This is the last part in a three-part series about the efforts of Tomakomai to tap into pop culture in an effort to boost tourism.
In mid-October, Satoru Noda, the creator of the popular manga "Golden Kamuy," which finished its run in April, was at a high school in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, that has a strong ice hockey team. He visited a classroom, cafeteria and locker room, taking pictures one after another. It was his third visit to Tomakomai that year for research for his next work.
"I can only draw something interesting by seeing the real things on site, and not by my imagination," said Noda, who is from Kitahiroshima, Hokkaido.