Last year, Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, in association with Discovery, commissioned the Shinetsu Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) to produce a short video showcasing the summer "Charms of the Undiscovered Hakuba Valley." The video focused heavily on the Shionomichi (Salt Road), and many of the scenes were shot here in Otari Village. The video was broacast in Australia and New Zealand from December 2023 to January 2024, and may be the first professional promotional video ever made of the Salt Road, and certainly the first one shown on overseas television. Watch the video here:
I had no prior knowledge of the video's production or publication, but a few weeks ago I had the privilege of speaking with a group of 11 people representing the Japanese National Government, the Nagano Prefectural Government, the Shinetsu Broadcasting Corporation, and the local governments of Hakuba, Otari, Ogawa & Nagano. I shared with them some of my involvement with and passion for the Shionomichi, and what I feel is so attractive about the route to inbound visitors, as well as answering their questions about the trail while we indulged in a fantastic full-couse lunch at Otari's Restaurant Nagano; an incredible 200-year-old building that has been beautifully restored and sits right on the side of the trail.
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