What is "ASMR video" that attracts inbound tourists with the charm of sound?
June 30, 16:35
A video of a hippo eating a whole watermelon.
The sound of eating watermelon has attracted attention, and the number of views has exceeded 160 million times!
Videos that enjoy these sounds are called "ASMR videos" and are gaining popularity on SNS, etc., and there is a growing movement nationwide to use them to attract foreign tourists, which has been resumed for the first time in two years.
(Video Center Junko Nagoya, Social Affairs Department Yutaka Sano)
The hippo buzzed!
The video "Hippo Watermelon Whole Time" has been played over 160 million times on YouTube, a video posting site.
The hippo with its big mouth cracking the watermelon and eating it is played with a realistic sound.
Click here for a video of the hippo
(Leave the NHK site)
The video was created by the animal and botanical garden "Nagasaki Bio Park" in Saikai City, Nagasaki Prefecture.
When we started distributing this video eight years ago, the person in charge of the garden had no idea that they would enjoy the sound.
However, he noticed that the word "ASMR" was written in the comments received from overseas, and learned that there is a genre called "ASMR video" that enjoys "sound" such as the mastication of food.
After that, if you add the word "ASMR" to the title, the number of views from overseas increased rapidly, and in 2019, five years after its release, the number of views exceeded 100 million.
It is said that the number of views is still increasing at a pace of 10,000 times a day.
Mr. Kimitaka Kamichika, in charge of video production at Nagasaki Bio Park
I was surprised that the number of views increased steadily.
In words, it can only be conveyed to Japanese people, but I think the reason why people all over the world received the sound of this watermelon breaking simply because it was easy to understand and clear for people in any country.
In addition, ASMR videos of more than 15 kinds of animals such as ▼ elephant turtle eating cucumber and ▼ capybara eating corn have been produced at this animal and botanical garden, and the number of distribution has exceeded 200.
The number of visitors to this year's Golden Week holidays increased by 25% compared to 2015 before the Korona-ka, so the garden attracted foreign tourists who resumed acceptance for the first time in about two years in June. I want to connect to.
Nagasaki Bio Park Mr.
Kamichika For the past two years, I have mainly focused on videos for the domestic market, but from now on I would like to focus on ASMR again and take on the challenge of attracting many customers from overseas.
"Sound" videos Why are they so popular?
What attracts people's hearts in "ASMR video"?
We talked to an expert in psychoacoustics.
Professor Masashi Komatsu, Kyoto Seika University
Humans tend to take the information that comes from their eyes as meaning, but sound does not make sense and directly shakes emotions.
You can feel the reality through the sound by creating a situation where you want to see and feel more and a feeling of immersion.
Since it does not go through the language, it is also characterized by being able to reach not only Japanese but also foreigners directly.
The "sound" of exquisite gourmet is also included in the video
Tourism groups in Shiga Prefecture are also paying attention to ASMR videos and trying to attract foreign tourists.
A video of a cook cooking Omi beef on an iron plate.
The sound of sizzling meat on an iron plate and the sound of cutting with a knife are appetizing.
Click here for a video of Omi beef
(Leave the NHK site)
Mami Uchiki, Marketing Officer, Omi Tourism Board, General Incorporated Association
I think ASMR video, which does not rely on language, is a tool that appeals to foreign tourists.
I want you to enjoy all the sounds of how the cook cooks the ingredients and the sharpening of the kitchen knife.
There is also a movement to utilize it for "regional promotion"
A project has also begun to revitalize the region by discovering "sound" that can only be heard in that area as a tourism resource.
At the request of local governments and companies, content production companies in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo produce ASMR videos that promote the appeal of each region and distribute them on the Internet.
Click here for the EMOCAL project website
ASMR videos of Mantatashiki in Niigata and Odawara castings in Kanagawa (leaving the NHK site)
It is a coast called Mantatashiki on Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, which has been secretly attracting attention in recent years as a scenic spot like the Uyuni salt lake in Bolivia where the sky is reflected on the surface of the water.
The sound of the waves crashing quietly gives you peace of mind.
In this video, you can hear the sound of the wind chimes from the foundry workshop.
Wind chimes are traditional crafts in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, where castings are actively manufactured.
So far, 16 ASMR videos have been produced by this company.
On the day I visited for the interview, a new sound adjustment work was being done in the studio focusing on the water wheel and takoyaki in Iwate prefecture.
The company bears all the production costs, and if the number of video views increases, there is also the advantage that the number of users of the video application operated by the company can be increased.
EMOCAL Project Yoichi Sumita Producer
I think there are quite a few things that local people know, such as "pushing", which are not listed in the tourist guide.
Unlike video, it is interesting that audio has an area of imagination.
It would be great if tourists could actually visit the site and experience it as a result of this project.
Through this interview, I realized that the value of attracting people lurks in the "sounds" around us that we are not usually aware of.
Is "ASMR video" an opportunity to convey the charm of Japan to the world and attract foreign tourists?
I would like to keep an eye on it in the future.