Uji City teams up with Kyoto Animation to promote local tourism

Uji City in Kyoto Prefecture has teamed up with Kyoto Animation to create a new digital portal aimed at promoting the city to tourists and visitors.

A newly created tourism website for the city features images and promotional videos created by the renowned animation studio Kyoto Animation, which is headquartered within Uji City.

In 2023, as a precursor to the website launch, Uji City released a key visual, an evocative illustration created in partnership with Kyoto Animation.

This artwork depicts figures from various historical periods traversing the city’s iconic Uji Bridge, symbolizing the enduring history of Uji and how its past has shaped its present-day character.

The promotional website details many of the historic sites and tourist attractions in Uji City

The Uji Bridge itself is one of Japan’s oldest bridges, with its first construction dating back to the mid-7th century.

Building upon the impact of the key visual, in 2024, Uji City and Kyoto Animation collaborated again to produce an animated promotional video titled “Uji Has a Story” (Uji ni wa Monogatari ga Aru).

The promotional video is over 6 minutes long and features the Uji City animated by Kyoto Animation

This video brings the themes and imagery of the key visual to life, offering viewers a dynamic and engaging introduction to the city’s rich heritage and scenic beauty.

The newly launched special website, which went live at the end of March 2025, serves as a central platform for showcasing these collaborative key visuals and promotional videos.

Visitors to the website can immerse themselves in the artistic interpretations of Uji’s history and landscape as envisioned by Kyoto Animation, a studio celebrated for its high-quality animation and storytelling, with notable works including “K-On!,” “Clannad,” and “Violet Evergarden,” among others.

The promotional video and website have been produced in Kyoto Animations signature style

Beyond the visual and video content, the website also provides comprehensive information about the history of Uji City, tracing its origins from before the Nara period (710-794) to the present day.

This historical overview encompasses key events, cultural developments, and the city’s connection to “The Tale of Genji”.

Murasaki Shikibu, a noblewoman and writer who lived during the Heian period (794-1185), wrote “The Tale of Genji” in the early 11th century.

The website features a short 4-koma manga series about Murasaki Shikibu

The tale is often considered the world’s first novel and the final ten chapters of the 54-chapter work are known as “The Ten Uji Chapters”, as they are set in Uji and explore the lives and romantic entanglements of Genji’s descendants.

This historical and literary link forms a cornerstone of Uji City’s cultural identity and modern day tourism appeal.

The website and video also references Uji City’s reputation for green tea known as “Uji Matcha”

Through the involvement of Kyoto Animation, Uji City also hopes to capture the attention of a wider international audience, including anime enthusiasts and those interested in Japanese history and literature.

Similar collaborations are frequently employed by towns and cities in Japan such as Hirosaki and Hakodate which have recently announced a collaboration with Sakura Miku.

The special website serves as a digital gateway, inviting visitors to explore the real-world locations that inspired the final chapters of “The Tale of Genji” and to discover the charms of Uji City.

Source: Official Website