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.
Media and General Interest
Kyoto bus Uchōten collaboration
Asahi Shimbun ran a story about a public bus in Kyoto outfitted with Uchōten Kazoku promotional material that will run a loop around the city between now and September.
The Eccentric Family
(有頂天家族 Uchōten Kazoku)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@ye_bi_su impresses again with an exhaustive pilgrimage for Episode 2. He is including a Google Map for each episode in his pilgrimage posts, to help us keep track of the locations that appear. This is the Episode 2 map.
@Barnirun made extensive pilgrimages (post 1 and post 2) for the OP credits and Episode 1.
@kbt_tigers1985 made a pilgrimage for Episode 1.
Episode 2
Just off the Kamo Bridge (賀茂大橋), the billiard house Yasaburō and his mother visit is, in real life, just the large annex of the Bon Bon Cafe.
Kamo Bridge
The Ebisugawa hydroelectric power plant (夷川水力発電所) becomes an alcohol distillery operated by the Ebisugawa tanuki clan in the show.
Yasaburō visits Rokudō Chin’nō-ji (六道珍皇寺) to see his brother Yajirō, who is unable to shape-shift after taking the form of a frog and lives at the bottom of a well.
Yasaka Shrine (八坂神社)
This is just up the street from Yasaka Shrine, on Higashiōji-dōri (東大路通), the main north south street between the Kamo River and mountains on the east side of Kyoto.
Further north on Higashiōji-dōri, close to the power plant
Akitsuki Bridge (秋月橋), which crosses the canal exiting the power plant
I love the maps. They’re almost an invitation to go exploring.
Just north of the power plant, the store on the left corner is the Yoshikawa eyeglasses shop (吉川眼鏡店).
Kamo Bridge
Bon Bon Cafe
Stepping stones for crossing the Kamo River (鴨川) delta. These ought to be familiar to anyone who has watched K-On! or Tamako Market (or been to Kyoto).
The Shimogamo mother is hiding under Kamo Bridge.
One of the entrances to Demachiyanagi Station (出町柳駅)
Shimogamo Shrine (下鴨神社)
Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@seki_saima made a pilgrimage to Iwami, Tottori Prefecture for Episode 1.
@ts_kobaya received permission to film the interior of the school used as the model for Iwatobi High School.
Episode 3
Lots of screen time for the San’in Main Line (山陰本線) this week. This was the same line, though a different segment, that appeared in several episodes of Winter 2013’s Kotoura-San.
The entire train car is occupied by students, who use the train to make the daily commute to school in Iwatobi (Iwami).
Iwami Station (岩美駅)
Squid fishing is a large part of industry in Iwami.
Those who don’t fish operate farms instead, with rice being the most common crop in the area.
Gatchaman Crowds
(ガッチャマンクラウズ Gatchaman Kurauzu)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@rimatai made a pilgrimage to Tachikawa for Episode 1.
Episode 1
The newest installment of the long running Gatchaman franchise gets right into establishing the series’ base of Tachikawa (立川), a city on the western side of Tokyo Prefecture. In the opening scenes Sugune, en route to school via train, makes a stop at Tachikawa Station (立川駅) for the first encounter with MESS and new recruit Hajime.
The station exterior scenes may look familiar to fans of A Certain Scientific Railgun, as that series draws heavily on Tachikawa and nearby Tama for its depiction of the built environment.
The arches in front of the north exit, which are light blue in real life, feature prominently in the key visual for the Saint Young Men film.
Like many rail hub stations in Japan, Tachikawa has significant retail development in and above the station. In this case it’s a Lumine (ルミネ), a department store chain owned by the East Japan Railway Company and always found in conjunction with rail assets.
Hajime commutes to school by bicycle.
Later, Sugune and Hajime are at the bus terminal, which is linked to the station and surrounding commercial district by extensive elevated walkways. This particular piece of pedestrian infrastructure appears frequently in A Certain Scientific Railgun.
