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
Seibu Railway Anohana collaboration
Asahi Shimbun ran a story about a special promotional train to be run on the Ikebukuro Line in advance of the feature-length film of Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day. It will utilize a Seibu 6000 series train, which characters Yukiatsu and Tsuruko use to commute to school in the anime.
Ōarai Garupan event
The Japan News, an English language portal of The Yomiuri Shimbun, ran a story about pop culture tourism in Ōarai, Ibaraki Prefecture, the setting of Girls und Panzer. About 32,000 visitors attended the most recent event.
The Eccentric Family
(有頂天家族 Uchōten Kazoku)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@ye_bi_su is on a roll with another pilgrimage installment for Episode 3, including updated Google Map.
@kbt_tigers1985 made a pilgrimage for Episode 2 locations.
@high__k spotted the promotional bus in Kyoto as it whizzed by.
Episode 3
The Bon Bon Cafe offers a nice view of the Kamo Bridge (賀茂大橋).
Spectators watch the mountainside bonfires during Gozan no Okuribi (五山送り火), also called Daimonji (大文字), from the Demachi Bridge (出町橋). The event symbolizes the return of spirits of deceased family members to the spirit world, after having visited our plane of existence during the three-day Obon (お盆) festival.
Shimogamo Shrine (下鴨神社)
Rokudō Chin’nō-ji (六道珍皇寺)
Demachi Masugata Shōtengai (出町桝形商店街前)
The narrow residential streets the feed into the Masugata Shōtengai, as well as the covered shopping arcade itself, were the main stage of activity in Tamako Market.
Yakushibo ribs a fellow tengu for not flying from Osaka, a relatively short distance (for yōkai, at least). His companion responds that it’s too hot to fly in the middle of the summer, but the Keihan Railway is nice and cool. I’m glad that even tengu appreciate the value of public transportation.
Demachi Bridge
Demachiyanagi Station (出町柳駅)
Kamo River (鴨川)
Intersection of Sanjō-dōri (三条通り) and Takakura-dōri (高倉通り)
Nishizaki Genemon’s fan shop is based on the Hakuchiku-dō (白竹堂) honten (original shop), established in 1718.
Here we depart from normal spacetime for a moment, as the secret passage through the shop leads to a dockside tea house at the edge of the city. It could be Lake Biwa, though it could also be somewhere not entirely of this world.
The partially sunken ruins of a building with clock tower are actually the Iebe-Tokeiten building (家邊徳時計店ビル), a clock shop on Sanjō-dōri that dates to 1890.
Intersection of Karasuma-dōri (烏丸通り) and Shijō-dōri (四条通り)
Gatchaman Crowds
(ガッチャマンクラウズ Gatchaman Kurauzu)
Episode 2
The north entrance to Tachikawa Station (立川駅) faces the direction of adjacent Tachikawa-Kita Station (立川北駅). Tachikawa is a junction station of several JR East lines, Tachikawa-Kita is a stop on the Tama Toshi Monorail Line (多摩都市モノレール線), and both are joined by an elevated pedestrian walkway.
The Tama Toshi Monorail has been one of the stars of the first two episodes, with lots of screen time in each.
Though Gatchaman have special means of quickly reaching the scene of a conflict, once matters are concluded they return home by train, just like everyone else.
Hajime organizes a recurring community meetup. Their venue is a chartered Tama Toshi train.
This is the first location name I’ve observed to deviate from the real life place on which it’s based. There is a Hana Midori Cultural Center, but the park in which it is located is the Showa Memorial Park (国営昭和記念公園). The Akebono Gate does exist.
The walkway between Tachikawa Station and Tachikawa-Kita Station
The smartphone app Galax goes beyond social media, facilitating crowd-sourced responses to problems unfolding in real time.
Toyosu Station (豊洲駅) is all the way on other side of the prefecture, in Tokyo’s Kōtō Ward. Like Odaiba, much of the area is reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay. It appears to be the location of an evil mastermind’s secret lair, but we’ll have to to tune in next time to confirm that.
Kinmoza!
(きんいろモザイク Kin’iro Mozaiku)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
The terrific photographer behind ゆっきーの散歩Blog in now on Twitter (@AF10194). If you like your anime pilgrimages with gorgeous photos and EXIF data included, this is a highly recommended follow. Yuki just returned from a trip to England and has published a series of pilgrimage posts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) that cover locations in and near London featured in Episode 1.
@kazupi was also in London and brings us a great pilgrimage of Paddington Station and a ride on the InterCity 125 (now called High Speed Train, or HST).
@kibaichi is building his pilgrimage posts by location, rather than episode. Each location gets updated with scenes from new episodes. This week saw updates to the districts surrounding Keisei-Usui Station and Mihomi Station.
@sennoha13 made a pilgrimage to Keisei-Usui Station and the commercial district surrounding Tsudanuma Station for Episode 2, as well as Mihomi High School for Episode 3.
Episode 3
Another commute to school via the Keisei Main Line (京成本線)
Mimomi Station (実籾駅)
Free! – Iwatobi Swim Club
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@seki_saima has setup one post to catalog the entire series, which was just updated with new shots from Episode 2 and Episode 3.
Episode 4
This hillside shrine (田後薬師堂) and the neighborhood that descends to the coast is Tajiri (田後), a subdistrict of Iwami (岩美), Tottori Prefecture.
A trip into town (Tottori, I’m guessing) to shop for new swimsuits, on the San’in Main Line (山陰本線). This is a JR West Kiha 126 series train.
Servant x Service
(サーバント×サービス)
Episode 3
For a show that is supposed to be about a local ward office somewhere in Hokkaidō, it has an awful lot of Tokyo scenery. This is Star Road (スターロード), a lively bar district made up of narrow lanes in Asagaya, Suginami Ward.
Genshiken Second Season
(げんしけん 二代目 Genshiken Nidaime)
Episode 3
Yajima and Yoshitake take the Chūō Line (中央本線) on a return trip from Akihabara.
The World God Only Knows: Goddesses
(Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai: Megami-Hen)
Episode 3
Keima’s plan to trigger the “walking home flag” with Tsukiyo requires a small adjustment, as she commutes to school by public bus.
Later, Keima accompanies Ayumi through a commercial district on her walk home.
Day Break Illusion
(幻影ヲ駆ケル太陽 Gen’ei o Kakeru Taiyō)
Episode 3
A Daemonia targets a kindergarten teacher and her pupils, following them from a pedestrian overcrossing to a grade level rail crossing (踏切 fumikiri).
A Town Where You Live
(君のいる町 Kimi no Iru Machi)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@Bf109K1 made a pilgrimage to Shōbara (the area that was originally the town of Takano), Hiroshima Prefecture for Episode 2.
Other Pilgrimage
@rimatai made a pilgrimage to Yokohama for Futari was Milky Holmes.
@ngwrb made a pilgrimage (Episode 6 and Episode 7) to Togakushi Shrine in Nagano Prefecture for RDG Red Data Girl.
@lidges made a pilgrimage to Jōzankei Onsen in Minami Ward, Sapporo for Working!!
@AF10194 made a pilgrimage (post 1 and 2) to London for the Tantei Opera Milky Holmes Alternative specials.
@shira_ry made a pilgrimage to Yokohama for DD Hokutonoken.
@paffue made this pilgrimage last year to Nakafurano, Hokkaido for Sofuteni, and just recently visited neighboring Biei for Hidamari Sketch x Honeycomb.
