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All around the world, there are big cities and small towns with memorable catch-copies or slogans that express their character in just a few words. However, most cities and towns in Japan still don’t have a catch-copy or slogan in English that captures the attention of international visitors and tells them what kind of a place it is.
While travel was still restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in Tenri City we used this time to develop a catch-copy and slogan that would tell international visitors what kind of a city this is.
In autumn 2021, with industry, academia, and government teaming up, the Tenri City Tourism Association and Tenri City held workshops to develop a catch-copy with students from Tenri University, with the cooperation of two professional copywriters, Nadya Kirillova (Dentsu B-Team Creative Director) and Hidetoshi Kuranari (Creative Project Base).
Inspired by the fun aspects of Tenri City they would like to share with international visitors, the students created a whopping 450 catch-copies (ideas) in these workshops! After much discussion and deliberation in the following months, we selected a catch-copy and slogan that expressed the character and beauty of Tenri City:
Time Travel City
Be a Time Traveler.
Tenri City, the town where we can travel through time.
There are many historic places to see in Tenri City, but it is the wide span of time they cover that give the city its character. From the days when the Yamato Kingship was created to the middle ages and modern times, layers upon layers of all kinds of history, then looking to the future, all in one town, a town where we can feel the flow of 2,500 years of history in one breath, where we can truly enjoy time traveling.
Walking the paths and streets of Tenri City often feels like time traveling. Sacred places like Isonokami Jingu shrine and Oyamato Jinja shrine go back to the earliest days of Japan, around 2,000 years ago, and the over 1,600 kofun tombs in Tenri City were constructed between the 3rd and 7th centuries.
More recent history has the beginnings of the Tenrikyo faith in the 19th century, as well as the establishment of Tenri University and the university’s library in the early 20th century. This long, deep history is a beautiful contrast with the city’s modern and futuristic places, such as Tenri Station’s CoFuFun, the Sharp Innovation Technology Museum at Sharp’s research and development center, and the stylish cafes and diners that serve mighty portions of food, often frequented by students from Tenri University.
In spring 2022, the students who participated in the workshop announced “Time Travel City” and “Be a Time Traveler.” as the official English catch-copy and slogan of Tenri City in a press conference at Tenri City Hall.
After creating “Time Travel City” and “Be a Time Traveler.”, as we used the catch-copy to share the beauty of our city, it was very important to include local people of all ages. So the words can belong to everyone, and people can feel proud of their town. With a variety of local groups, organizations, and residents continuing to collaborate, “Time Travel City” and “Be a Time Traveler.” have brought people together, and have helped share the beauty of Tenri City.
Below are links introducing those projects and activities.
We hope they inspire you to get involved, be curious, be playful, and most of all: Be a Time Traveler.
