Pilgrimage Cities
Uji
Next up, we will play for you... Uji is not only the world-famous home of matcha but also the complete setting for Kyoto Animation's masterpiece, "Sound! Euphonium" (KyoBuki). The city is gently divided in two by the Uji River, and every landscape echoes the youthful melodies of Kitauji High School. Stepping out of Keihan Uji Station, the unique exposed concrete architecture makes you feel as if you've stepped into the anime. Strolling along the Uji River, you can seek out the famous "Kumiko's Bench" (in front of the Igawa Water Airport), a pilgrimage site where countless fans come with their instruments to take photos. If your stamina allows, be sure to climb Mt. Daikichi in this city of shrines and temples. From the observation deck, relive the night Kumiko and Reina played the famous song "Discovery of Love" there, overlooking the lights of the entire Uji city. In that moment, you too will be "special."
Yamanashi
Yamanashi Prefecture, at the northern foot of Mount Fuji, is in recent years the most hardcore "outdoor-themed" anime pilgrimage site. This is the absolute main base for "Laid-Back Camp△". Minobu is where the protagonists live, and almost every shop on the shopping street in front of Minobu Station has collaboration standees; and the "Koan Campsite" by Lake Motosu is the scenery printed on the 1000-yen banknote, and also where Rin and Nadeshiko first met. In addition, Hokuto City is the setting for "Super Cub". Riding a scooter along the mountain roads around Hino Haru Station, feeling the shape of the wind, is the most longed-for experience for fans. Friends who enjoy cycling also shouldn't miss this place, because many of the high school league race segments from "Yowamushi Pedal" are also in Yamanashi's mountainous areas.
Tokyo
Tokyo is a first-level administrative division located in Japan's Kanto region, and is also the de facto capital of Japan. It is the only administrative division in Japan named "To" (metropolis/prefecture). Its area ranks 45th among Japan's first-level administrative divisions, but Japan's southernmost and easternmost points are both located within its jurisdiction, therefore, it has the largest latitudinal and longitudinal span among all first-level administrative divisions in Japan. As of 2024, its total population reached 14.2 million, making it the most populous first-level administrative division in Japan.
Izu
The Izu Peninsula is known by countless anime fans as "the coastline of youth." Numazu, located at the base of the peninsula, is the home base of Aqours from "Love Live! Sunshine!!". Strolling through the streets of Uchiura, you can always hear the phrase "Miracles do exist!", and Awashima Marine Park and Yasudaya Ryokan are emotional, must-visit pilgrimage sites for fans. Heading south along the coastline, you enter the world of diving anime. Ito is the setting for "Amanchu!", while the famous diving spots around Izu Oshima / Mount Omuro are the activity range for the drinking contests... oh, wait, no, the diving club in "Grand Blue". Furthermore, in the second season of "Laid-Back Camp △", Rin and Nadeshiko also cycled across Izu, leaving their footprints at Mount Omuro and Dogashima. This is a perfect peninsula that combines hot springs, pilgrimage sites, and spectacular scenery all in one.
Gifu
Gifu City is located in the Chubu region of Japan, serving as the prefectural capital of Gifu Prefecture. Situated in the Nagara River basin, it has been an important hub for transportation and culture since ancient times. It boasts a Sengoku period historical background, represented by figures like Oda Nobunaga, and also preserves numerous natural landscapes and traditional streetscapes. Gifu City is famous for Nagara River cormorant fishing and Gifu Castle. Due to its atmosphere as a "typical Japanese regional city," it is often chosen as a filming location or source of inspiration for anime, manga, and TV dramas. Compared to large cities like Tokyo and Osaka, the pace here is more relaxed, making it ideal for in-depth pilgrimages, location scouting, and photography. Gifu City often serves as an archetypal setting for "Japanese regional cities," "Sengoku historical backgrounds," or "nature coexisting with the city," making it suitable for real-world location comparison-style pilgrimages. Although some anime and live-action works do not directly name Gifu, clear similarities can be found in their urban structure, rivers, and mountain castle landscapes.
Shizuoka
Shizuoka City is not only the capital of tea under Mount Fuji, but also the hometown of two major works. Shimizu Ward is the setting for the national anime "Chibi Maruko-chan." At "Chibi Maruko-chan Land" inside S-Pulse Dream Plaza, you can step into Maruko's house and even visit that familiar elementary school, reliving Sunday evenings from your childhood. And for model enthusiasts, Shizuoka is the center of the universe. The Bandai Model Factory is located here, the birthplace of all Gundam models (Gunpla). Although factory tours require a lottery, you can still feel a strong atmosphere of model culture in the model shops and streets around Shizuoka Station. Of course, this is also Nadeshiko's hometown in "Laid-Back Camp△" (Hamamatsu/Western Shizuoka), with many delicious hamburg steak restaurants (Sawayaka).
Suwa
Suwa City, located in the central part of Nagano Prefecture, is the hometown of director Makoto Shinkai and also the real-life sacred place that served as the prototype for "Itomori Lake," a core scene in the film "Your Name." The biggest highlight here is undoubtedly Lake Suwa. To relive the emotion of the "Kataware-doki" (twilight) moment from the film, it is recommended to visit Tateishi Park, located halfway up the mountain. From there, overlooking the scene, the circular lake basin topography and the surrounding mountains perfectly replicate the view Taki saw during "Kataware-doki" (twilight), especially at sunset, when the evening sun casts its glow on the lake, as if a comet is about to streak across the sky. Besides the pilgrimage, there is also the famous Suwa Grand Shrine (one of Japan's oldest shrines, known for its spectacular Onbashira Festival) and Kamisuwa Onsen (hot springs) by the lake, making it an excellent place to experience "Japan's original scenery."
Kyoto
The thousand-year-old ancient capital of Kyoto, in the world of anime, is the undisputed protagonist of countless school anime's "school trip arcs." Strolling through Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine, you can retrace the footsteps of Hachiman and Yukino from "My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected. TOO!". Stepping into the Demachi Yanagi shopping street, you will be transported into the warm daily life of Kyoto Animation's "Tamako Market," where not only the famous Mame Daifuku can be found, but also many message books left by fans. Furthermore, Kyoto is also the setting for the tanuki family's life in "The Eccentric Family," and the birthplace of Heiji and Kazuha's first love story in "Detective Conan: Crossroad in the Labyrinth." For KyoAni fans, it only takes a 20-minute train ride from here to reach Uji (the sacred land of "Sound! Euphonium"), making Kyoto undoubtedly the main base for Kansai anime pilgrimages.