliciousness of the curry, which is characterized by the “spices” that have its roots in Nara in Japan. In addition, in the Kofukuji and Naramachi areas at night, the story depicts the fantastic scenery of illuminated temples that can be enjoyed even in modern times, and the charm of being immersed in the quiet quiet of the town.
*Message from Ryohei Suzuki*
“Kofukuji Temple is one of the famous sightseeing spots that represent Nara, but I think it is full of so many charms that you can’t fully experience them all in one visit.You can enjoy Kofukuji Temple all day long. It’s great, and there are many wonderful spots around, so please come and enjoy it. Come to Nara, Kofukuji!
* “Izaiza Nara” New TVCM “Kofukuji Edition” Storyboard (30 seconds version) *
*Performer profile*
Born March 29, 1983 in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture. Debuted as an actor in 2006. In 2018, he played the main character Takamori Saigo in the NHK Taiga drama “Saigodon”. Recent appearances include the dramas “Ship of Theseus”, “Renai Mangaka”, and “TOKYO”. MER ~Running Emergency Room~”, “Elpis – Hope or Disaster”, “Kyukokujouji”, the movies “Moeyo Sword”, “Lone Wolf’s Blood LEVEL 2”, “Song of the Earth Dragon”
FINAL” and “Egoist”. The Netflix movie “City Hunter” is currently available worldwide. The movie “Hanamanma” starring him is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2025.
* Shooting secret story *
* “A special place where you can experience the feeling of time slipping unique to Nara” *
* -Kofukuji National Treasure Museum-*
◆Ryohei Suzuki himself said he had seen the Ashura statue in front of many people, lining up for hours at an exhibition in Tokyo, but this was his first time seeing it at the Kofukuji National Treasure Museum. .
It was a luxury to be able to see it from such a close distance, and even during the breaks between shots, people were seriously and carefully appreciating it.
◆National treasure
Ryohei Suzuki looked closely at the statue of Asura, listened to the monk’s explanation, and wondered why Asura, said to be the god of war, had such an expression on his face.
Ryohei Suzuki said he also felt a sense of sadness.
◆Among the many national treasure Buddhist statues lined up, Ryohei Suzuki was particularly drawn to the national treasures “Tento Oni and Ryuto Oni”.
Although he is an evil demon, he has a cuteness that makes it impossible to hate him, and I especially smiled when I noticed that Tentouki’s pose and expression resembled that of “that comedian.” * -Kofukuji Temple Chukondo-*
◆One commenter said about Chukondo, “That feeling of time slipping is amazing.” It was described as a place where you can experience the colors and scale of the time, and feel the unique qualities of Nara. ◆This was the first time in the series that we photographed a temple at night, and Ryohei Suzuki was moved by the fantastic view of the illuminated Chukondo Hall against the darkened night sky, saying, “I’ve never seen it before.It’s a luxurious experience.” It looked like he was doing it.
* -Kofukuji Temple Five-storied Pagoda/Three-storied Pagoda-* ◆After seeing the five-storied pagoda being restored for the first time in about 120 years, one commenter said, “It’s very interesting to see such a tall building being repaired using a large crane.” ◆People viewed the three-storied pagoda with great interest, wondering if the previously quiet three-storied pagoda would be attracting attention because it was undergoing restoration.
* -Curry with spices-*
◆Ryohei Suzuki, who says his sources of energy are “curry” and “sweets,” was fascinated by South Indian curry made with spices in Nara, which is deeply connected to medicinal herbs and spices. ◆Ryohei Suzuki is actually an Indian curry fan, and you can tell the restaurant is authentic just by entering the restaurant! I’m sure. When he actually tried it, he was very excited and said, “It’s really delicious!”
This restaurant may have the best South Indian curry in Japan! ? He expressed his excitement to the staff.
* -Imanishike Shoin-*
◆Ryohei Suzuki enjoyed sweets while looking out at the garden at Imanishi Shoin, an important cultural property. In particular, the ice cream monaka made with sake lees from the local sake “Haruka Daiginjo” was a perfect “adult monaka” to enjoy while looking out at this beautiful garden, and everyone seemed to be very happy with it.
* “Izaiza Nara” Kofukuji Edition: Charm of filming location*
The setting for this campaign is the World Heritage Site Kofukuji Temple, which is an ancient temple that was founded over 1,300 years ago and is also known for its five-storied pagoda and Asura statue. Chukondo, which was fully rebuilt in 2018 for the first time in about 300 years, is the center of prayer at Kofukuji Temple, and has been restored to its original appearance with its overwhelming scale and bright red color. “Kofukuji” will be held in conjunction with the campaign.
