WORLD DISC: A Run for Japan’s Province

9 Jan 2008 Category: Japan, Photography

WORLD DISC: A Run for Japan’s Province

Image taken from the free “WORLD DISC” paper: the 23rd “NAHA Marathon” was held in the city of Naha, Okinawa, with a staggering attendance of 23,448 participants!

The annual Hakone Ekiden marathon relay is undoubtedly one of the major sports events of Japan’s New Year: More than your average share of TV couch potatoes usually cheer on the runners in their challenging heat through the hills of Hakone, showing that, throughout Japan, this sport has become pretty popular recently. That is exactly why some fading local communities have cleverly managed to exhilarate and revitalise themselves through these events. As a call to these, the free newspaper WORLD DISC was launched last December to promote provincial cities from the perspective of their marathons. A reason for PingMag to ask chief editor Hiroyuki Hatakeyama about his ambitious complimentary first issue.

Written by Chiemi
Translated by Natsumi Yamane

Hiroyuki Hatakeyama, how did you come to start “WORLD DISC”?

I have always liked people who have pride in their own craftsmanship, and I wanted to introduce those to a larger audience. At the same time, I hoped to find out more about provincial towns. However, as I went to the countryside in Japan, I noticed that the atmosphere of local communities was suffering from serious depopulation issues. That made me think about how I can communicate their local profiles and ways to attract people to the provinces in the long run. So I looked for something with high entertainment potential that everyone can easily participate in and also is universal enough to support tourist business. So, I came up with the idea of distributing a free magazine focusing on ‘marathons,’ as it’s something you enjoy regardless of age or sex, and taking into mind the increasing number of people who are participating in long distance running. Furthermore, marathon athletes are required to go through hard training and that spirit seemed to have something in common with that of the craftsmen.

The cover of “WORLD DISC,” printed in tabloid format. Since Okinawa is known for its many marathon fans, it was chosen for the feature area of the first issue. Also, as that sport is just as popular in the USA, the issue is bilingual and written in both Japanese and English. Editor Mr. Hatakeyama thinks about introducing more cities and regions…

What is it about the title, “WORLD DISC”?

The title means recording and documenting people’s views of the world. With this free paper focusing on the topic ‘athlete = craftsman,’ we are hoping to share the atmosphere of the local life not only to people in Japan, but also overseas.


The two members of YOKANG create handmade clothes using traditional Okinawan Bingata, dying patterns.

Harvesta is a music duo by Kiki and Tetsu who were mesmerised by the island of Miyakojima. They have just made their major debut last November.

Why did you chose the tabloid format rather than that of an ordinary magazine?

That’s because I personally love the beautiful photos of the New York Times! I also like the scent and the warmth of the newspaper too! Moreover, its speedy production process allows us to print thousands of copies in a day. And, wouldn’t you say that making free sheets in newspaper format exactly matches the era?

Inside pages of “WORLD DISC.”

The first issue features Okinawa with a broad spectrum, ranging from local craftsmen to the area’s specialities. How did you select the content?

Most of it was sentient, but we chose the topics after hearing some opinions of people active in Okinawa, and then actually experiencing everything by ourselves. We crammed in the stories of the locals who are strongly attached to the area. And it was about things that might be of interest for visitors and tourists.

Into the deep blue! The “Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium” is one of the largest in the world! WORLD DISC’s first issue also features an interview with its director, Senzo Uchida, one popular figure of the islands.

Did you notice something special during your research in Okinawa?

It might not be anything extraordinary, but talking to the locals, we sensed their tremendous love for the area. It’s not what you would frequently come across in Tokyo… We felt that everyone seemed to enjoy their lives there.

Then, were there any difficulties with producing the first issue?

The challenge was to find the most suitable content during the five days of our stay on the islands. We also struggled to get the right balance to attract readers with our limited space of eight pages, and also to coordinate the number of characters in both Japanese and English.

Local delicacies! The pages introducing Okinawan specialities.

Another column from “WORLD DISC,” introducing Okinawa’s famous Awamori spirits and Ukon, turmeric products.

What comes next after Okinawa?

We are hoping to introduce the Shonan region in March, followed by Sapporo and Tokushima in accordance with the various marathon events.

To come to an end, what are you aiming for with “WORLD DISC?”

We are hoping to distribute 100,000 copies by the end of the year, and hopefully expand it to 500,000 in the near future. It would be great if we can cooperate with a local authority and organise an official “WORLD DISC” marathon course too! There are still so many little known places as well as craftsmen in Japan, and we would like to keep introducing them to a global audience.

Hiroyuki Hatakeyama, thank you for your time today. We hope that this free newspaper will attract a lot more attention to the Japanese countryside!

The complimentary WORLD DISC is available from New Balance in Harajuku, for example, and several cafés and restaurants in Tokyo. Soon it might get distributed in Osaka and Okinawa, hopefully later in Boston, New York and Chicago as well… If you spot a copy, grab one!

38 Comments

  1. Wonderful work, I love the art here.

    Posted by: okinawa on January 9th, 2008 at 10:31 pm

  2. reminds me of ‘udon’ ]film4a7d3d609129a9296bf7ac0608c2097

    great work-more people in the countryside please!

    Posted by: digs86 on January 10th, 2008 at 3:18 am

  3. Wow! I was mesmerized by that aquarium!
    Here in São Paulo, we got the traditional “Saint Silvester Marathon”, but as I just read, it’s considered just a race or a half-marathon, since it’s only 15km long.

    Posted by: Akai on January 10th, 2008 at 3:27 am

  4. That was a good article on a great subject. Thanks.
    It’s good to see people working hard to explore and support a community.

    Posted by: nickb on January 10th, 2008 at 11:06 am

  5. Here in San Francisco they have the Bay-to-Breakers run, where they run from one side of the peninsula to the other, right past my apartment window, and often people run totally naked! … except for sneakers, and there’s something creepy about that…

    Posted by: mexist on January 10th, 2008 at 4:35 pm

  6. mexist
    wow, that sound well funny! Thank you for your info. We will tell World Disc people about that.

    Posted by: chiemi on January 11th, 2008 at 3:34 pm

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    It’s good to see people working hard to explore and support a community.

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  10. I love the aquarium out here :)

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