Hokage Rock in Naruto City

I know Naruto manga since 2005. It is an interesting manga, took a Ninja story as their background. Then I began to know their "anime" series too.
Several days ago, I read an article news from www.japanesia.org. It is a site which consists and unite lots of indonesian japan lovers. The article said that there is a Hokage Rock build in Naruto City.

Huh...? Naruto City ...??
Is this real the name of a city..?
Or just a promotion for the Naruto Manga..?

When I read their links sources the news provided, now I knew the true story of that news. I read their sources came from www.animenewsnetwork.com.
So I looked to animenewsnetwork, and found its artcle here: www.animenewsnetwork.com. From here I got links again to Sankei, and Yomiuri Shinbun.
And then I searched for myself from google search, and I found this Arudeyo blog too.

Some points I got was, there is real town whose name Naruto City in Tokushima Prefecture.
The town was founded on March 15, 1947. While Naruto Manga first published by Masashi Kishimoto in August 1997. So it was 50 years after.

The interesting part is, celebrating 100.000.000 selling of the Naruto Manga copies, the Naruto Town held some programs to attract some tourists to visit.
- Some of their attracting programs is, build a replica of Hokage Rock on their local government building.


- They release a money like tickets, which can be use as "money" to buy things in about 250 shops arround Naruto Town.


- In an Odori Festival, they made Naruto Posters Festival too. And several others activites held in that town.



Thats so interesting programs. A real town using Manga/Anime stuffs to attract some visitors to visit their town. Looks like they all out to do something.





I wonder how the government in Indonesia can do the same things. A real programs, real acts that can attract new visitors to visit. We must learn from this town, how they "all out" to do something for their own sake.