Chukondo
During the special nighttime viewing, the temple is specially lit up, and you can enjoy the fantastical appearance against the night sky that even surprised Ryohei Suzuki. Additionally, Kofukuji Temple has the highest number of designated National Treasure Buddhist statues in Japan.
The National Treasure Museum, which houses Buddhist statues, paintings, ancient documents, etc., is enshrined with national treasure Buddhist statues from various eras, including the Asura statue, which fascinates people as a masterpiece of Tenpyo carving, and attracts the passionate gaze of visitors. I am collecting. The five-storied pagoda is currently undergoing a major restoration project, the first in approximately 120 years since the Meiji era. One way to enjoy Kofukuji Temple is to see its appearance change little by little throughout history.
In addition, the Naramachi area, which is another shooting location, has historic buildings that have been preserved as important cultural properties, such as the Imanishi House Shoin, which we visited during this shoot, and has been elevated to a modern style while preserving its charm. It is an area where you can feel the energy of the millennium, where new spots are born and the old and new are fused. There are many sightseeing spots within walking distance, such as shrines and temples, as well as the townscape, Nara gourmet food, and old folk houses, making it a town that you can explore to your heart’s content from morning until night.
At Imanishiya Shoin, a sweets set that was newly developed for the photo shoot and that Ryohei Suzuki also enjoyed will be on special sale to coincide with the campaign.
*New TV commercial overview*
Title: Come to Nara “Kofukuji Edition”
Broadcast start date: Thursday, August 29, 2024 (Reiwa 6)
Broadcast area: Metropolitan area, Shizuoka area, etc.
CM 10-digit code: 0154=242R3A (Let’s go to Nara Kofukuji Temple 30 seconds) CMURL: https://youtu.be/Ayo9xyupddc?si=KPwJavOuGdFjmE2i
CM making & special interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIjnFx6_dXM
*Poster*
* “Izaiza Nara” campaign site *
* 1. Location map *
We introduce shooting spots for commercials and posters. How about a pilgrimage to the filming location or a walk around the area? * 2. You can charge energy! 1 night 2 days model course*
We have created a model course for you to fully enjoy this energetic town with a thousand years of history.
Introducing Ryohei Suzuki’s recommended spots!
* 3. Limited travel plan only for Nara *
We introduce travel plans that will allow you to fully enjoy Kofukuji Temple and the surrounding area.
4.* Kofukuji Temple and surrounding area event calendar*
We have posted event information that you should check before going out. * 5. Making movie *
You can watch the video behind the scenes of the shooting and an interview with Ryohei Suzuki.
They talked a lot about the charms and points of interest in the Kofukuji/Naracho area.
*SNS campaign*
A campaign commemorating the release of the commercial will be held on the Nara no X (formerly Twitter) official account. Details will be announced on the campaign site.
* “Izaiza Nara” new TV commercial “Kofukuji Edition” production staff list* Planning and production/JR Tokai Agency + Edison Lighthouse + N Design ECD/Masakazu Teramoto
CD/Rie Sasaki
CM Planning/Rie Sasaki
C/Tomoya Kume, Keiko Yoneda
AD/Takeshi Nagata, Takafumi Ishimoto
Web/PR Planning/Kazuya Okura
AE/Mafuyu Sato, Kazuki Kimura, Asami Suda, Daichi Takahashi
EPR/Satoru Aoshima
PR/Masaka Wakayama
PM/Masaya Iwata, Kenya Komine
GR PR/Masashi Nonomura
Direction/Kazuhito Nakae
Photography/Keisuke Kazui
GR photography/Atsuhiro Shirahata
Lighting/Yamato Ishii
Art/Fumio Ogawa
Music PR/Fukushima Bushi
* <“Izaiza Nara” official websitehttps://nara.jr-central.co.jp/ * <“Kofukuji Edition” Campaign
Sitehttps://nara.jr-central.co.jp/campaign/izaiza_kohfukuji/ * <“Izaiza Nara” official X (old: Twitter) accounthttps://twitter.com/nara_cjr * <“Izaiza Nara” official Instagram
accounthttps://www.instagram.com/izaizanara_official/
* <“Izaiza Nara” Official YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@izaizanara_cjr
* Overview of “Izaiza Nara” *
JR Tokai’s Nara tourism campaign “Izaiza Nara” started in May 2022. Nara is a journey where the more you learn about Nara, the more interesting it is, and the more you experience it, the more you arouse new curiosity, combining the charm that has been passed down over more than 1,300 years with the new charm expressed by people living today. It’s a place where you can.
“Izaiza” in the campaign copy is a repetition of the word “Iza,” which is used in the Manyoshu and Kojiki to invite people, and is meant to convey the idea of inviting people to travel to Nara. Ta.