The depth of the stories and the unique world view created by the delicate depiction of characters and backgrounds have attracted many fans to Japanese anime. In recent years, with the spread of streaming services such as Netflix, many people in Japan and abroad have come to enjoy Japanese anime.

One of the cultures of anime is ‘pilgrimages to real life locations’, which allow visitors to feel like they are part of the works themselves by visiting the areas and spots (‘sacred places’) that appear in the works. These places are already well-known among anime fans, but they can also be used as a starting point for traveling around Japan.

"Otaku In Tokyo", which introduces pilgrimages to sacred spots on TikTok and Instagram, helps with such 'Japanese anime trips'. In this issue, we asked Mr Harada, founder of Otaku In Tokyo, to tell us about the appeal of Japanese pilgrimages to sacred places, as well as recommending anime works and sacred places.

Text:Moe Ishizawa（sou）　Editing:Miho Moriya（CINRA, Inc.）​

Mr Harada started disseminating information on anime pilgrimage since around 2019. Before that, he had always wanted to spread Japanese culture around the world, and his decision to go to graduate school in the UK to study marketing was the catalyst for the launch of "Otaku In Tokyo".

Harada: Talking with friends from graduate school and local people, I realized how popular Japanese anime and pop culture in particular were. After returning to Japan, I started working in the digital marketing department of an advertising agency, and that's when I started operating social media.

One day, one of my mentors, who has been a great help to me since my student days, advised me that there was very little information on anime pilgrimage in English, and that I should try to disseminate it. As one of the ways of promoting Japanese pop culture to young people abroad, we launched 'Otaku In Tokyo', which introduces such pilgrimages.

He has visited more than 100 sacred places across the country. In this issue, Mr Harada introduces his favorite places to visit through five anime works.

"Your Name"(2016), which faithfully recreates reality to the fullest extent

The first work is the feature-length anime film, "Your Name", released in 2016. It was a huge hit in Japan, grossing over 25 billion yen at the box office.

Taki is a boy living in Tokyo, and Mitsuha is a girl living in a village deep in the mountains. The two have never met, but one day they have a strange dream and experience a body swap. At first glance, the story seems like a romantic comedy, but it soon takes a shocking turn, and Mr Harada could not hide his surprise at the story.

Harada"Your Name" was the first film for which I made a pilgrimage to a sacred place. Due to the scale of the screenings in Japan, the film also attracted attention abroad, and Otaku In Tokyo decided to be the first to feature it. The story is also quite unexpected. I thought it was going to be a typical love story, but it suddenly became serious in the middle and the timeline crossed over in a complicated way, so in a good way my expectations were disappointed.

In "Your Name", the sacred places are Tokyo and Hida in Gifu Prefecture, where Taki and Mitsuha respectively live, and Tateishi Park in Nagano Prefecture, which appears in the climax of the film. Mr Harada visited the sacred places in Tokyo.

Harada: I made a pilgrimage to the place where the main character Taki had a part-time job, Café La Boheme in Shinjuku Gyoen, and the National Art Centre in Tokyo, where Taki and Okudera (Miki) went on a date, and was surprised at how well the drawings match the actual scenery. The background of Makoto Shinkai's works is drawn in much more detail than in other animes. When I compared them with prints of scenes from the film, even the tableware used was accurately depicted, and I could feel the effort that went into the production of the film.

"The Boy and The Beast" (2015), which also depicts the history of Tokyo's downtown area, Shibuya

"The Boy and The Beast" follows the adventures of a lonely boy, Kyuta, and a monster, Kumatetsu, in the human world of Shibuya and the monster realm of Shibuten. "The Boy and The Beast" set a record of more than four million viewers in the first month and a half after its release, and is still attracting attention with such things as a musical adaptation by the Shiki Theatre Company in 2022.

The film was directed by Mamoru Hosoda. Hosoda has directed films such as "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" (2006) and "Summer Wars" (2009), but why did Mr Harada choose "The Boy and The Beast" this time? He told us that the deciding factor was that he could 'feel the history of the city'.

HaradaIn Tokyo, camera systems have been installed in several streets as a security measure in downtown areas, including Shibuya, installed in public places such as Center Street in 2004. This may be a common sight nowadays, but at the time there were many objections to the installation.

In "The Boy and The Beast", there is a scene in which a security camera shows the streets of Shibuya, and I felt that the history of the city of Shibuya had been incorporated into one cut, and by visiting, I felt that the film has a meaning beyond just enjoying anime, so I wanted to introduce these places to the public.

The Shibuya scramble crossing, famous for its high footfall, also appears in the film. Mr Harada felt the passion of the producers in these scenes.

Harada: Hosoda, like Shinkai, is so precise in his depiction that you wonder if it's live-action. I particularly liked the scenes of the main character, the boy who is named Kyuta during the film, walking through the scramble crossing, where adults pass by to avoid children, depicted from the point of view of a short child. It was slightly in slow motion, which also conveyed the fear of being in the midst of so many adults, and gave me the opportunity to become more immersed in the film.

"Sword Art Online The Movie: Ordinal Scale" (2017), which offers an imaginary world view

This is the first film version of the Sword Art Online TV anime series, and depicts the epic battle between the main character Kirito and his friends in the AR (Augmented Reality) game 'Ordinal Scale'.

