【Work】Otsu, the "Sacred Place of Karuta", website open to the public

On February 1, 2023, "Otsu, the sacred place of karuta" a tourism website for the city of Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, created by curioswith, went live.

Otsu is well known for its Omi Shrine, which is the site of the annual Karuta Meijin/Queen ranking tournament. There are many other connections between Otsu and Karuta as well.

In order to attract more interest to Otsu, we proposed a collaboration project with the manga series "Chihayafuru" . This manga is about a girl who becomes a professional karuta (traditional Japanese playing cards) player.

"Chihayafuru" was not only ranked 1st in the "Female" category of the "This Manga is Amazing!" (2010), as well as being the top manga for all generations from 20s to 50s in the "Ranking of Shoujo (girls) Manga Read by Men" (2016). As one can tell, it is an extremely popular manga read by a wide range of manga lovers.

We feel extremely blessd to have had the opportunity to work with the "Chihayafuru" Foundation and the author, Yuki Suetsugu, on the "Waka and Karuta" program of the "Wakamatsuri 2021" Japanese cultural experience event planned and produced by us.

Moreover, we received a message from Ms. Yuki Suetsugu that she often visits Otsu, "Chihayafuru"s main film location.

We hope you are able to see the charm of Otsu, flourished with numerous waka poems filled with the feelings of our predecessors, along with the characters from the manga "Chihayafuru".

The website "Sacred Place of Karuta", offers a "Otsu and the Hyakunin Isshu" page that explains the relationship between Otsu City and the Hyakunin Isshu karuta. There is also a "Places Related to the Hyakunin Isshu" page that introduces places in Otsu City associated with the Hyakunin Isshu, followed by a "Having Fun" page that features souvenirs, meals, and activities. Finally, the "Tourism" page presents a sightseeing plan for Otsu City.

Please enjoy the comparison between scenes from the manga "Chihayafuru" and actual locations!

「Otsu, the Sacred Place of Karuta」Website

https://otsu.or.jp/karuta/

Last but not least, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the Otsu City Tourism Promotion Division for blessing us with this valuable opportunity, all of the companies in Otsu City that warmly welcomed us, as well as Kodansha, Ms. Yuki Suetsugu, and the Chihayafuru Foundation.