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
Associated Press anime pilgrimage article
Over the past half year, I’ve worked closely with writer and reporter Linda Lombardi on an article exploring anime-specific pop culture tourism that she pitched to the Associated Press. Our intent was to write an introduction to the phenomena for a general, non-Japanese audience, while still including enough detail to create an authentic and nuanced picture of the subculture and its behaviors. In addition to mining information from my writing and experiences, Linda’s preparation included going on her own anime pilgrimage in Tokyo. For anyone who has followed this blog for a little while, the content of the article isn’t anything that you haven’t seen in one form or another before, but I think the terms seichijunrei (聖地巡礼 sacred site pilgrimage) and butaitanbou (舞台探訪 scene hunting) appearing in mainstream media outside Japan is pretty remarkable. That she was given the space to clearly differentiate the two and illustrate them with examples was the best we could have hoped for.
The largest outlets running the piece “Fans Hunt Real Places in Japan Featured in Anime” are the New York Times, Washington Post, Mainichi Shimbun, ABC News, CTV News, Yahoo! and the AP website itself.
Daily Mail, Japan Today and SFGate included all of the photos Linda and I took and submitted, which include the Demachi Masugata Shōtengai (Tamako Market), Eizan Electric Railway (Uchōten Kazoku) and Kanda Myōjin (Love Live! School Idol Project).
I can’t thank Linda enough for initiating this, and I hope we’ll get the chance to have this much fun again in the future.
Seichikaigi
Oricon Style carried a press release announcing Seichikaigi (聖地会議), a series of 10 e-books exploring trends and business implications of the seichijunrei market in Japan from a slate of preeminent researchers and business leaders deep in contents tourism, of which anime pilgrimage is a subset. From a quick glance, the list of contributors includes Yamamura Takayoshi (山村高淑) from the Center for Advanced Tourism Studies at Hokkaido University, Okamoto Takeshi (岡本健) from Nara Prefectural University, and “pilgrimage producer” Kakizaki Shundō (柿崎俊道), who is planning and editing the series.
Kadokawa anime tourism survey
Publisher Kadokawa is conducting a global survey in Japanese, English, Chinese and Thai, asking anime and manga fans to vote for their favorite pilgrimage locations. The company says it will organize a tour of the 88 most popular locations, featuring involvement from creators, writers and voice actors.
The survey entry form is located at: http://animetourism88.com
Announcement of the survey is covered in English by the Japan Times, and with more detail in Japanese by NNA Asia, part of Kyodo News.
Love Live! Sunshine!!
(ラブライブ！サンシャイン!! Rabu Raibu! Sanshain)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@keihi49 made a pilgrimage to Numazu for Episode 2 (post 1, post 2) and Episode 3.
@tenohira17 made a pilgrimage to Numazu for the OP.
Episode 4
Nagaisaki Junior High School bus stop (長井崎中学校バス停)
Awashima Marine Park Frog Museum (あわしまマリンパーク カエル館)
Bookseller Marusan Shoten Nakamise original shop (マルサン書店仲見世本店) in the Numazu Nakamise Shōtengai (沼津仲見世商店街)
Love Live! Sunshine!! makes no attempt to hide its recycling of themes and symbols from the previous series, even lamp-shading it by having the current cast frequently cite Otonokizaka Academy and μ’s as their source of inspiration. In Numazu, instead of endurance training climbing up the stairs to Kanda Shrine, we have the much longer and arduous hike up Awashima to Awashima Jinja (淡島神社) at its apex. Ganbatte!
[Credit: @nandakaomo, Twitter; @maxbreakerz2mei, Twitter]
Numazu Nagaisaki Junior High School (沼津市立長井崎中学校)
Awashima Jinja
Kuromukuro
(クロムクロ)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@ankou_anko made pilgrimages (updated post) mountain climbing to Murodō and Shōmyō Falls in Tateyama for Episode 14; and to Tateyama and Toyama City for Episode 16 (all Toyama Prefecture).
Episode 16
Toyama Chihō Railway Tateyama Line (富山地方鉄道立山線) crosses a rail viaduct after just departing from Tateyama Station (立山駅).
Toyama Chihō Railway 10030 series train (富山地鉄10030系)
Yokoe Station (横江駅), still in Tateyama (立山)
Grade level railroad crossing (踏切 fumikiri) northwest of Yokoe Station
Fuganungakansui Park (富岩運河環水公園) in Toyama City (富山市)
Future City Favore (フューチャーシティ・ファボーレ), also in Toyama City, is not an abandoned structure (廃墟 haikyo) in real-life.
