Japanese TV Crew Visits Karamea

Media Release: Japanese TV Crew Visits Karamea

A TV crew from Tokyo Broadcasting System came to Karamea at the top of the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand to film the daily lives of Japanese expat Sanae Murray and her family for a programme titled ”Sekkai no Hatte no Nihon jin” (Japanese at the Ends of the World).

“Sekkai no Hatte no Nihon jin” is one of the most popular TBS programmes and the show will reach a potential viewer audience of 30 million people across Japan.

The crew arrived on November 20 and stayed in Karamea for five days. They were particularly interested in the challenges faced by Sanae and her family and why she chose to leave the comfort, safety, convenience and security of her previous life in Tokyo and move to perhaps the most remote town on mainland New Zealand.

Director Daisuke Jyosawa and his crew set up at various locations around the Karamea and Sanae, her husband Paul and daughter Diva showed comedian “Mr Chin” their venture the LivinginPeace Project as well as their home, farm and accommodation businesses Rongo Backpackers & Gallery and Karamea Farm Baches as well as taking them to some of the best scenic locations in the Karamea region.

The Heaphy Track, Oparara Basin, Honeycomb Caves, Karamea Estuary, Oparara Arch, Mount Stormy, Karamea Gorge and Karamea Beach will all be featured on the programme as well as the lives of Sanae and her family.

While in Karamea the crew were able film catching fish, shearing sheep, harvesting vegetables from the LivinginPeace Project Permaculture Farm, the Kahurangi National Park from a helicopter, harvesting bamboo shoots, the Saturday Market, a live music event at the Karamea Village Hotel a bonfire on the beach and many other activities not possible in Tokyo.

Director Daisuke Jyosawa said, “Filming in Karamea was a great experience and one of the best places I have been on location.”

The Karamea community, the Department of Conservation, the Oparara Valley Trust, and the Karamea businesses embraced the opportunity for regional promotion and worked together to ensure the filming process was smooth and successful.

The show will air in Japan on January 7, 2013 and will then be available for online viewing on the Internet.

ENDS

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