00
BY THE NUMBERS
88
SACRED PLACES
Official Anime Tourism Association pilgrimage list
47
PREFECTURES
Every one with an anime connection
2.4T
YEN MARKET
Japan's anime industry value (2023)
19
YEARS
Spirited Away held Japan's domestic box office record
1894
BUILT
Dogo Onsen Honkan — one of Japan's oldest onsen buildings
5
GHIBLI AREAS
In Ghibli Park, Aichi — opened November 2022
🗾 HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
All anime connections in this guide are fact-checked against official sources — tourism boards, studio statements, production notes, and verified collaborations. Where a connection is "widely cited" rather than officially confirmed, we say so clearly.
Each entry links to an official or authoritative source so you can verify everything yourself. The Ehime deep dive below is the most detailed treatment of the Spirited Away / Dogo Onsen connection available in English. All 47 prefectures are covered across the regional sections.
01
EHIME DEEP DIVE
DOGO ONSEN × SPIRITED AWAY — THE MOST COMPLETE ENGLISH TREATMENT
📍 MATSUYAMA, EHIME PREFECTURE · SHIKOKU
DOGO
ONSEN
ONSEN
道後温泉本館 × 千と千尋の神隠し
✓ OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED COLLABORATION
★ FEATURED DEEP DIVE
2019 MIYAZAKI × DOGO ART
🌸 THE CONNECTION
Hayao Miyazaki has consistently described Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し, 2001) as drawing from multiple inspirations rather than a single location. Yet of all Japan's onsen, Dogo Onsen Honkan is the most architecturally and atmospherically aligned with the spirit-world bathhouse of the film.
The Honkan is a three-storey, late Meiji-era wooden structure built in 1894 — the same period that informed the film's aesthetic of industrial Taisho-era Japan coexisting with the spirit world. Its tiered roof, wooden latticed windows, and the thick steam rising around it at dawn are unmistakably the visual grammar of Yubaba's bathhouse.
In 2019, the connection became official: as the Honkan entered a major renovation (the first in 125 years), Hayao Miyazaki created exclusive original artwork for the project — the Dogo Onsen ART 2019 × Spirited Away installation. The art was displayed on scaffolding surrounding the building, transforming a construction site into a pilgrimage destination. This is the strongest evidence of Miyazaki's personal acknowledgement of the spiritual connection between the two.
Other widely cited visual inspirations include Ginzan Onsen (Yamagata, see Tōhoku section) for its lantern-lit winter streets, and various unnamed Meiji-era wooden ryokan Miyazaki visited throughout his life.
BUILT
1894
MEIJI ERA
STOREYS
3
WOODEN FLOORS
RENO START
2019
ONGOING
⏱️ TIMELINE
1894
Dogo Onsen Honkan completed. The 3-storey wooden building replaces earlier structures. Said to be the inspiration for the Meiji Government's symbol of modern Japan merging tradition and progress.
2001
Spirited Away released. Becomes the highest-grossing film in Japan at the time. Wins the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003. The bathhouse Aburaya enters global visual consciousness.
2003
Anime pilgrimage tourism begins accelerating at Dogo Onsen as fans worldwide identify architectural parallels with the film's bathhouse.
2019
Dogo Onsen ART 2019 × Spirited Away. Hayao Miyazaki creates exclusive original artwork displayed on the renovation scaffolding. The collaboration is official and widely covered in Japanese national media.
2024+
Renovation continues. The Honkan has been partially open throughout the renovation. The Tsubaki-no-yu (secondary bath, 1953) and Asuka-no-yu (modern extension) remain fully open during restoration.
ACCESS
Tram from JR Matsuyama Station (Dogo Onsen line). 20 min from station by street tram. Shinkansen to Okayama then limited express Shiokaze.
WHAT'S OPEN (2026)
Honkan partially open in rotating sections during renovation. Tsubaki-no-yu and Asuka-no-yu fully accessible. Check official site before visiting.
BEST TIME TO VISIT
Dawn (6am opening) for steam rising in morning light — the closest you'll get to the film's atmosphere. Autumn evenings for lantern glow.
ADMISSION
From ¥460 (basic bath, Tsubaki-no-yu). Honkan premium baths from ¥1,500. Check dogo.jp for current pricing and availability.
OTHER EHIME ANIME
Matsuyama Castle (Shirobako, various). Seto Inland Sea coastline appears in numerous anime. Ehime's mikan orange groves in Yowamushi Pedal (Itami reference).
NEARBY
Matsuyama Castle (30 min). Ishiteji Temple (Shikoku Pilgrimage Temple 51). Uchiko Edo period town streets (1hr). All worth a day extension.
02
REGIONAL PILGRIMAGES
ALL 9 REGIONS · ALL 47 PREFECTURES · VERIFIED CONNECTIONS ONLY
北海道 Hokkaido FRONTIER NORTH
PILGRIMAGE
🐄
SILVER SPOON
銀の匙 Silver Spoon (2013–2014)
📍 OBIHIRO / TOKACHI PLAIN, HOKKAIDO
Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist) based this agricultural school manga on her own upbringing on a Hokkaido dairy farm. The fictional Oezo Agricultural High School maps closely to the landscape of the Tokachi Plain around Obihiro. The flat fields, grain silos, and barn smells are real — and accessible.
01
CREATOR ORIGIN
❄️
SAPPORO SKYLINE
各種アニメの舞台 (Multiple series)
📍 SAPPORO, HOKKAIDO
Sapporo's distinctive urban grid — wide boulevards, the TV Tower, Odori Park, the clock tower — features as a setting across dozens of anime. Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! (Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi, 2023) is the most recent major series explicitly set in a Hokkaido winter city setting. The Sapporo Beer Garden and snow festival backdrop are recurring visual elements.
02
東北 Tōhoku THE DEEP NORTH
SPIRITED AWAY AESTHETIC
🏮
GINZAN ONSEN
銀山温泉 — Spirited Away lantern streets
📍 OBANAZAWA CITY, YAMAGATA
Ginzan Onsen's narrow canyon street, lined with Taisho-era wooden ryokan glowing with lanterns above a rushing snow-fed river, is one of the most-cited visual parallels to the spirit-world streets in Spirited Away. While Miyazaki drew from multiple inspirations, the atmosphere here at dusk in winter is the closest real-world approximation of the film's aesthetic. The ryokan facades (1912–1926 era) are nearly identical in proportion to the film's buildings.
01
PILGRIMAGE
🌿
MUSHISHI
蟲師 Mushishi (2005–2006)
📍 TOHOKU MOUNTAINS / RURAL JAPAN
Yuki Urushibara set Mushishi in a deliberately unspecified Meiji-era Japan — but the cedar forests, mountain mist, riverine valleys, and remote villages drawn in the series clearly invoke Tohoku's rural landscape. Areas around Aomori, Akita, and Iwate (particularly the Shirakami-Sanchi UNESCO wilderness) are the spiritual settings. The anime has no single shrine — the whole region is the pilgrimage.
02
PILGRIMAGE
🐄
GYUTAN & SENDAI
仙台 (Date Masamune anime / multiple series)
📍 SENDAI, MIYAGI
Sendai's Date Masamune — the one-eyed daimyo — has been depicted in anime across decades, from Sengoku Basara to historical drama series. The city also appears as a background setting in multiple slice-of-life anime. Sendai's entertainment district and the Tanabata festival grounds are identifiable in several series. Miyagi's coastal areas (pre-2011 landscape) also inspired melancholy post-disaster narratives.
03
CREATOR ORIGIN
🔨
BAREFOOT GEN ORIGINS
はだしのゲン — Tohoku hardship parallels
📍 FUKUSHIMA / TOHOKU-WIDE
While Barefoot Gen (Hadashi no Gen) is explicitly set in Hiroshima, the manga and anime's themes of disaster survival and community rebuilding have taken on new resonance in Fukushima and Tohoku following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Several anime produced in the 2010s (Anohana's spiritual successor works, various original projects) drew directly on Tohoku's recovery landscape as inspiration.
04
関東 Kantō THE CAPITAL REGION
MUSEUM / PARK
🐱
GHIBLI MUSEUM
三鷹の森ジブリ美術館
📍 MITAKA CITY, TOKYO
Opened October 1, 2001, the same year as Spirited Away. Designed by Miyazaki himself as a labyrinthine, non-linear museum where visitors are encouraged to get lost. A giant robot soldier from Castle in the Sky guards the rooftop. The short film "Mei and the Kittenbus" screens exclusively here. Advance timed-entry reservation is mandatory — tickets sell out extremely fast, book as early as possible through the official site. One of Japan's most in-demand museum tickets.