Orange
(オレンジ Orenji)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@megtan made a pilgrimage to Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture for Episode 4.
@kbt_tigers1985 made a pilgrimage to Matsumoto for Episode 3.
Episode 4
This week feels much like a repeat of the first episode, with the group’s social outing to public spaces and tourist points in the center of Matsumoto (松本), Nagano Prefecture presented as a series of snapshots. This directing style enables inclusion of a large amount of background art in a short period of time, while also saving quite a bit of money on the animation production side. Like the first episode, the tourism promotion influence is a bit heavy handed. It would be nice to see the characters interacting more deeply with fewer locations.
Kaiun-dō original shop (開運堂本店) is a traditional confections maker, but features an ice cream serving robot to attract tourists and passers-by.
Matsumoto Parco (松本PARCO)
Chūō Nishi Park (中央西公園), also known as Flower Clock Park (花時計公園)
Yohashira Jinja (四柱神社)
Nawate-dōri Shōtengai (縄手通り商店街) preserves the facade of an Edo period merchant street, but these days the goods and light street snacks on hand are squarely targeted at tourists.
These most likely came from Taiyaki Furusato (たい焼きふるさと).
A publicly accessible greenspace is created in the embankment along the Ta River (田川), near Yohashira Jinja.
Third place can also be a date place. Kakeru and Ueda stop at the Tully’s Coffee Matsumoto Ekimae-dori shop (タリーズコーヒー松本駅前大通り店).
Agata no Mori Park (あがたの森公園)
Students cycle and walk to school on the morning commute.
On-grounds covered bicycle parking area
Susukigawa Ryokuchi Park (薄川緑地)
The walk home affords Naho one final opportunity to catch up to Kakeru and stop the cycle of ignoring his attempts to communicate.
Agata no Mori Park
Amanchu!
(あまんちゅ！)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@SSEBTBM883 made a pilgrimage to the Atami Ginza Shōtengai in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture for Episode 2.
@touyoko_com (updated post) added locations from Itō, Shizuoka Prefecture for Episode 2.
Episode 3
Hikari and Futaba walk home together on the afternoon commute from school.
Itō High School bus stop (伊東高校バス停) in Itō, Shizuoka Prefecture
[Credit: @touyoko_com, blog]
Hikari has a special place in mind to share with the transfer student.
Izu-kogen (伊豆高原) is the highland area in Itō. Its three kilometer long cherry tree lined street Sakura Namiki (桜並木) is a well-known blossom viewing location during spring.
New Game!
(ニューゲーム Nyū Gēmu)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@SSEBTMB883 made a pilgrimage to Asagaya, Suginami Ward; and Nakano Station in Nakano Ward (all Tokyo Metropolis) for Episode 1 through Episode 3.
@ssslocation made a pilgrimage to Asagaya and Nakano Station for Episode 3.
Bar Watashi in Kōenji was amused to find its interior used as the model for the nijikai location in Episode 2.
Episode 4
Nakasugi-dōri (中杉通り) in Asagaya Minami (阿佐谷南), Suginami Ward, Tokyo Metropolis
The walk back to Asagaya Station in the evening gives director Hazuki an opportunity to check in with her recent hire.
On a separate occasion, Aoba window shops on the walk back to the station on her evening commute.
ReLIFE
(リライフ Riraifu)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@fragments_sue made a pilgrimage to Kugayama, Suginami Ward, Tokyo Metropolis for Episode 3.
Episode 4
That looks an awful lot like Keiō transit branding, doesn’t it?
Planetarian
(planetarian ～ちいさなほしのゆめ～ Planetarian: Chiisana Hoshi no Yume)
Episode 3
Hamamatsu (浜松), Shizuoka Prefecture
Matsubishi Department Store (松菱百貨店)
Other Current Season Pilgrimage
@ssslocation made a pilgrimage to Shakujii, Nerima Ward, Tokyo Metropolis for Kono Bijutsubu ni wa Mondai ga Aru!
Past Season Pilgrimage
@gonta0822 made a pilgrimage to (post 1) Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture; and (post 2) Doshi, Yamanashi Prefecture for Bakuon!!
@donko824 made a pilgrimage to Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture for Hai Furi.
@fragments_sue made a pilgrimage to Shinjuku Gyoen in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo Metropolis for Shinkai Makoto film Kotonoha no Niwa (The Garden of Words).
@fragments_sue made a pilgrimage to Ōizumi-gakuen Station in Higashi-ōizumi, Nerima Ward, Tokyo Metropolis for Asatte no Hōkō.
