Discover on site, share in short videos — building a path to the official tourism site [in preparation]

At Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU), the College of Sustainability and Tourism places importance on hands-on practice in local communities. As part of this, since the 2023 academic year it has run student-led problem-solving projects (the Field Practicum) in continuing partnership with the Hiji Town Office. This article records the work of Team “Hiji's short movie”, one of the 2026 projects.

Contents

1. A quiet castle town and an entry point to its charm

2. From the videos to Hiji Navi and on to the sights

3. Walk, find, film, share

4. How four videos were received

5. The challenges ahead

1 A quiet castle town and an entry point to its charm

Hiji Town lies between the sea and the mountains: a compact castle town spread around castle ruins that overlook Beppu Bay. In contrast to the bustle of neighboring Beppu City, its charm is a quiet, relaxed atmosphere. The town is also known as the home of Sanrio's theme park Harmonyland, and Hello Kitty manhole covers can be spotted around town.

This charm, however, is not widely known beyond the town. So the team asked whether they could create a flow that starts with getting people interested in a short video itself, leads them from there to learning about Hiji, and then on to Hiji Navi and the town's sights. They decided to walk the town from a tourist's perspective and share what they found in short videos.

2 From the videos to Hiji Navi and on to the sights

The team's approach had one clear design. Rather than using the videos to draw people directly to a particular sight, they would first spark interest in Hiji Town itself on social media, then lead viewers to the official tourism site “Hiji Navi,” and from there to the individual sights.

The videos that serve as the entry point were made as 15–20-second vertical shorts. A short video is more likely to be watched to the end when it appears naturally in a social-media feed, and it leaves a stronger impression. Each video included a link to Hiji Navi so that anyone interested could move on to more information right away. The four members each took a different angle, capturing the many faces of the town under the shared concept of “a tourist's perspective.” The four videos also end with a shared logo the students designed themselves, giving them a sense of unity as a series.

3 Walk, find, film, share

The activity began with scouting filming locations. The main steps were as follows.

The videos featured a range of places around town, such as the shrine's torii gate and farm scenery. The team used the following tools.

• Video editing: Canva, Premiere Pro

• Communication and file sharing: LINE, Google Drive

• Meeting notes and retrospectives: generative AI

Before filming, the team explained the purpose to each location by email or phone, and on the day made a point of greeting people and thanking them for their cooperation.

4 How four videos were received

The team produced four videos and posted them on Instagram and TikTok on 8 July 2026. Soon after posting, total views passed 3,000 (as of 13 July) — a large audience in a short time. The Hiji Navi link placed in the videos was also tapped, and the path from social media to the tourism site began to work in practice.

Walking the town also led to encounters with little-known spots. One was Ishikoro-tachi no Dobutsuen (Stone Zoo), a small facility displaying animals painted on stones. Its warm, handmade exhibits were one of the town's hidden attractions. When the team visited to film, a member of the facility's staff expressed the hope that they would keep sharing content that brings more attention to Hiji Town.

5 The challenges ahead

The team is also looking at the challenges that came into view through the project. Many facilities and sights in town are still not well known, and the question is how to keep sharing them over time. Along the way, the team also wondered whether the community bus could be linked with the tourism information site. They aim to keep running the accounts and posting videos, so that more people come to know Hiji Town through short videos and actually visit.