Opening Credits
The credits pile on the Tachikawa tribute with animation painted over real photographs of the central business district.
The Chūō Line (中央本線) passes through Tachikawa Station.
Ending Credits
Kinmoza!
(きんいろモザイク Kin’iro Mozaiku)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@kibaichi updated a previous post for the school in Narashino with new scenes, and created a new post for the business district surrounding Tsudanuma Station, both from Episode 2.
@rimatai also made complete Episode 1 an Episode 2 pilgrimages to Narashino and Tsudanuma.
@sennoha13 made pilgrimages for the OP/ED credits and Episode 1.
Episode 2
Shinobu, Alice, Aya and later Yoko meet at Keisei-Usui Station (京成臼井駅) to embark on a day out.
They spend time in the commercial district that surrounds Tsudanuma Station (津田沼駅).
WataMote ~No Matter How I Look at It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Not Popular!~
(私がモテないのはどう考えてもお前らが悪い! Watashi ga Motenai no wa dō Kangaetemo Omaera ga Warui!)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@rimatai made a pilgrimage to Tsudanuma in Narashino, Chiba Prefecture based on the manga source material.
Episode 2
Tomoko and other students use a pedestrian overcrossing on the walk to and from school.
Tomoko fantasizes about a boy whisking her away by bicycle.
She later meets an old friend at a coffee shop in the commercial district. @rimatai seemed to think this meeting is supposed to take place near Tsudanuma Station in Narashino, but there aren’t enough wide angles in the anime version to determine location.
Tamayura: More Aggressive
(たまゆら〜もあぐれっしぶ〜 Tamayura Mo Aguresshibu)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@Bf109K1 made a pilgrimage to Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture for Episode 2 and Episode 3.
@thuporn made a pilgrimage to the Seto Inland Sea coast for Episode 3.
@rimatai made a quick stop in Yokosuka for Episode 2.
Other Pilgrimage
@kibaichi made a pilgrimage to Seiseki-Sakuragaoka Station in Tama, Tokyo Prefecture for Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya.
@nobucafe made a pilgrimage to Kobe Bridge for Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya.
@rimatai made a pilgrimage to Tanashi Station in Nishitōkyō and Takao Station in Hachiōji for Fantasista Doll.
@nobucafe made a pilgrimage to the Meiji Mura museum in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture for Love Lab.
@sennoha13 made a pilgrimage to Kamagaya, Chiba Prefecture for Ro-Kyu-Bu! SS.
@chabata_k made a pilgrimage to Nishi-Kokubunji Station in Kokubunju and along the Seibu Tamako Line near Musashi-Yamato Station in Higashimurayama for Rozen Maiden: Zurückspulen.
@ngwrb made a pilgrimage to Mount Tanigawa, on the border of Gunma and Niigata prefectures, for Yama no Susume. This is an incredibly challenging climb, nearly 2000 meters of elevation, and left many location spotters dumbstruck in awe.
@ngwrb made a pilgrimage to Yokohama for Oreimo.
@ngwrb made a pilgrimage to Kiryū, Gunma Prefecture for Episode 11, Episode 12 and Episode 13 of Aku no Hana.
@code_bk201 made a pilgrimage to the abandoned Iriya (入谷) village in Taga (多賀), Shiga Prefecture for Shin Sekai Yori.
@Bf109K1 made a pilgrimage to Cape Sōya, the northernmost point on Hokkaidō for Hachimitsu to Clover.
@626shin made a pilgrimage to Motomachi, Yokohama and Sapporo for Kanon.
@paffue made a pilgrimage to Sapporo and Otaru, Hokkaidō for Tokimeki Memoriaru Only Love.
@1000th_summer made a pilgrimage (part 1 and part 2) to Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture for Saishū Heiki Kanojo.
@lidges made a pilgrimage to the lavender fields of Nakafurano, Hokkaido for Sofuteni.
@1000th_summer made a pilgrimage to Izumo, Shimane Prefecture for Asagiri no Miko.
