What does it actually mean to be connected? To be unique and young in the country's biggest city? A new, self-proclaimed "neo documentary" on Amazon Prime Japan titled "Invisible Tokyo" has taken up the task to answer these ever-evolving questions.
"Tokyo has a unique culture in Japan," says Amazon's Asia Pacific Head of Content, James Farrell. "The show reflects upon our relationships with each other and the cities in which we live. The documentary explores Tokyo through the eyes of its average inhabitants, as well as its cultural leaders."
Indeed, aside from the casting of a "regular" high school girl, the first episode features an impressive tour-de-force of the capital's soft power: C Channel CEO and former head of Line Akira Morikawa, Tokyo Girls Collection chief producer Noriyoshi Murakami, model and "God of selfies" Elaiza Ikeda, and million-selling J-pop producer Tetsuya Komuro.
"Because of the themes in the documentary, I said a lot of serious things in the interviews, which made me worry if viewers would consider it entertainment," Komuro said at a recent press conference. "I didn't try to get laughs, but the team did a great job with the production and the shooting was fun."
An Amazon Prime Japan original series, the show's mood reflects the arguably more free hand that sponsorless net-based content allows for.
"We like to call it a 'neo documentary,' and that means it's something completely new," Farrell says.
"Invisible Tokyo" is available on Amazon Prime Japan.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.