Harada Even though this is an AR game, various locations in Tokyo are depicted, including Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya and Ebisu. The game is based on the real world, so the characters battle enemies in the streets where we often walk.

In the TV anime series Sword Art Online, stories basically take place in a virtual reality world, so there are no places to visit as such, but I thought that the fact that an actual town appeared for the first time in the film version would be appealing to fans.

Mr Harada says he has visited all the places that appeared in the film, but the one he recommends most is Tokyo Dome.

Harada: Tokyo Dome is part of a theme park called Tokyo Dome City, so the place itself feels somewhat unreal. In Shinjuku and Ebisu, it felt too much like everyday life, but at Tokyo Dome, I felt like I was inside the film. The vending machine that the main character Kirito hit was in the exact same place. My British wife, who went with me, had the same impression saying, 'The author who chose Tokyo Dome as the setting is amazing!!

Everyday scenery is transformed into the world of Ghibli in "Whisper of the Heart" (1995)

Many of you have probably seen the coming-of-age anime film "Whisper of the Heart", produced by Studio Ghibli, at least once. One day, Tsukishima Shizuku, a junior high school student who loves to read, finds the name Amazawa Seiji written on a library card. When Shizuku notices the same name in all the books she reads, she begins to imagine him as someone she has never met.

What is the appeal of this work in terms of anime pilgrimage, with its bittersweet characteristics of adolescence?

Harada: The town where the characters live was modeled on Seiseki Sakuragaoka in the northern part of Tama City, Tokyo. It's an ordinary, peaceful residential area, but an interesting aspect of pilgrimages to sacred places is that when you visit it after seeing the film, it feels like a special town. At Seiseki Sakuragaoka Station, the theme song, Country Roads, is played as the departure bell, so you will feel excited from the moment you get off the train.

Studio Ghibli’s works have a strong Ghibli style in the characteristics of the city. I want people to enjoy the difference with the way this place is expressed in Ghibli rather than saying that the exact same thing as this scene exists in the real world.

The world view that this aesthetic weaves together is probably the reason why it is loved by people from all over the world. Indeed, Studio Ghibli’s works have a consistent aesthetic. Mr Harada continues, 'If you are planning to visit Seiseki Sakuragaoka as part of a pilgrimage, there is one thing I would definitely recommend'

Harada: In the opening of Whispers of the Heart, there is a scene where you can look down on the whole town of Seiseki Sakuragaoka from a park on a small hill. This scene is set in a park called Sakuragaoka Park Yuhi-no-oka, which has a great view. In reality, the view is so open that you can see Tokyo Tower in the distance, but in the film, only Seiseki Sakuragaoka is shown, so I hope you will visit the park and enjoy the whole view.

'Rebuild of Evangelion', which makes you want to watch it again after visiting

The famous anime Neon Genesis Evangelion caused a social phenomenon. The film series, "Rebuild of Evangelion" based on it finally came to an end with the release of "Evangelion: 1.0 You are (Not) Alone", in 2007, "Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance" in 2009, "Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo" in 2012 and "Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time" in 2021.

The stories are set in the fictional city of '3rd New Tokyo City’. Mr Harada realized that the Evangelion series was set in Hakone in Kanagawa through the 'Evangelion x Hakone 2020' event, in which the entire town of Hakone collaborated with the work.

Harada: I grew up watching the Evangelion TV series since I was in elementary school, so of course I had already seen all the Evangelion films. However, Hakone's character was not expressed at all in the film, so I wasn't aware that Hakone was used as the model until I actually visited there.

I visited the collaboration event not because I wanted to see specific sacred places, but because I was curious about what it means to collaborate with an entire city. When I actually went to the event, I found that each sightseeing spot had its own special features, such as a life-size panel at the ropeway station and photo spots at the boat station, so I could feel the 'Evangelion' atmosphere. My partner and I were talking about how the collaboration of the whole town was a great example of Japanese anime culture.

Pilgrimages to sacred places are a way to feel the precision of the scenes in the film, or to simulate the experience of the works, but Evangelion seems to be different. After visiting Hakone, Mr Harada said he had a fresh look at the works and was able to discover new joy in pilgrimages to sacred places.

Harada: There was information scattered amongst short scenes that I had previously overlooked that suggested the setting was Hakone. I noticed the word 'Hakone' on a road sign, and I also realized that the place where Shinji and Ryoji Kaji first meet in 2.0 is Hakone Ropeway's Togendai station. When I was getting answers to questions, I felt as if I was coming into contact with the films for the first time, even though I must have seen them many times before.

Thinking again, what is the appeal of anime pilgrimage?

Mr Harad has given us his recommendations. Our final question was about the biggest appeal of pilgrimages to sacred places.

Harada: It is a place where you can deeply appreciate the works, which are the fruit of the artist's efforts. Why did they choose this location, and how did they conduct their research and incorporate it into their work? I think the moment when you can touch parts of the film that you can't get to know just by watching it, and feel the connection between the creators and their feelings, is something that only those who have done the pilgrimages to sacred places can experience.

After visiting the sacred places, they can go home and relive the experience by watching the films again. I would be happy if they could become even more fond of Japan and anime works by taking part in this series of events as a set.

*When visiting places that appear in or are related to the works described in this article, we ask that you please be considerate of neighboring residents and behave with moderation and good manners.