Finding the way that suits you best (Happy Carrot Manipulative)Hiroshima for Global Peace

Finding the way that suits you best (Happy Carrot Manipulative)

Using my camera to highlight the best of the region

In addition to his physical therapy business, Mr. Hiroki Saiki, the director of Happy Carrot Manipulative, volunteers to make videos about Hiroshima Prefecture’s attractions, using various social media to reach out to a wide range of people. Mr. Saiki’s motivation for starting this initiative was his love for Hiroshima, where he has lived for many years, and his desire to raise the profile of local stores. In the course of doing so, Mr. Saiki realized that many of the tourists to Hiroshima do not stay overnight and wanted to encourage people to visit more places and stay longer. He said that he would like to revitalize the prefecture by capturing the personality and atmosphere that only a local person like himself can bring out, conveying the charm of the prefecture not only to tourists but also the local people.

Making videos that connect with the next generation

Mr. Saiki mentioned that one of the issues facing the tourism industry in Hiroshima is the concentration of tourist attractions into the Atomic Bomb Dome and Miyajima and that in order to overcome this situation, he would like to put the spotlight on places that tourists may not know about and have them discover new value. Mr. Saiki’s vision for the future is to become something like an influencer. He aims to contribute to achieving SDG 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities” by having tourists who have seen his videos visit the city, interact with the locals, build connections among them, and preserve the charm of the city for the future. The response from customers, viewers, and family members motivates him and supports his video creation.

Photographs taken when covering tourist attractions

Finding the way that suits you best

When one thinks about giving something back to one’s hometown, there are many ways that come to mind: crowdfunding, participating in local events, finding a job at a local company… This time, we interviewed Mr. Saiki, who is giving back to Hiroshima in the form of volunteer work. When he showed us the videos he was actually making, it seemed like he was one of the tourists enjoying himself, rather than a YouTuber who visited various places to cover them. In a way, it may be fate that Mr. Saiki found the medium of video. As this shows, there are all sorts of ways to give something back to your hometown and all sorts of reasons for doing so. Through this interview, I realized that I could indirectly contribute to the SDGs by actively using the products and services of local companies that are engaged in SDG initiatives. I hope that we, the younger generation, can lead the places we love into the future in a way that suits us.