Welcome to this week’s review of notable instances of transit, place and culture as rendered in anime currently broadcast in Japan and simulcast internationally via the web. For a detailed outline of the approach, please refer to the explanation in the inaugural issue. Links to streaming sources are included when available, though not all may have current episode available at the time this column is published.

Tamako Market

(たまこまーけっと Tamako Māketto)
Watch: Anime Network

Google Map Update

Tallies updated, but no new places.

[googlemaps https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=200639844934943293001.0004d2be0bee16bf9990a&ie=UTF8&t=m&ll=34.999066,135.792046&spn=0.079027,0.171318&z=12&output=embed&w=500&h=281]

Fan Pilgrimage Update

The godfather of anime pilgrimages (Twitter: @lidges, Blog: Tsurebashi) spent several days of the past week in Kyoto to do an exhaustive Tamako Market tour. He’s published two posts (1, 2) with a map, and possibly more on the way.

Episode 4

Activity is focused on events at the Usagiyama Shōtengai, which gives us a chance to take a break from location spotting and look at the cultural context of what happens here. The show opens with Anko’s flashback of being dressed in costume for a spring festival (祭 matsuri). Unless I missed it, I didn’t hear reference to a specific festival; the banners in the shōtengai just read “Spring Festival” (春まつり). It could be a regional or local celebration.

Back to the present, in preparation for this year’s summer festival Tamako models a happi with the Usagiyama Shōtengai logo.

Anko doesn’t share others’ enthusiasm for the festival, as it reminds her of her deceased mother.

Anko answers Mochizō’s “call” to Tamako, pointing out the fact that their street is so narrow they should just talk to each other through the windows.

The mikoshi (神輿) is cleaned and prepared for carrying through the streets.

Everyone in the neighborhood is busy with preparations, leaving the record shop/cafe a bit lonely.

Mochizō is one of the mikoshi bearers.

Anko is asked for help with costume dressing.

We’ve already seen the public bath, Usa-yu, repurposed as the shōtengai managers meeting location. Today is a dressing room and staging area for the children in the parade.

Anko’s sense of her role and connection to the community celebration puts her feelings toward the festival in a more positive direction.

Kotoura-San

(琴浦さん)
Watch: Crunchyroll

Episode 4

Manabe, Mifune and Muroto set out in search of Kotoura. At first I thought the town name, Kotoura (same as the protagonist), had to be fictional. But Kotoura-chō is a real town in Tottori Prefecture, the least populous prefecture in Japan. That would make this local train the San’in Main Line (山陰本線) which, funny enough, I’ve actually used before to get to the Kinosaki onsen.

In the show, what’s called Kotoura Station is actually Urayasu Station (浦安駅).

I believe this is an actual shrine in Kotoura, but ran out of time to figure out exactly which.

Unfortunately, still no clues as to where this might be.

Da Capo III

(〜ダ・カーポ III〜 Da Kāpo III)
Watch: Crunchyroll

Episode 4

More bus time and shōtengai this week.

This is an advertisement for a bookstore. The address simply reads “in Sakura Shōtengai”.

“Are your manners OK?” No loud conversations, loud headphone volume or cellphone conversations, and make sure you give up your seat to someone who needs it.

Sakura Shōtengai

Oreshura

(俺の彼女と幼なじみが修羅場すぎる Ore no Kanojo to Osananajimi ga Shuraba Sugiru)
Watch: Crunchyroll

Episode 4

Eita rushes to Hananoyama Station to make sure Chiwa isn’t stood up by her date. So far, all search results for Hananoyama (羽根ノ山) just reference the show/light novel. Not sure if it’s based on a real place or fictional.

Eita walks to meet Masazu after school.

The Pet Girl of Sakurasou

(さくら荘のペットな彼女 Sakura-sō no Petto na Kanojo)

Watch: Crunchyroll • Anime Network • Hulu

Episode 16

Sorata takes the Odakyū Odawara Line (小田急小田原線) into Tokyo for his presentation. Sakura Dormitory is supposedly close to Mukōgaoka-Yūen Station (向ヶ丘遊園駅) in Tama Ward of Kawasaki, just over the border from Tokyo Prefecture.

Fun trivia I learned this week: Sorata names all of the stray cats he takes in after Shinkansen services (Hikari, Nozomi, Kodama, Tsubaki, Komachi, Aoba and Asahi).

Amnesia

(アムネシア Amuneshia)
Watch: Crunchyroll

Episode 4

Shin walks home after leaving the Heroine’s apartment, toward Toden-Zōshigaya Station (都電雑司ヶ谷駅).

I’ve got a few good ideas about the location of this neighborhood and the park, but don’t want to send anyone on a wild goose chase without a positive ID ^_^