The movie “HAPPY SANDWICH” is a documentary movie with drama. The history, food culture, and nature of Okinawa transcend language and nationality and reach the hearts of people all over the world, across generations.

 [Contents of the movie]

Shogo Manna, the owner of Manmi in Nago City, is told by Kaminchu(Shinto priests in Okinawa) to make a sandwich to offer to god.In order to fulfill this request Manna travels around to interview people involved in with food in Okinawa. In his conversations with the producers and chefs, he listens to their thoughts on their food and lifestyles, and moves toward his own idea of ​​what could be a ”Sandwich for God.” 

 You can feel the unique atmosphere of Okinawa with plenty of love for nature. 

 [Theme of the movie ]

 “Nutrition and Living with Nature” 

Shogo Manna (the main character), who is thinking about a sandwich dedicate to god, encounters various people in Okinawa, such as farmer, fisherman, beekeeper,and people in the food industry, who have different perspectives and ideas about food. You will discover new perspectives on "food and life" in our increasingly convenient world.

"Back to the Nature”

We will think about how we, who live in Yambaru, can live in harmony with nature. Now that Yambaru has been registered as a World Natural Heritage site, it is necessary to consider the importance of SDGs and nutrition education from a global perspective. It is a challenge common to the world, and through our appreciation of nature and action, it will be an opportunity to face and rethink the chaotic times we live in today.

"Hints for the Future”   

Okinawa still retains the wisdom of our ancestors and their love for the land. We will challenge and evolve while cherishing its history and culture. There are old and new wisdom. This will be a hint for the future for high school and college students.They will be able to learn a new way of life and attitude to survive.

This film began previews in March 2023, followed by screenings in Naha and Okinawa City. Here are some of the comments from people who have seen the film.

[Comments from audience]

50s female, lodging business owner: 

"Slow food, slow life, environment, life...etc. It speaks loosely to each person who has seen it. I loved the way they live and the life they lead, being kind to people and kind to nature also. Who do you think of and what do you put in the sandwich?

60s male, education related:

"The nature of Yambaru is beautiful. The food and cooking also stimulate the five senses. I could feel the natural way of the people who are practicing the relationship between nature and symbiosis, and between human beings and food, as they are. After watching the movie, it made me feel that I need to think a little more concerned about Yambaru and the food (ingredients) that go into my body. It is a great movie!

40s male, Lab sponsor:

"The spirit of Okinawa, which is on the verge of disappearing. Not in terms of identity, diversity or SDGs. This film is scattered with the spirit of Yuimaru that used to be all over the place. It also reminds us how grateful we should be to take a little bit of the nature that Yambaru has nurtured by connecting people through food. This is a "100 %made  in Yambaru work”

40s female, artist :

"The beautiful landscape of Yambaru, abundant products, and its bright and colorful people. I want to preserve this wonderful time and tell everyone about it. The work is a bit comedic and full of feelings. If it were me, what kind of sandwich would I make? There were various messages in it."　　

70s male, chairman of TV program production company:

"The sensitivity of the Japanese people and their belief in nature can be found in the Jomon period. The characters in the film reaffirmed for me that this is still alive in our bodies today.

The media covered the collaboration with high school students during the production of the film, the film itself, and film festivals abroad. The film itself is a locally based work that is highly topical.

The collaboration with hentona high school was titled "The Power of Nature and Music in Yambaru to be Tied to the Future" and featured Tetsuhiro Daiku, a leading yaeyama folk singer who appeared in the NHK morning drama "Chimu Don Don ” as the main artist for the ending song "Heartland".

 [Planning intention]

My name is Masashi Otomo, producer of the film "HAPPY SANDWICH" and president of the Republic of Yambaru. I live in Higashi son the least populated village in Okinawa island which was registered as World Natural Heritage Site in July 2021.

I was busy developing my business based in Naha, but I began to find time to visit Yambaru. In the peaceful time I spent here, I felt myself healed and at the same time I was able to become more spontaneous, and as I got to know the local,  the thought came to me, "There are many small rough gemstones here in Yambaru and I want to collect them and shine a light on them!   

In 2012, I decided to establish the Republic of Yambaru to share the charm of Yambaru with the world.

This developed into the "Protect, Communicate, and Connect" activities, and in the process, a film was born.  In the present after-coronavirus pandemic, we felt the need to think about what we ourselves value in life and what path the community and society should take, and made the film "HAPPY SANDWICH".

In particular, I hope that high or college students confronting the world as it is now, will get some valuable insight from the story.

What is the Republic of Yambaru?

We aim to live a better life in harmony with nature, and to improve ourselves, our families, and our community, we are working to "protect, communicate, and connect" by experiencing wellness, addressing environmental issues, and learning about food and culture at our four fields: Umi Lab(ocean lab), Yama Lab(mountain lab),No Lab(field lab), and studio.

The Yambaru Republic will make us feel the rhythm of the natural world through the rich nature of Okinawa, and by surrendering ourselves to the nature that has been given to us.

 We will search for hints on how to live in the future. 

As a philosophy

・Learning from nature, the source of spiritual richness

・Stay ecologically conscious and promote sustainable 

    lifestyles 

・Face one’s original self

We want to challenge ourselves to bring the movie "HAPPY SANDWICH" to the people all over the world!

