Welcome to this week’s review of notable instances of public transit use and urban design, as well as discussion of place identity and culture, through anime currently broadcast or screening in Japan and simulcast internationally via the web. This review also documents seichijunrei (聖地巡礼 sacred site pilgrimage) and butaitanbou (舞台探訪 scene hunting)—on this website referred to collectively as anime pilgrimage—which are forms of place-based engagement induced by the use of real locations in show settings.
Tamako Market
(たまこまーけっと Tamako Māketto)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
More reconnaissance from Kyoto via @kbt_tigers1985 (post) and @Yamatonomiya (post).
Episode 8
Every episode of Tamako Market seems to jump ahead at least a month, sometimes an entire season. We’ve now arrived at fall, which is made clear by the change to orange banners and seasonal offerings in Usagiyama Shōtengai.
Kanna calls Tamako while walking along the Kamo River (鴨川), standing under the Imadegawa-dōri (今出川通り) bridge.
Walking to school along the canal
Pedestrian overcrossing between the academy’s neighborhood and Fujinomori Station (藤森駅)
Shopping for Choi’s cool weather clothing
They can’t find anything appropriate for their age in the shōtengai, but the shop clerk refers them to a nearby store.
Dera continues his exercise regimen on the delta where the Kamo River (鴨川) and Takano River (高野川) meet.
Boku no Imōto wa “Ōsaka Okan”
(僕の妹は「大阪おかん」)
Episode 7
These three minute shorts poke fun at exaggerated Kansai area stereotypes, specifically an “Osaka Momma” per the show title. They’re good for a chuckle if you’re familiar with the Kanto-Kansai rivalry. Last week featured an exchange about the different IC cards used with the JR West and JR East transit networks. The cards use passive near field communication circuits to store value and pay for subway, train and bus trips, as well as make payments at some stores and vending machines. In Osaka they have ICOCA, in Tokyo it’s Suica and Pasmo. Namika is surprised to find out that her card is interoperable with the Tokyo systems, and so was I! I didn’t realize until I looked it up that the JR West and JR East networks have been interoperable since 2004. That would be like every train, subway and bus from Boston to Washington, DC all operating on one contact-less card payment network that could calculate your trip cost from end to end as you transferred to different services. Maybe when hell freezes over?
Encouragement of Climb
(ヤマノススメ Yama no Susume)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
Both @lidges (post) and @musagoso (post) ventured out to Mount Takao to bring us cut-by-cut photographs of each scene in Episodes 8 and 9, including the public transit approach to the base of the mountain.
Episode 9
This week continues from the previous episode, with Aoi and Hinata reaching the summit of Mount Takao (高尾山).
Sasami-san@Ganbaranai
(ささみさん@がんばらない)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@butaiwalker trekked out to Ōi (大井), Kanagawa Prefecture to bring us a post on the Ōigawa Main Line, a sightseeing train line featuring steam locomotives operated by the Ōigawa Railway (大井川鐵道), which appears in Episode 7.
Episode 7
Ōigawa Main Line
Tama rides on top of what looks like a 500 series Shinkansen at full speed, while eating an ekiben. Riding on top of the Shinkansen is generally not advisable.
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)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@butaiwalker was trekking around to Ikebukuro, Kashiwa and Kawagoe to photograph and report back on locations featured in Episode 8, and promises to get the remainder in Fuchū over the weekend. The more digging I do for Oreshura, the more I see that the incorporation of real locations is solely for visual purposes and used to create a composite town for the fictional Hanenoyama. While the locations are all technically reachable to each other by train, it would take a considerable amount of commute time to do so, far more than the show suggests.
Episode 8
Lots of third place this week. This is the cafe near Hanenoyama Station.
After cram school, Eita joins Ai and Kaoru for dessert. The cafe is based on the Milky Way in Ikebukuro.
This famiresu, where Eita and the harem have met several times before, is based on a location in Kashiwa (柏), Chiba Prefecture, close to Kashiwa Station (柏駅).
Eita, Chiwa, Ai and Kaoru meet at Hanenoyama Station, modeled on Fuchū Station (府中駅).
The Pet Girl of Sakurasou
(さくら荘のペットな彼女 Sakura-sō no Petto na Kanojo)
Episode 20
Mukōgaoka-Yūen Station (向ヶ丘遊園駅)
The north side of the station isn’t quite so exciting in real life. There is, however, a very lively commercial district on the south side of the station. I’m thinking that we’re seeing a composite of the two in the show.
Back from a meeting in Tokyo, Sorata meets Nanami at the station and they walk back to Sakura Dormitory.
Kotoura-San
(琴浦さん)
Episode 8
Manabe and Haruka meet at the train station for their date.
It’s all walking after that, as they make their way around the commercial district.
Amnesia
(アムネシア Amuneshia)
Episode 8
More familiar locations in Ikebukuro (池袋) this week.
Toden Arakawa Line (都電荒川線)
I think this is the first time we’ve seen this small lane near the Heroine’s apartment.
