Dec 26, 2011

Now Open : IRIS Museum at JR Tazawako Station

A museum to commemorate the filming of Korean drama, IRIS, in Akita Prefecture has just opened at JR Tazawako Station. Many authentic props and picture panels are on display at this exhibition. On December 22nd, an opening ceremony was held attended by an actor, Mr. Kim Young-Chul, and Mr. Tae-Won, CEO of Taewon Entertainment, producer and distributor of the acclaimed TV series.



IRIS Museum Opening Ceremony, December 22, 2011.

In the speech, Mr. Taewon showed his great interest in filming the sequence in Akita again: “IRIS and Akita are closely associated. We heard the tourists number declined after the earthquakes. I hope that IRIS 2 will bring many more tourists and re-energize.” Additionally, he suggested a possible idea to “recast Lee Byung-Hun as the main character and start from a scene in which he is shot, where the previous series left off.” He revealed that the filming in Akita may begin from fall or winter next year.

At the museum, you can find props like a mask worn by Lee and a hand mold by Mr. Jung Jun-Ho as well as some photo panels featuring the Akita scenes and the locations where they were filmed. On the first day of public opening, December 23, the museum was visited by approximately 3000 visitors!

The IRIS Museum is the second floor space of JR Tazawako Station. Previously, the area has been used for displaying pictures regarding environmental resources and showing some video on the regional culture. The area was re-modeled for this special exhibition by the hands of art directors of the drama IRIS.

The admission is FREE, open every day from 9:30am to 16:00pm, and scheduled to remain open until the end of March, 2013.

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