With the yearly increase of foreign tourists visiting Japan, cities big and small have been turning up their creativity to figure out ways to promote themselves to prospective travelers worldwide. Of course, there's never a shortage of quirky ideas in this country, and many tourism organizations have turned to the power of music to create catchy tunes and videos in order to gain attention. And while so far we've seen dancing rice-loving grandmas and Heian nobles, there's now yet another contagious song that's sure to get stuck in listeners' heads for the rest of the day.

Hailing from Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture is Sado Metal, a newly organized heavy metal band promoting Sado City with a song for adventurous metalheads. Led by Japanese heavy metal vocalist Tetsuya Kanmuri, the group sings and shouts about all the area has to offer including the Kitazawa Flotation Plant, Sado Fish Market, and taraibune tub boats.

Source: YouTube

Source: YouTube

But of course, a promotional song for Sado wouldn't be complete without the mentioning of the Sado Kinzan Gold Mine, the island's most notable landmark and the inspiration for this project in the first place. The ancient gold and silver mine worked from 1601 to 1974, ultimately closing for good in 1989. The city has long considered itself the "holy land of metal," which in turn gave them the idea of putting together a heavy metal band to attract tourists far and wide.

Source: YouTube

Source: YouTube

You can get more information on Sado Island on their official tourist information site, but for now, all you really need is to listen (and headbang) to this addicting song.


By - grape Japan editorial staff.