Guam takes center stage in a new Japanese docu-drama series that’s filmed entirely on island. TV Tokyo's "Why I'm With You" Follows three couples, each from different stages in life, as they visit Guam and re-think their relationship. The series showcases Guam’s culture, cuisine and landscapes to millions of viewers abroad.  Matsuki Hirayama has more on what this means for tourism recovery. 

The cameras rolled across Guam recently in the new Japanese show. From Tumon Bay, historic sites and to the CHamoru Night Market, TV Tokyo worked closely with the Guam Visitors Bureau to highlight the heart of the island.

Director and producer Taku Matsumoto and GVB president and CEO Regine Biscoe Lee sat down with KUAM to share an exclusive look inside the project.  Through a translator, Mastumoto said, "This drama follows three couples who travel to Guam. Over the course of a week there, they reconsider what it means to be with their partners."

"It was definitely many months and years in the making for it to come to fruition," Biscoe Lee added. "We’re just glad they were able to film not just one episode, but eight episodes or the entire series of this docu-drama was filmed on Guam." She says locals also appeared on screen, offering a window into the island’s daily life.

The show has been airing in Japan this summer, reaching millions of viewers and rekindling memories for Guam’s former top market.

"The show finished airing in Japan last week, with a great response," Matsumoto continued. "The most common feedback is like 'I didn't realize Guam was such a great place.' We've also heard from people who visited Guam a long time ago, saying that after 10 or 20 years, they now want to go again."

Biscoe Lee adds international exposure of this kind is already seeing an impact, translating to more bookings and more searches of Guam. "TV Tokyo has enjoyed 1.5 million views for each of their episodes. So just a tremendous success, even when ranking some of their other docudrama series or tv series against this one shot in Guam. So a huge success there. We’re also really happy with how the stars talk about their experiences on Guam on social media," she said.

The partnership reflects a growing marketing strategy to promote Guam overseas, with more in the works.  "We’re looking forward to inviting additional travelers to visit the different sites that are featured in the docu-drama series. So GVB is looking forward to using the momentum of this very successful project in trying to push additional arrivals from Japan," she said.

In the meantime, the community can catch the series on KUAM. Episode 1 of "Why I'm With You" will premiere on Monday, September 8 at 8pm on KUAM-TV8 and streaming on Peacock with the encore broadcast on Sundays beginning September 14 at 8pm.