FUKUSHIMA--An amateur video of residents from Fukushima Prefecture dancing to the hit U.S. single “Happy” is proving to be somewhat of a minor sensation on YouTube.
FUKUSHIMA--An amateur video of residents from Fukushima Prefecture dancing to the hit U.S. single “Happy” is proving to be somewhat of a minor sensation on YouTube.
The video, released just over two weeks ago to show that life goes on despite the nuclear disaster here in 2011, has already garnered 300,000 hits online.
“Even after the nuclear accident, many people are still leading ‘happy’ everyday lives. We wanted to show to the world the cheerful atmosphere in which we live,” said Hitomi Kumasaka, the 53-year-old producer of the video.
Around 200 residents took part in the project with the aim of casting away negative impressions of their prefecture caused by the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
The 2013 hit by Pharrell Williams has become an online phenomenon this year as it spawned a number of cover videos on YouTube in which people from different cities around the world dance to the soul song.
The Fukushima version starts off with Yasunori Kano, the stationmaster of JR Fukushima Station, stepping off a Shinkansen bullet train at his station.
The camera follows people of all ages dancing in their own styles against the backdrop of sightseeing spots such as the Takayu Onsen hot spring resort, shopping malls and rice fields in the cities of Fukushima, Koriyama and Date.
The dancers include famous local figures, such as actor Nasubi and Fukushima Mayor Kaoru Kobayashi. For the most part, though, the performers are everyday people, such as farmers, Buddhist monks and college students.
“The name Fukushima still tends to conjure up images of a murky place where people still walk around with masks covering their faces,” said Kumasaka, who specializes in social media production.
Since she returned to her hometown last summer, the native of Fukushima city has been frustrated by what she believes is the negative image attached to the prefecture despite the fact that life has returned to normal for many people.
A cover video of “Happy” shot in Tokyo’s Harajuku district, in which shoppers and shopkeepers dance in fashionable outfits, gave her the inspiration to make the video. The Harajuku video was played 710,000 times on YouTube within 60 days of its release.
The video was shot in two weeks in May and posted on YouTube on June 2.
Some overseas viewers have posted messages expressing their surprise, with one casting doubt on whether it was really shot in the prefecture.
Fukushima residents responded positively to the video. Some posted comments that they wanted to participate in the project or produce videos of their own.
“For overseas viewers to realize that the happiness expressed by the dancers is not an act, they should simply come to Fukushima to see what is happening for themselves,” Kumasaka said.