I was invited by a fellow member of the Facebook group Anizone to witness a presentation at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati.
From what I’ve told, the presentation will unleash a new program from Japan for the Filipino audience — Halo Halo House.
The show is about fresh graduate Jose, who went to Japan to search for his childhood friend Erika with only one hint: a handkerchief with her name and “Ichinomiya” in it. There he finds himself in a shared house with people of different strokes — and problems — along the way. He will finally see Erika soon, but what awaits him after?
Aside from the 20-minute drama, a 10-minute info segment is hosted by Sayaka Akimoto (of AKB48) giving information about the city.
This program is made possible through an agreement between Nippon Television Network Corporation (Nippon TV) and the People’s Television Network, Inc (PTV).
In a December 17, 2015 press release that the media received earlier, the project “was selected by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications as part of its initiative known as ‘Appeal for Business Plans on Model Projects to Promote Overseas Expansion of Broadcasting Content Contributing to Regional Economic Revitalization Based on Original Ideas of Local Communities.’ It aims to strengthen the relationship between the Japanese and the Filipinos as well as revitalize the local economy.” In short, the show aims to show Ichinomiya and its surroundings.
In a conversation that I had with Anizone fellow Geoffrey Kutsukawa, he described the production value of the upcoming series positively.
The said event is divided into two parts: An introduction to the program and an introduction to Ichinomiya City.
Turns out that this gathering is catered to travel agencies alongside the media, which is has been as the latter asks questions on how they can help the city attract more visitors, including from the Philippines.
Ichinomiya, which prides itself in textile and fashion, has a big Filipino workforce there; and if we put in the fact that this year marks the 60th year of the establishment of the Philippine-Japan Friendship, it makes sense.
Halo Halo House is set to broadcast on PTV 4 starting January 16 and will air on Saturdays and Sundays at 5pm.
Here are other pictures from the said event:
