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
Okamoto Takeshi book Seichi Business
Magmix published an interview with contents tourism researcher Okamoto Takeshi (岡本健) about his new book, Seichi Business: The Era When Pop Culture Becomes a Tourism Asset (巡礼ビジネス ポップカルチャーが観光資産になる時代). Okamoto will give a talk about the book on January 22 at Tsukaguchi Sun Sun Theater in Amagasaki, Hyōgo Prefecture.
Tamako screenings at Demachiza
Demachiza (出町座), a small and independent cinema in the Demachi Masugata Shōtengai in Kyoto, is halfway through a week of daily showings of the entire Tamako Market series and sequel film Tamako Love Story. The setting of Tamako is based on the local neighborhood shopping arcade. The flow of visitors and local response that accompanied the series during and after the original broadcast are exemplars of fan-to-fan and fan-to-community engagement through butaitanbou and seichijunrei. Demachiza was established in 2017 December, after the interest boom had subsided, but in a long tweet thread management demonstrates deep understanding of the central role the arcade played in creating the series, and the impact the work has had on Masugata. In the Demachiza thread and comments by patrons who attended screenings over the past few days—including director Yamada Naoko—there is widespread acknowledgement that Tamako Market did not merely employ Masugata as a stage on which to superimpose an unrelated narrative, but deliberately imported the culture of the real space in its depictions of the fictional community. Because of that, sitting through a screening at Demachiza then emerging into the arcade, one notices the near seamless transition between the two worlds.
出町座、店内BGMがたまこサントラでテンション上がってきた #たまこまーけっと #tamakolovestory pic.twitter.com/QTbEV1f5fr
— 天竺(T2O) (@Tenjiq) January 5, 2019
年明け初の京都・出町桝形商店街へ。出町座の「たまこまーけっと&ラブストーリー」一挙上映を観ますw 高まる! #たまこまーけっと #tamakolovestory pic.twitter.com/uN5iX8Ge2R
— いなずま (@thunder_cycle) January 5, 2019
出町座の「たまこまーけっと&ラブストーリー」、現地の映画館で現地が舞台の作品を観る。この感動をどう表現したら良いのだろうか!?胸の高まりが抑えきれないw #たまこまーけっと #tamakolovestory pic.twitter.com/jsikiJ038N
— いなずま (@thunder_cycle) January 5, 2019
出町桝形商店街はたまこまーけっと上映出町座前
店内は満員 pic.twitter.com/RWuTJIQSPH— 京都・出町桝形商店街 (@masugatakun) January 5, 2019
出町座の「たまこまーけっと&」、第6話を終えて休憩中。今回2階のスクリーンで観るのは初めてだけど、座席も音響も良好!たまこ役・洲崎さんからのサプライズプレゼント、最高でした! #たまこまーけっと #tamakolovestory pic.twitter.com/WsZb6LFGSk
— いなずま (@thunder_cycle) January 5, 2019
たまこまーけっと第7話〜最終回までおわつて、次はたまこラブストーリー観ます😆
たまこまーけっと交換ノートも今日は出町座さん前まで出張中です。#出町座#たまこラブストーリー pic.twitter.com/TPmIngfnRl— FOX_CHIEF🌻💙💛🌻 (@FOX_CHIEF) January 5, 2019
出町座の「たまこラブストーリー」観賞終了。「恋の歌」のドラムは床からビリビリ震える音響、スクリーンの大きさも良好、たまこ役の洲崎さんからの出町座ならではのサプライズプレゼントも感動!最後は拍手喝采!現地で観る「たまこ」は半端ないw #たまこまーけっと #tamakolovestory pic.twitter.com/zDnKQyLE2T
— いなずま (@thunder_cycle) January 5, 2019
出町座たまこ上映初日終了。まーけっと全通しの流れで観る劇場版はたまこの印象が普段より遥かに明瞭で、全てのシーンの持つ意味がスルスルと脳に入ってくるよう。終演後に外に出た瞬間、映画の世界と地続きで軽く目眩が…これ以上ない鑑賞体験でした #出町座 #たまこまーけっと #tamakolovestory pic.twitter.com/U2qCfzIdAx
— 天竺(T2O) (@Tenjiq) January 5, 2019
出町座たまこま、ラブストーリー上映会ほんまに最高でした!同作が、自分がライトな聖地巡礼者からヘビーな舞台探訪者に移行したきっかけでもあり、BTC関係他多数の方々、恐らくフォロワーさんの8、9割との縁が出来たわけで。今の私の生みの父たる作品と母たる桝形、上映いただいた出町座さんに感謝! pic.twitter.com/w7HbqupcZz
— 夷(ゑびす)@「聖地移住」通販中 (@ye_bi_su) January 6, 2019
出町桝形商店街にある出町座さんで『たまこまーけっと』全話、『たまこラブストーリー』を観てきました(*^o^*)
何度観ても色褪せない作品でこの地で観れたことファンとして大変嬉しいです!!
会場限定のサプライズも驚きました(*^^*) pic.twitter.com/ZrCsrcRwTg— モろQ@その先へ・・・ (@m_k3693k_m) January 6, 2019
たまこラブストーリー待機中&聖地巡礼!!#たまこラブストーリー#出町座 pic.twitter.com/W6cRp6fru3
— 手羽先🏢⚖ (@wtbs_v) January 8, 2019
Tsurune
(ツルネ ―風舞高校弓道部― Tsurune: Kazemai Kōkō Kyūdō-bu)
Fan Pilgrimage Update
@Yamachan_Anime made a pilgrimage (tweet 1, tweet 2, tweet 3, tweet 4, tweet 5, tweet 6) to Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture and (tweet 7) Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture for multiple episodes.
@hi_ppopotamus made a pilgrimage (tweet 1, tweet 2, tweet 3) to Nagano City for multiple episodes.
Episode 11
All identified locations are in Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture except where noted otherwise.
Unidentified
Shari Jinja (伺去神社) in Shari (伺去)
Nakashima Kyūguten (中島弓具店) in Nakagosho (中御所)
Unidentified
Lake Suwa service area, Tokyo bound [諏訪湖SA (上り)]
[Credit: @ssslocation, Twitter]
The service area is on the border between Okaya (岡谷) and Suwa (諏訪), Nagano Prefecture.
Unidentified
Unidentified kyūdōba
Lake Suwa (諏訪湖)
Nakashima Kyūguten
Main gate of Nagano Prefectural Nagano Nishi High School (長野県長野西高等学校) in Hakoshimizu (箱清水)
Nagano Sports Park (長野運動公園) in Yoshida (吉田)
Other Current Season Pilgrimage
@mikantanbouki published a Twitter Moment aggregating butaitanbou tweets covering the entire season of Irozuku Sekai no Ashita kara.
@donko824 made a pilgrimage to Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture for Seishun Buta Yarō wa Bunny Girl-senpai no Yume o Minai.
@donko824 made a pilgrimage to Maxell Aqua Park in Takanawa, Minato Ward; and Lalaport Toyosu in Kōtō Ward (both Tokyo Metropolis) for Yagate Kimi ni Naru.
@flyingbird1124 made a pilgrimage to Hikone, Shiga Prefecture for Yagate Kimi ni Naru.
@flyingbird1124 made a pilgrimage to Kyoto for Ingress.
Past Season Pilgrimage
@habusan published a Street Guide for Yama no Susume Third Season.
@tt951753852 made a pilgrimage to Tatebayashi, Gunma Prefecture for Sora Yorimo Tōi Basho.
@Bf109K1 made a pilgrimage to Minobu and Nanbu, Yamanashi Prefecture for Yurucamp.