We want to show our thoughts to the young generation of high school and college students connect the splendor of Yambaru to the future. We decided to apply to international film festival, aiming not only to show the film but also to communicate it to a wider audience through a film that has been highly acclaimed abroad. As mentioned earlier, the film was produced with the hope that it would provide living tips for high school and college students who are living out their futures. However, we realized that young people's realistic ideas  valued not only for their passionate thoughts, but also for the way they give shape to them and lead them to success. Therefore, with the aim of showing the film not only in Japan but also abroad, we eventually added English subtitles and applied to some international film festivals.

(1) Okinawa International Movie Festival(screened , Apr)

(2)Kimolos InternationalFilm Festival in Greece (screened, Jun)

(3) Japan Film Festival Los Angeles ( screened, Sep)

(4)Hawaii International Film Festival (screen , Oct)

(5)Five Flavors Asian Film Festival, Poland(waiting)

(6)Rome Independent Film Festival, Italy(waiting)

(7)San Jose International Film Festival, Costa Rica(waiting)

Why “Beyond the Sea”?

Let me get touched with the history and culture of Okinawa as a background for declaring "From Yambaru to the World”

[The spirit of Bankoku Shinryo]

The Ryukyu Kingdom lasted for about 450 years from the Muromachi period to the Meiji period in Japanese history. The Ryukyu Kingdom traded with China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asian countries, and prospered as a hub of maritime trade in Asia for about 200 years as a "Bankoku no Shinryo" (a bridge between the world).

[History of immigration]

Okinawa's history of overseas immigration began in 1899. People of Okinawan descent who went overseas lived harsh lives, but they worked hard to earn money to support their families in Okinawa and sent relief supplies quickly to postwar Okinawa. Today, approximately 420,000 Uchinanchu live in more than 20 countries around the world, spread across five continents, including South America, North America, Europe, China, and Australia.

[The Uchinanchu (Okinawan descent) network]

Okinawan’s predecessors, with their strong will and universal spirit, succeeded in foreign countries and kept Okinawan culture alive. Every five years, “Worldwide Uchinanchu Festival" is held in Okinawa, where Okinawans and overseas Uchinanchu interact and expand the Uchinanchu network and confirm their roots and identity.

As such, Okinawa, originally a maritime people, has the Uchinanchu spirit.

For these reasons, we would like to continue to transmit our message from Yambaru to the world.

Another “Beyond the sea”

By the way, do you know the keyword that is attracting attention to Yambaru in the world?

[World Natural Heritage]

World Natural Heritage sites are considered to be precious assets for all mankind and treasures to be handed down to future generations, and the "Amami Oshima, Tokunoshima, Northern Okinawa Island and Iriomote Island" registered in July 2021 is attracting attention as an area with topography, rare ecosystems and biodiversity of high academic value.

Many scenes of the movie "HAPPY SANDWICH" were filmed at locations designated as World Natural Heritage sites, and Hentona High School and the Republic of Yambaru are also located in this area.

[BLUE ZONES]

Okinawa is located in the BLUE ZONES. The "Blue Zones” refer to five regions around the world where healthy and long-lived people live in abundance. Okinawa is one of them, and the book "BLUE ZONES" (written by Dan Buitner, translated and supervised by Professor Masashi Arakawa of Ryukyu University) introduces the five longevity regions including Okinawa in detail. The book introduces the lifestyles and life philosophies, such as diet, physical activity, hobbies, etc., that are characteristic of longevity regions, and many of the rules for health and longevity are also common to the movie "Happy Sandwich".

Professor Arakawa refers to 

“HAPPY SANDWICH” is filled with the wisdom of the “Blue Zones” and hints on how to live.

Okinawa is one of the five "Blue Zones" of longevity in the world, but the good old lifestyle is disappearing and healthy longevity is in jeopardy. This film, set in Yambaru, is filled with the wisdom of Okinawan grandpa and grandma who have survived for a century, their purpose in life, and their "connection" with nature, people, and local communities. The island of tourism is now an island of wellbeing, an island of regeneration and creativity. I highly recommend this work to everyone as it conveys the essential values of Okinawa. 

Masashi Arakawa : Professor, Department of Wellness Studies, Faculty of International and Regional Development, University of the Ryukyus / Doctor of Medicine / Visiting Professor, New York University / Translator of the national business book bestseller "THE BLUE ZONE 2ND EDITION: Learning from the World's 100-Year-Olds for Health and "The Blue Zone: 9 Rules for Health and Longevity".　

[Finally]

With the cooperation of many people, what I have felt and thought here in Yambaru has taken the form of a film. We had limited funds for the production of the film, but as we continued to show the film, we were able to attract far more visitors than expected to the theaters and to have the film screened officially at film festivals around the world.

I believe that this film is definitely worth watching. I hope that as many people as possible and the young people who will be responsible for the future will take an interest in it. And I hope the film will tell the people something positive to “ protect, communicate, and connect”.

Okinawa has long been called "the island of tourism," but in the era of after the coronavirus pandemic, under the new sense of values, the expectations and thoughts of people visiting Okinawa, not only from mainland Japan but also from all over the world, should change.

Lifestyles that are attracting attention around the world these days, such as "well-being, better health and happiness" and "IKIGAI, purpose in life," are also connected to the BLUE ZONES and Okinawa has hints of these things, which we hope to convey through the film.