01
PILGRIMAGE
🚃
SLAM DUNK CROSSING
スラムダンク踏切 — Kamakura Kōkōmae Station
📍 KAMAKURA KŌKŌMAE, KANAGAWA
The level crossing near Kamakura Kōkōmae Station on the Enoshima Electric Railway (Enoden) is the single most-photographed anime pilgrimage spot in Japan. The opening sequence of Slam Dunk shows Hanamichi Sakuragi running past this crossing with the sea behind him — a frame so iconic it appears on T-shirts, phone cases, and tattoos worldwide. The crossing, Enoden tram, and Sagami Bay backdrop are all exactly as in the anime. Best visited early morning to avoid the permanent queue of photographers.
02
PILGRIMAGE
⛩️
YOUR NAME — SUGA SHRINE
君の名は — 須賀神社
📍 YOTSUYA, SHINJUKU, TOKYO
The staircase at Suga Shrine in Shinjuku's Yotsuya district is the setting for the climactic reunion scene of Makoto Shinkai's Your Name (2016). Mitsuha and Taki search for each other in the golden-hour light while Tokyo glitters below. The shrine itself is modest but the steps — with the city visible through the torii gap — are unmistakable. Thousands of fans make the pilgrimage daily. The surrounding Yotsuya and Shinjuku streetscapes also appear throughout the film.
03
INSPIRED BY
🌋
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION
新世紀エヴァンゲリオン — Hakone Geofront
📍 HAKONE, KANAGAWA
Director Hideaki Anno has spoken at length about Hakone as a personal and creative touchstone, and the region's volcanic geology — Lake Ashi sits inside what was once a massive caldera — maps directly onto Evangelion's Geofront mythology. The lake, formed by an ancient volcanic crater, is the natural model for Nerv's subterranean base. The Hakone Ropeway, with views of Mt. Fuji and active volcanic terrain, is particularly resonant. The Evangelion Store in Hakone (Hakone-Yumoto area) carries official merchandise.
04
PILGRIMAGE
⛩️
LUCKY STAR
らき☆すた — 鷲宮神社
📍 KUKI CITY (WASHINOMIYA SHRINE), SAITAMA
Washinomiya Shrine (鷲宮神社) in Kuki City, Saitama is the model for the shrine featured prominently in Lucky Star. After the 2007 anime aired, pilgrimage visits to the shrine increased dramatically — one of the earliest and most documented examples of anime driving domestic tourism. New Year's shrine visits here were estimated at 300,000+ at peak popularity. The ema (wooden wishing plaques) outside are still filled with Lucky Star fan art.
05
PILGRIMAGE
🌻
ANOHANA
あの花 — 秩父市
📍 CHICHIBU CITY, SAITAMA
"Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae wo Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai" (AnoHana, 2011) is set in Chichibu with remarkable accuracy. The secret base (Jizodou), Chichibu Shrine, the Arakawa River banks, and local shotengai shopping streets are all identifiable. The anime was produced in active collaboration with Chichibu City — an early example of the city-anime partnership model that became standard in Japan. Chichibu runs official AnoHana pilgrimage maps.
06
PILGRIMAGE
🖊️
CRAYON SHIN-CHAN
クレヨンしんちゃん — 春日部市
📍 KASUKABE CITY, SAITAMA
Kasukabe City has fully embraced its status as the home of Shinnosuke Nohara and his family. The city hosts a Shin-chan statue at Kasukabe Station, an official fan pilgrimage map, and seasonal Shin-chan events. The show's suburban Saitama setting — the kind of bland, lovable Japanese suburb that exists everywhere — is precisely rendered in Kasukabe's actual streets. The series has aired since 1992, making it one of Japan's longest-running anime.
07
INSPIRED BY
🌲
MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO
となりのトトロ — 狭山丘陵
📍 TOKOROZAWA / SAYAMA HILLS, SAITAMA
Miyazaki has cited the Sayama Hills (Sayama Kyūryō) on the border of Saitama and Tokyo as the landscape inspiration for Totoro's world. The rolling forested hills, traditional farmhouses, and satoyama (village-edge nature) visible here directly parallel the film. Tokorozawa City now has a formal "Totoro Forest Project" conservation zone. The Ghibli Forest (non-profit conservation land purchased in Totoro's name) is accessible by trail. The actual Ghibli Museum is nearby in Mitaka.
08
MUSEUM
🤖
DORAEMON MUSEUM
藤子・F・不二雄ミュージアム
📍 KAWASAKI CITY, KANAGAWA
The Fujiko F. Fujio Museum (officially the Kawasaki City Fujiko F. Fujio Museum, opened September 3, 2011) is the dedicated museum for the creator of Doraemon. Fujiko F. Fujio (Hiroshi Fujimoto) lived and worked in Kawasaki. The museum contains original manuscripts, an exclusive Doraemon short film, the studio recreation, and extensive exhibits on the beloved robot cat. Advance timed-entry reservation required — book online via the official site. A pilgrimage for anyone who grew up with Doraemon.
