I read an article about this short movie (with titles in English and Japanese) in a Japanese newspaper (Asahi, July 30). You can see the whole thing right here on the web.
If the video piques your interest in kagura, which is still a living tradition in the area, you can learn more here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kagura
Here’s an introduction to the short movie from the Vimeo web site:
— start quote — A young man who has lost his lover visits the Kurokawa Onsen village, in the backwoods region of Japan’s Mt. Aso, where she used to love to go. As he journeys through the mountainside, the figure of a girl appears before the young man. She looks exactly like the legendary ancient dancer from the myths that have been handed down since ancient times in Japan. As the two make the journey together, they come across some of the earliest remembered scenes of Japan, and they meet up with the people of Kurokawa, living in the closest relationship with nature and who represent the gods and goddesses of ancient Japan… 恋人を喪った青年が、かつて彼女の愛した日本の阿蘇山の奥地にある黒川温泉郷を訪れる。 阿蘇の山中を旅する青年、その前に一人の少女が現れる。 少女の姿は日本で古来から伝承されている最古の踊り手と同じものであった。 一緒に旅をすることになった２人は、黒川にある日本の様々な原風景、そしてその自然に寄り添いながら暮らす日本の八百万の神々を模した黒川の人々に出会っていく… — end quote —
– Kirk
