The finale of We Are Asia — Dean Fujioka & Friends at Borobudur, Indonesia.
After the success of its drama series Goodbye Ghosts! and The Most Difficult Romance, GEM television channel — the latest entertainment channel from Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia — will bring out the best in We Are Asia: Dean Fujioka & Friends, a travel and entertainment documentary, which will be on air every Sunday at 7.30pm on GEM Channel via TrueVisions Channel 244. The world premiere will open on Sunday.
We Are Asia is a lifestyle travelogue that documents Japan’s cultural outreach to Asian countries. In spite of cultural and language differences, people are able to communicate and exchange ideas via music, dance and sports. Filmed in Japan, Cambodia, Hong Kong and Indonesia, We Are Asia will offer perspectives on the beauty, diverse cultures, traditions and uniqueness of Asia.
Japanese actor and model Dean Fujioka and his friends, including actor Shuhei Nomura; Weaver, a piano rock band; and Siro-A, a dance, mime, puppetry and visual effects performing group, join hands to produce this five-episode entertainment documentary at some of Asia’s most iconic sites. They will bring the audience to join their cultural journeys and forge closer ties with one another as they interact and co-operate with locals.
“In this programme, I gathered three groups of my celebrity friends from Japan for a special project and let’s just say — to interact with the children in Asia and to put a smile on their faces. We have shot in three culturally diverse places — Hong Kong, Indonesia and Cambodia; and they have gotten the opportunity to exchange knowledge with local children — from music to the arts. And all that will lead up to the finale, which is shot against the backdrop of the stunning Unesco site in Jogjakarta, where all the artistes will perform for a special finale!,” Fujioka said. Each episode will lead to a longer journey. In the finale, all the efforts culminate in an inspiring performance at Borobudur, the Mahayana Buddhist temple in Indonesia. The finale will blend different cultures with the Japanese artistes performing together with a traditional Indonesia ensemble before about 300 local orphans. A highlight is the viewing of special VDO footage on Nomura’s journeys and meetings with local children in each destination country.
“I am excited for you to see our chemistry with each other, with the people in Hong Kong too. I feel that this is something no one has tried, a new type of entertainment show — you can’t really categorise it as a reality or a variety show either. So I am very excited to see the final product,” Fujioka said.
According to him, the first thing that comes to mind when talking about Southeast Asia and Hong Kong is that the food is delicious. He also likes the way the people there are very open-minded, funny, very kind and teach him a lot about life, including the work ethic. To him, everyone has very high standards for what they are doing.
The first episode of We Are Asia was filmed in Japan in mid-February while the second one in Hong Kong, the third one in Indonesia and the fourth in Cambodia were all filmed in February. The finale near Borobudur was filmed in April.
In Episode 1, Fujioka will share everything he knows about show business in Japan and Asia. Dean will head to Indonesia, where his Indonesian wife and two children live, and explore the folklore, cuisine, fashion and culture. This is followed by Fujioka and his younger colleague Nomura having a heart-to-heart, sharing about their careers and showbiz before taking to the bustling streets of Hong Kong in the second episode.
The next episode is when Fujioka and piano rock band Weaver visit Indonesia to learn more about traditional instruments. Episode 4 features a traditional puppet show in Cambodia while the final chapter concludes with all the stars and the locals who perform on a stage in front of Borobudur Temple, Indonesia, before about 300 local orphans.
“We go to each local community and collaborate with local artists. Today’s finale gets collaboration from Dean and Weaver. We also have projection VDOs apart from live performances. When we see audiences’ smiles, we are happy and have energy to do what we want, to perform all over the world. We want to keep improving ourselves,” Siro-A said before the finale show.
Meanwhile, Weaver noted that GEM helps all the participating artistes to go to new heights and that working at Borobudur is unique.
After the finale show, an Indonesian girl viewer said: “I really loved the performance though I did not know the Japanese language. But I felt sensations and good intent. I had a lot of fun. Of all the performances, I really loved Weaver because they had something different from Indonesian music.”
For Fujioka, he is looking forward to future similarly interesting projects which can be in different languages and not just about travel and food but also culture.
“I want to travel, grow and give back to the communities,” the actor said.
Dean Fujioka.
Weaver in Indonesia.
Weaver practice with a gamelan orchestra in Indonesia.
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.