Hiroshi Katta, a devoted Eurovision fan from Japan and creator of the YouTube channel ユロ専チャンネル Eurovision Senmon, visited Húsavík this weekend on what he describes as a “Eurovision pilgrimage.” He toured the town’s filming locations from the Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga and sat down with Orly Orlyson at the Húsavík Eurovision Exhibition to share his story.
Katta has lived in the United Kingdom for the past 30 years and first discovered Eurovision in 1998, when Dana International’s groundbreaking victory in Birmingham caught his attention. Since then, he has watched the contest every year, becoming even more deeply involved during the pandemic. “That’s when I started religiously watching all the national finals,” he explained. “Since then I’ve been going to Eurovision itself every year and making videos.”
Through his YouTube channel, he introduces the contest to Japanese audiences, helping to build a small but growing fan base in a country where Eurovision is still largely unknown. “For many of my viewers in Japan, Eurovision is new,” he said. “But when I explain it, they get very interested because it involves many countries, histories, music styles, languages, and even some geopolitical issues. It’s educational as well as entertaining.”
Katta noted that even his family, who knew nothing about Eurovision at first, have become fans. For him, this mix of culture, politics, and music is what makes Eurovision endlessly fascinating. “I’m still learning a lot every year,” he said with a smile.
Húsavík, which became known worldwide as the “Eurovision town” after the 2020 Netflix film, continues to attract fans from across the globe. For visitors like Hiroshi Katta, it is not only a stop on their travels but a place where the spirit of Eurovision lives year-round.
