[Otaru, a Town of Memories Encountered Through Movies]

The city where a film is set has the power to reflect the emotion of the story and the feelings of the characters. Otaru is one of the cities that has this power. The stone warehouses, canals, slopes, and snowy landscape. These landscapes are depicted in the film as a stage where the past and present, memory and reality intersect, and are deeply etched in the viewer's mind.

Director Shunji Iwai's film “Love Letter,” released on March 25, 1995, remains a celebrated masterpiece in the history of Japanese cinema, 30 years after its release. It is a quiet love story woven by coincidence and memory, in which a letter to his late fiancée connects the main character with a woman of the same name as him. The film takes place in Otaru.

The impressive scene at the beginning of the film, in which the protagonist is seen running across a snow field, was shot on Mt. Tengu. The pure white snowy landscape symbolizes the beginning of a story of loss and rebirth. The slope where the postman rides his motorcycle down is Funamizaka (Funami Slope). Funamizaka offers a panoramic view of Otaru Port and appears as a symbolic place where reality and memory intersect. The former Otaru branch of the Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line) is used as a library in the film, and the stately stone building reflects the quiet passage of time and the inner depths of the characters. Furthermore, a private house on a hill in Zenibako, which served as a home for a woman living in Otaru, was unfortunately destroyed in a fire in 2007; however, the lost house also plays a significant role in the film as a stage for memories. Otaru City Hall as a hospital, the former Juhara Residence, Canal Plaza, and Temiya Park also appear in the film, and places familiar to Otaru residents are depicted with new meaning in the film. These locations give viewers a sense of tranquility as if time has stopped, and they rediscover the charm of Otaru as a city.

Some time ago, I had the opportunity to watch a Korean film titled “Moonlit Winter,” which was set in Otaru. This film was strongly influenced by “Love Letter” and depicts the process of healing what is left behind through letters to the departed. The motif of “letters” is common to both films. Letters are the key that connects the past and the present, and they touch the deepest recesses of the characters' hearts. While “Love Letter” depicts quiet miracles and coincidences, “Moonlit Winter” is characterized by the passionate expression typical of Korean cinema, and depicts more emotional ups and downs. While “Love Letter” is set in the exotic and historic streets of Otaru, “Moonlit Winter” focuses on more everyday and simple scenery. Each film brings out the charm of Otaru from a different perspective, deeply moving the viewer.

Otaru was once a prosperous port town that served as the economic center of Hokkaido, and even today, the town still retains a number of stone warehouses, canals, and historical buildings. I believe that the movie “Love Letter” depicted the beauty of Otaru as if time had stopped. Walking along the slopes, you will feel as if memories of the past come back to you, and walking along the canal, you will feel as if you want to write a letter to someone.

Otaru is known as a summer tourist destination, but Otaru in winter has also been the setting for movies and attracts many people. The snowy landscape of this city is the perfect setting for a story of quiet love memories, and its charms are conveyed more deeply through the film.

Otaru Showroom
https://www.shokunin.com/en/showroom/otaru.html