Japan keeps Anne of Green Gables close to its heart.

Canada promotes new movie, a love story rooted in a Canadian classic, to boost travel to PEI.

The Japanese love affair with all things Anne of Green Gables shows no sign of abating. Following on successful campaigns in 2008, Tourism Prince Edward Island is to promote a new movie, “Looking for Anne,” in Japanese cities and towns for the next twelve months.

The story centres on Anri. Her grandmother, a huge fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery’s beloved novel, has just passed away and Anri decides to visit Prince Edward Island. There, she discovers that granny was in love with a Canadian soldier when she was young. So Anri decides to track him down, meeting many locals along the way. The movie is a joint Canadian/Japanese production of Zuno Films and Grand Jeté.

The film comes hot on the heels of Before Green Gables (Konnichiwa, Anne),the animated TV series based on Budge Wilson’s prequel penned in 2008. Here, the tale focuses on Anne’s travails at Nova Scotia orphanages and foster homes before she lands at Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert’s farm in Avonlea.

Anne of Green Gables continues to have a powerful resonance with the Japanese, as shown by the 70% surge in visitor numbers to Prince Edward Island in 2008 the year of the book’s centenary.