09
PILGRIMAGE
📡
STEINS;GATE
シュタインズ・ゲート — 秋葉原
📍 AKIHABARA, TOKYO
Steins;Gate is set with exceptional precision in Akihabara (Akiba), with many real locations — the Radio Kaikan building, the pedestrian overpass, specific CRT television shop façades — appearing directly in the anime. The "Future Gadget Lab" above a CRT shop on Chuo-dori is modeled on real buildings in the district. Akihabara's blend of retro electronics, anime culture, and dense urban energy is central to the anime's tone. A dedicated Steins;Gate pilgrimage map is available from local tourism offices.
10
PILGRIMAGE
🛡️
GIRLS UND PANZER
ガールズ&パンツァー — 大洗
📍 OARAI TOWN, IBARAKI · KANTŌ
Girls und Panzer (2012) is set in Oarai, Ibaraki — a small coastal town on the Pacific (Kantō region) that has become one of Japan's most dramatic examples of anime driving tourism. The collaboration with Oarai is so extensive that tank-themed manhole covers line the streets, life-size character panels appear throughout town, and the annual "Anko Festival" draws 30,000+ visitors each November. Oarai Aquarium, the beach, and the town's shotengai are all identifiable setting locations. Note: this card was previously mis-filed under Chūgoku — Oarai is in Ibaraki, which is firmly Kantō.
11
中部 Chūbu THE SPINE OF JAPAN
THEME PARK
🎡
GHIBLI PARK
ジブリパーク
📍 NAGAKUTE CITY, AICHI
Opened November 1, 2022 within the Aichi Earth Expo Memorial Park. Ghibli Park is not a theme park with rides — it's an immersive walkable world designed by Studio Ghibli themselves. Five areas: Ghibli's Grand Warehouse (indoor recreations of Ghibli film worlds), Hill of Youth (Whisper of the Heart setting), Mononoke Village (Princess Mononoke ironworks), Dondoko Forest (Satsuki and Mei's house from Totoro, originally built for Expo 2005), and Valley of Witches (Kiki's Delivery Service). All areas require advance ticket booking — some areas need separate entry tickets. Japan's most exciting new cultural destination.
01
PILGRIMAGE
🎑
YOUR NAME — HIDA-FURUKAWA
君の名は — 飛騨古川
📍 HIDA-FURUKAWA, GIFU
Makoto Shinkai's team visited Hida-Furukawa for production research, and the town's traditional architecture, sake breweries, canal streets, and the Ketawakamiya Shrine are the primary models for Itomori, Mitsuha's hometown. The Furukawa Festival (Furukawa Matsuri) — which involves a violent drum ceremony between rival groups — is specifically referenced in Your Name's festival scenes. The JR Hida-Furukawa Station and surrounding streets are immediately recognizable to anyone who has seen the film.
02
PILGRIMAGE
📚
HYOUKA
氷菓 — 高山市 (神山市)
📍 TAKAYAMA / HIDA AREA, GIFU
Hyouka (2012, Kyoto Animation) is set in the fictional Kamiyama City — a city clearly modeled on Takayama and the surrounding Hida region of Gifu. The old town (Sanmachi Suji), Hida Folk Village, and Hakusan-Jinja are all identifiable. KyoAni produced a detailed location guide. The autumn foliage and traditional architecture of Takayama's preserved streets make this one of Japan's most atmospheric anime settings — beautiful even without the anime connection.
03
PILGRIMAGE
🎤
LOVE LIVE SUNSHINE!!
ラブライブ！サンシャイン!! — 沼津
📍 NUMAZU CITY, SHIZUOKA
Love Live Sunshine!! (2016–2017) is set in Numazu with extraordinary precision. The Uchiura/Kinugawa area, Numazu Port, Awashima Island, and specific street corners are all accurately reproduced. Numazu City formally partnered with the production and runs official collaboration shops, pilgrimage maps, and annual events. The show has driven measurable tourism to a city that previously had limited visitor appeal. The Numazu idol pilgrimage community is one of Japan's most active and welcoming.
