Local governments hoping to win fame and promote growth have been rushing to duplicate the success of "Nihon-ichi mijikai 'haha' e no tegami" (Japan's shortest letters to mother), a 1994 bestseller compiled by the town of Maruoka, Fukui Prefecture, that has sold more than 850,000 copies since its release.
The response to this and other publications by local municipalities has been very positive, and special sections for such books have even appeared in bookstores.
A Trailblazing Collection of Letters
Maruoka was the administrative seat of a fief ruled by the Maruoka clan during the Edo period (seventeenth to nineteenth centuries). An 18-character message composed by Honda Shigetsugu, whose son, Narishige, became the first leader of the Maruoka clan, is considered the prototype of Japan's short letters. Writing from the battlefield, Honda sends instructions to his wife: "A brief missive. Be careful of fire. Don't make Osen (Narishige's childhood name) cry. Fatten the horses."
This legacy prompted the town to organize a nationwide contest for brief letters of 35 or fewer characters. The overwhelming response, upwards of 30,000 entries, led to a decision to publish the 240 prizewinning messages into a single volume. The result has been a bestseller that brought in more than 100 billion yen in royalties and a new letter museum that the town built with the proceeds.
Maruoka officials say the book has not only brought Maruoka fame but boosted local pride. The town was so heartened by the success that it came out with two sequels: "Nihon-ichi mijikai 'kazoku' e no tegami" (Japan's shortest letters to the family) in spring 1995 and "Nihon-ichi mijikai 'ai' no tegami" (Japan's shortest love letters) in January 1996.
Jumping on the Literary Bandwagon
Maruoka's publications have inspired a number of other local governments to follow suit. In the first two months of 1996 Yamaguchi Prefecture has come out with "Tokyo sotsugyo" (Graduating from Tokyo), the city of Fukuroi in Shizuoka Prefecture has published "Kokoro ni nokoru kyujukyu tsu no ai no tegami" (Ninety-nine love letters that linger in the heart), and the town of Futatsui in Akita Prefecture has issued "Nihon-ichi kokoro no komotta koibumi II" (Japan's most heartfelt love letters II).
"Tokyo sotsugyo" contains essays submitted by people from around the country on the theme of leaving Tokyo and returning to one's hometown. The overwhelming response to the prefecture's call for submissions reportedly even surprised those in charge of the project.
Other Popular Ventures
Tourist magazines and collections of scenic photos are also popular genres for publication by local governments. Last summer, 11 municipalities in the Shimokita region of Aomori Prefecture teamed up with a travel agency to publish a magazine focusing on the Shimokita Peninsula to fill the gap left by mainstream travel magazines, which have tended to gloss over the area.
Meanwhile, a collection of photographs of the Niyodo River was issued by the town of Ino in Kochi Prefecture, through which the river runs, in January this year. The book urges readers to get a firsthand view of the river, whose beauty, locals say, rivals that of the nationally famous Shimanto River.
(The above article, edited by Japan Echo Inc., is based on domestic Japanese news sources. It is offered for reference purposes and does not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.)