Sakura Front Anime Pilgrimage 2019, Part 2
Every year, from late March to early May the cherry blossom front (桜前線 sakura zensen) moves in a wave across Japan from southwest to northeast. Blue tarps and picnic lunches blanket the best viewing spots as the full bloom arrives in each location. For anime seichijunrei fans and butaitanbou practitioners, this also means a precious...
Sakura Front Anime Pilgrimage 2019, Part 1
Every year, from late March to early May the cherry blossom front (桜前線 sakura zensen) moves in a wave across Japan from southwest to northeast. Blue tarps and picnic lunches blanket the best viewing spots as the full bloom arrives in each location. For anime seichijunrei fans and butaitanbou practitioners, this also means a precious...
Pilgrimage to Shanghai for Shikioriori
Shikioriori (詩季織々)—Flavors of Youth in English-speaking markets and Si shi qing chun (肆式青春) in Chinese—is an anthology of three short films co-produced by CoMix Wave Films (CWF) in Tokyo, Japan and Haoliners Animation League in Shanghai, China. Each short film has a different director and features a different location in China. Haoliners founder and CEO...
2018 Butaitanbou Summit in Kanonji
It had long been a desire of prolific butaitanbou-sha and Kagawa native Lidges (リジス, @lidges) to have more anime pilgrims and scene hunters venture down to Shikoku in their travels. His wish came true this fall, as we descended on Kan’onji, Kagawa Prefecture for the Eleventh Butaitanbou Summit (第１１回舞台探訪サミットin観音寺), held on 2018 September 22. This...
Pilgrimage to Numazu for Love Live! Sunshine!!
Mixed media franchise Love Live! is a dominant presence in the contemporary Japanese pop culture landscape, spanning manga, novels, anime, games and live music. Its popularity and ability to draw from different fandom circles amplifies its impact in many areas, and media-induced tourism is no exception. The anime series created as part of the initial...
Pilgrimage to Hanno for Yama no Susume
Yama no Susume (ヤマノススメ)—Encouragement of Climb in English speaking markets—does some amazing things for a short-form anime. The adaptation of the manga series written and illustrated by Shiro sends its cast out in search of ever more challenging mountain climbs, both entertaining and educating its audience on the spiritual and technical matters of the sport....
Sakura Front Anime Pilgrimage 2018
Every year, from late March to early May the cherry blossom front (桜前線 sakura zensen) moves in a wave across Japan from southwest to northeast. Blue tarps and picnic lunches blanket the best viewing spots as the full bloom arrives in each location. For anime seichijunrei fans and butaitanbou practitioners, this also means a precious...
Pilgrimage to Kagoshima for Chunibyo demo Koi ga Shitai! Ren
Most of the setting of Kyoto Animation series Chūnibyō demo Koi ga Shitai! (中二病でも恋がしたい!)—Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions in English speaking markets—is set in the city of Ōtsu, Shiga Prefecture. However the second season, subtitled Ren (戀)—Heart Throb, includes two episodes of a school trip to Kyūshū. This article explores locations featured in Kagoshima, the...
Pilgrimage to Shimonada Station for Kyokai no Kanata
In Kyoto Animation series Kyōkai no Kanata (境界の彼方)—Beyond the Boundary in English-speaking markets—most of the setting is drawn from Nara and Kashihara, Nara Prefecture. When Mirai is summoned from her hometown she departs from Ōboke Station in Miyoshi, Tokushima Prefecture. The second use of a Shikoku setting didn’t emerge until the OVA Episode 0 released...
Pilgrimage to Shimonada Station for Nekomonogatari (Kuro)
My last anime tourism stop on a loop around Shikoku was Shimonada Station (下灘駅) in Iyo, Ehime Prefecture. This post is a quick look at a scene from the opening credits of Nekomonogatari (Kuro)—猫物語 (黒). The Monogatari series, of which it is a part, makes extensive use of real places. There are frequently recurring locations...
Pilgrimage to Oboke Station for Kyokai no Kanata
Most of the setting of Kyoto Animation series Kyōkai no Kanata (境界の彼方)—Beyond the Boundary in English-speaking markets—is modeled on locations in Nara and Kashihara, neighboring cities in Nara Prefecture not far from Kyoto and Osaka. However the work also includes two surprise and somewhat out of the way locations, both in Shikoku. In this post...
Pilgrimage to Takamatsu and Shodoshima for Udon no Kuni no Kiniro Kemari
In 2017 October I had five free days between consecutive weekend events in Kyoto, and decided it was a good time to make my first visit to Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands and the only one I hadn’t yet traveled to. The first stop on my loop was Kagawa Prefecture, where I...