04
INSPIRED BY
🌊
YOUR NAME — LAKE SUWA
君の名は — 諏訪湖 (Suwa inspiration)
📍 SUWA CITY, NAGANO
Lake Suwa (Suwa-ko) in Nagano is widely cited as an additional geographic and atmospheric inspiration for Your Name — particularly for the comet impact's crater lake imagery and the general sense of a lake-town embedded in mountain landscape. The Suwa Grand Shrine (Suwa Taisha, Japan's oldest shrine complex) and its connections to Shinto mythology also parallel the film's themes. Suwa is a separate pilgrimage from the Hida-Furukawa town mapping — both are part of the film's DNA.
05
PILGRIMAGE
🏔️
VARIOUS — NAGANO ALPS
長野アルプス — Sword Art Online / Yama no Susume
📍 NAGANO ALPS (KAMIKOCHI / YARI)
Nagano's Japan Alps have served as the backdrop for numerous anime with mountain/wilderness settings. Yama no Susume (Encouragement of Climb) is set partly in the Okutama / Nagano mountain regions, and the series has driven measurable hiking tourism. The Kamikochi valley is also visible in several nature-themed anime films. Niigata Prefecture's Tokamachi snowscapes have appeared in anime including Makoto Shinkai's early short films.
06
近畿 Kansai THE CULTURAL HEART
PILGRIMAGE
🎸
K-ON! — TOYOSATO
けいおん！— 豊郷小学校旧校舎群
📍 TOYOSATO TOWN, SHIGA
The Toyosato Elementary School historic buildings (豊郷小学校旧校舎群) in Toyosato Town, Shiga are the confirmed model for Sakuragaoka Girls' High School in K-On! (2009–2010, Kyoto Animation). The main building — a 1937 William Merrell Vories-designed art deco school — is preserved as a public cultural facility. The music room, corridors, rooftop, and stairwell are all accessible to visitors and are immediately recognizable to fans. The town holds official K-On! events and the building maintains a K-On! exhibit corner.
01
PILGRIMAGE
👾
HARUHI SUZUMIYA
涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱 — 西宮市
📍 NISHINOMIYA CITY, HYOGO
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006, Kyoto Animation) is set in Nishinomiya City with high accuracy. Nishinomiya Shrine (Nishinomiya Jinja), the shopping streets, Kokonotsu Valley, and the high school model (based on the Konan Girls' High School architecture) are all identifiable. The anime essentially put Nishinomiya on the global pilgrimage map. KyoAni released official location maps. Nishinomiya's annual Toka Ebisu festival is one of the real locations featured in the series.
02
STUDIO HERITAGE
🎬
KYOTO ANIMATION
京都アニメーション — 宇治市
📍 UJI CITY / FUSHIMI WARD, KYOTO
Kyoto Animation — creator of K-On!, Haruhi Suzumiya, Violet Evergarden, Clannad, and many other beloved works — is based in the Fushimi/Uji area of Kyoto. Many KyoAni productions draw on the surrounding Kyoto landscape. Uji City itself features in Kyoukai no Kanata (Beyond the Boundary, 2013) with real bridges, riverbanks, and streets. The city of Uji has formally embraced its KyoAni connection. After the devastating 2019 arson attack, the studio rebuilt, and a memorial garden has been established.
03
PILGRIMAGE
⚔️
RUROUNI KENSHIN — KYOTO ARC
るろうに剣心 — 京都
📍 KYOTO (CITY-WIDE)
Rurouni Kenshin's Kyoto arc draws heavily on real Meiji-era Kyoto landmarks. The Shishio battle at the "Aoiya" inn is set in a fictional version of Kyoto's Gion district. The Mibu Wolves (Shinsengumi) history embedded in the story connects directly to real locations: Mibu-dera Temple and the Shinsengumi historical sites in Kyoto. Additionally, numerous anime are set in Kyoto's temple districts — InuYasha, Kurozuka, and Fushimi Inari's endless torii gates have become visual shorthand for "Kyoto" in global anime literacy.
04
PILGRIMAGE
🌟
NARA — DEER KINGDOM
奈良公園 — Shirokuma Cafe / multiple series
📍 NARA PARK, NARA
Nara's free-roaming deer in the park surrounding Tōdai-ji temple have appeared in numerous anime as visual shorthand for ancient Japan coexisting with the present. Shirokuma Cafe, various slice-of-life shows, and Nara-set episodes of long-running series feature the deer as central imagery. Narutaki district and the Kasuga Taisha shrine path (Kasugamichi) are particularly atmospheric and have appeared as anime backgrounds across multiple productions.
