Sukappy's Pilgrimage to Sacred Sites: Hiroshima - "Do Not Say Mystery" Movie Edition
A pilgrimage to sacred sites. This means visiting the locations where a work was filmed or where it is set.
Fans can not only immerse themselves in the world of their favorite work and let their thoughts wander, but by actually visiting those places, they may also encounter new emotions.
Here, we will introduce Sukappy, the mascot character of SKY PerfecTV!, as he visits various places on a pilgrimage to sacred sites.
The previous pilgrimage, the Turkey/Cappadocia edition, is here
Movie "Do Not Say Mystery" Synopsis
Totonou Kuno (Masaki Suda), a college student with natural curly hair who loves to talk, was visiting Hiroshima for an art exhibition. There, he meets a high school girl named Shioji Karu-atsume (Nanoka Hara), who claims to be an acquaintance of Garo Inudo (Eita Nagayama).
"Won't you take a part-time job? It involves money and my life. I'm serious." With those words, Shioji proposes a certain job to Totonou.
It involved the massive inheritance of the Karu-atsume family. The four heirs—Shioji, Rikinosuke Karu-atsume (Keita Machida), Neo Honami (Riku Hagiwara), and Yura Akamine (Ko Shibasaki)—along with the grandson of the family's legal advisor, Asaharu Kurumazaka (Kohei Matsushita), must solve riddles to claim the inheritance, following the instruction in the will: "Return what should be in each storehouse to where it belongs, without excess or deficiency." However, this ancestral inheritance is cursed, and people have died every time it has been contested. Shioji's father also died in a car accident with other candidates eight years ago...
The <truth> hidden behind the inheritance gradually unravels.
*The following contains some spoilers.*
The charm of "Do Not Say Mystery" that unravels the heart
Based on a mega-hit comic with over 18 million copies in print and adapted into a Fuji TV drama in 2022, "Do Not Say Mystery" is a mystery work featuring college student Totonou Kuno, who solves the mysteries of cases while simply talking at his own pace about whatever comes to mind.
And, do not say it is just a mystery work.
"Do Not Say Mystery" unravels more than just the mysteries of cases. It questions the darkness rooted in the hearts of the characters and the fixed ideas we have taken for granted.
We are struck by Totonou's straightforward opinions as he begins by saying, "I always think that...", and before we know it, the viewers' hearts are also being unraveled.
"Children are not stupid. Were you stupid when you were a child?"
"Don't be fooled by things like 'a woman's happiness' either. I think it was probably an old man who started saying that." "Because, you don't really hear the phrase 'a man's happiness' used, do you? It's strange that it only exists for one side."
Totonou's famous quotes explode in this movie as well. By the time the movie ended, you could hear sobbing in the theater. If you haven't seen it yet, please go to the movie theater!
And this time, to commemorate the theatrical release of "Do Not Say Mystery," we headed to Hiroshima, the setting of the story!
Off to the pilgrimage! To Hiroshima, the setting of the story
About 4 hours from Tokyo. Arrived at Hiroshima Station.
First, to the Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum. It is well-stocked with everything from art related to Hiroshima to Asian crafts, and the famous scenic spot Shukkeien Garden is also adjacent.
Totonou originally came to Hiroshima for the purpose of seeing the art exhibition held at this museum. The movie begins with a scene where he leaves the museum looking satisfied, saying, "I was able to buy a Degas dancer magnet."
Next are the World Heritage sites, the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial Park.
These are spots that symbolize Hiroshima, known as a city of peace, and in the movie, it is the place where Totonou and Shioji first spoke to each other. Shioji had been following Totonou at the museum and on the train, and Totonou had noticed. From the beginning of the movie, Totonou's sharp observational skills were impressive, weren't they?
"Won't you take a part-time job? It involves money and my life. I'm serious."
"I might be killed."
From Shioji's request here, Totonou gets caught up in the case surrounding the inheritance.
What on earth is he thinking?
Next, we head to the Hiroshima Electric Railway's streetcar stop, Hiroden-Nishi-Hiroshima Station.
The Hiroshima Electric Railway is used in travel scenes, and at the beginning of the year, a back shot of Totono standing at this Nishi-Hiroshima stop was released on the official website.
Finally, we head to Miyajima.
This time, we are heading to Miyajima via the Hiroshima World Heritage Sea Route.
In the original story, there is a scene where Totono orders and drinks orange juice, and there are plenty of oranges before the route as well. It might be nice to enjoy some oranges here, which are a specialty of the Seto Inland Sea thanks to the warm climate.
Look for the "Miyajima" sign on the top right of the photo
When you think of Miyajima, you might imagine taking a ferry from JR Miyajimaguchi Station, but you can also go by boat from the Atomic Bomb Dome! The highlight is that you can enjoy Hiroshima from the water as you travel through the rivers and sea of Hiroshima city for about 45 minutes.
Once you land on Miyajima, there are many deer.
You can also enjoy Miyajima gourmet foods like fried momiji manju and grilled oysters!
A dozen minutes' walk from the pier brings you to the famous O-torii gate of Itsukushima Shrine.
It is famous for appearing to float on the sea when the tide is high, but twice a day, at low tide, you can walk right up to it. The ebb and flow of the tide was also a key point in an important scene in the movie.
Is there a clue to solving the mystery...?
On the way home, we ate the Hiroshima specialty, conger eel rice, before heading to Tokyo.
(Totono returned by reclining his Shinkansen seat to the maximum to sleep, but Scappy and the editorial department couldn't resist their appetites)
It was exquisite, living up to its traditional taste!
The movie "Do Not Say Mystery" is set in Hiroshima Prefecture, but there are many other sacred sites besides those in Hiroshima.
The filming location for the Kariatsume family, which holds the key to the story, is a combination of various locations and sets, such as the Former Nozaki Residence, a nationally designated important cultural property in Okayama Prefecture, Rakuzan-en Garden in Kanagawa Prefecture's Kanra District, and Sankeien Garden in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture.
This was a pilgrimage mainly focused on Hiroshima, but I'd love to visit the other sacred sites too!
(Reporting: Scappy, Writing: Yama)
▽Afterword
Scappy (and editorial staff member Yama), who were eager to visit the Former Nozaki Residence, received a message from editorial staff member Tantan, who was visiting Okayama Prefecture for sightseeing, saying that they had passed right by JR Kojima Station, the closest station to the Former Nozaki Residence.
That's a filming location, Tantan-san.
▽Click here for the official website of the movie "Do Not Say Mystery"
▽Click here for related articles on "Do Not Say Mystery"