A City and Its People Full of Energy Despite COVID-19! Share the Charm of Kuromon Market Through Video
● A video contest titled 'I Want to Go to Kuromon Market!' is being held with great enthusiasm.
When my friends come to Japan, I always take them to Kuromon Market. This market perfectly matches Osaka's reputation of 'eat until you drop,' bringing together a rich variety of ingredients from all over Japan. It's incredibly tempting. You can enjoy Osaka's food to your heart's content here.
One day, I heard from a friend about the 'Kuromon Market Video Contest.' Huh? At that Kuromon Market? I was interested and looked into it, and found that the entry requirement is 'a video within one minute that makes viewers want to go to Kuromon.' Moreover, the grand prize winner (one person) receives 300,000 yen! How exciting! And the runners-up (two people) also get 100,000 yen. Awesome!
My camera enthusiasm was reignited by this event! I used to watch amazing videos made with many photos with great interest and thought that one day I would create a video with such creativity myself.
So I immediately grabbed my trusty camera and headed to Kuromon Market!
● Start taking photos! So much charm
So, where to start shooting? The storefronts are lined with brightly colored, delicious-looking fruits. It felt great.
I showed the contest poster to the shopkeeper and asked, 'Can I take some photos for the contest entry?' They gladly agreed.
I captured some slightly shy but wonderful smiles.
Tea samples were also beautiful subjects.
There was wonderful art on the ceiling as well.
Lanterns with the characters 'Kuromon' were hanging. This arched roof design. Nice.
Oh! This place is like a flower field of Kuromon. I can take vibrant photos here!
Delicious-looking sea urchins.
They crack open each shell one by one like this.
Osaka's summer specialty, water eggplant, which seems to be in season as early as the end of March this year.
This seems to only be found in Senshu. Talking with the shop staff led to many new discoveries—such a joy!
The enticing aroma of bonito flakes! It's the scent of my favorite Osaka dashi.
This octopus sign is quite impactful. Nice. I think I can get some good photos.
● Encounters with friendly, smiling people
What surprised me was that the people of Kuromon are truly kind.
After I asked permission to take photos, they all cooperated and showed bright smiles to the camera.
When I was shooting video and asked, 'Could you please say welcome?' they all greeted me with lively voices saying, 'Welcome!'
And the staff at this pharmacy—they even performed a moonwalk for me!
While taking photos, I chatted a lot with the shop staff, and I never expected to have such an enjoyable time—it exceeded my expectations.
Yes, everyone's smiles were wonderful.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, countless tourists visited Kuromon Market, making it crowded and bustling.
Now there aren't many tourists, but it's filled with everyone's smiles.
Kuromon Market is truly a place full of the friendliness of Osaka people. That's why they so readily agreed to help me with the shooting.
I really love this down-to-earth side of Osaka. Today, Kuromon Market made me feel full of happiness too.
● 300,000 yen prize! Enter and aim for the grand prize!
The deadline for the 'Kuromon Market PR Video Contest' is May 31.
Online public voting will be held from May 1 to June 30, and the contest committee will select the winners from the entries with the most votes.
You can also gather votes through social media, so I need to work hard to get more friends to see my video. Of course, I hope to win the grand prize, but more than that, I had a great time shooting at Kuromon Market, meeting many friendly people, and making new discoveries. It made me fall in love with Kuromon all over again!
Why not take a stroll through Kuromon, create a video, and try entering? I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.
Now, I'll choose my favorite photos from the many beautiful shots and start editing! Stay tuned!!
*Please follow proper etiquette when shooting and take thorough COVID-19 precautions.
Kuromon Market PR Video Contest
[Entry Period] Until Monday, May 31, 2021, 23:59
*Time of registration via the entry form
[Online Voting Period] Saturday, May 1, 2021 – Wednesday, June 30, 2021, 23:59
*You may vote once per day
[Announcement of Winners] Saturday, July 10, 2021
[Awards] Grand Prize: 1 winner, 300,000 yen
Excellence Awards: 2 winners, 100,000 yen each
*Selected by the contest committee from the popular entries with high numbers of online votes
[Eligibility] Anyone can enter (regardless of professional/amateur, individual/group)
*No limit on number of entries
▼ For more information, see the comments section.