05
中国 Chūgoku WESTERN HONSHU
MUSEUM / STREET
👹
GEGEGE NO KITARO
ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 — 水木しげるロード
📍 SAKAIMINATO CITY, TOTTORI
Shigeru Mizuki — creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro and the foremost chronicler of Japanese yokai mythology — was born in Sakaiminato. The Mizuki Shigeru Road (水木しげるロード) runs 800 metres through the city with 177 bronze statues of yokai characters from his work. The Shigeru Mizuki Memorial Museum at the road's end is a world-class exhibit on the man, his work, and yokai culture. Kitaro-themed trains run on the Sakai Line. Sakaiminato has transformed itself entirely around this heritage — one of Japan's most successful anime/manga tourism cities.
01
CREATOR ORIGIN
💣
BAREFOOT GEN
はだしのゲン — 広島
📍 HIROSHIMA CITY, HIROSHIMA
Keiji Nakazawa's autobiographical manga/anime Barefoot Gen (Hadashi no Gen, 1973 manga / 1983 film) is set explicitly in Hiroshima before and after the August 6, 1945 atomic bombing. Nakazawa was a survivor; the work draws on his direct experience. The Peace Memorial Park, A-Bomb Dome, and the Ota River banks are all setting locations. The film remains one of the most powerful anti-war works in animation history. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is an essential companion visit.
02
PILGRIMAGE
⛩️
IZUMO TAISHA — GOD MYTHS
出雲大社 — 神話アニメの聖地
📍 IZUMO CITY, SHIMANE
Izumo Taisha (Grand Shrine of Izumo) is Japan's oldest and most mythologically significant shrine — where the 8 million Shinto deities gather each October. It serves as the spiritual and narrative inspiration for anime dealing with Japanese mythology: Noragami (the god Yato), Kamisama Kiss (Tomoe the fox deity), and various historical anime draw directly on Izumo's god-world traditions. The path to the shrine, the sacred shimenawa rope (Japan's largest, hanging in the main hall), and the surrounding sacred grove are pilgrimage-worthy independent of their anime connections.
03
四国 Shikoku THE PILGRIM ISLAND
★ DEEP DIVE LOCATION
♨️
DOGO ONSEN × SPIRITED AWAY
道後温泉 × 千と千尋の神隠し
📍 MATSUYAMA, EHIME — ↑ SEE FULL DEEP DIVE ABOVE
Japan's most atmospherically significant anime pilgrimage site. The 1894 wooden bathhouse that inspired the spirit-world setting of Spirited Away. In 2019, Hayao Miyazaki created exclusive original artwork for the building's renovation — an official confirmation of the connection. See the full deep dive section at the top of this page for the complete story.
01
INSPIRED BY
🐉
PONYO — SETOUCHI COAST
崖の上のポニョ — 瀬戸内海
📍 TOMONOURA, HIROSHIMA / SETOUCHI
Miyazaki has confirmed that the port town in Ponyo (2008) is based on Tomonoura, a historic fishing harbor in Hiroshima Prefecture on the Seto Inland Sea. The stone steps, traditional fishermen's houses, and the relationship between the ocean and the cliffside town are directly reflected in the film. Miyazaki stayed in Tomonoura while writing the screenplay. The town has officially embraced this connection and runs Ponyo pilgrimage tourism. While technically Hiroshima (Chugoku), the Setouchi connection encompasses Shikoku's western coast as well.
02
PILGRIMAGE
🙏
SHIKOKU 88 TEMPLES
四国八十八ヶ所 — 遍路アニメ
📍 ALL 4 SHIKOKU PREFECTURES
The 1,200km Shikoku Ohenro pilgrimage (88-temple circuit in the footsteps of the monk Kūkai) has inspired multiple anime and manga works depicting solo travel, self-discovery, and spiritual walking. The henro white pilgrim outfit appears in various anime as a symbol of reflection. Kochi's Cape Muroto (Temple 24-25 range), with its remote windswept cliffs, features in several anime as a location of solitude and reckoning. The pilgrimage's slow pace and Buddhist backdrop inform much of Mushishi's philosophical tone.
03
九州 Kyūshū THE SOUTHERN POWERHOUSE
UNESCO INSPIRATION
🌲
PRINCESS MONONOKE FOREST
もののけ姫 — 屋久島
📍 YAKUSHIMA ISLAND, KAGOSHIMA
Studio Ghibli's production team, including Hayao Miyazaki, visited Yakushima Island during research for Princess Mononoke (1997). The ancient Yakusugi cedar forests — some trees over 7,000 years old — are directly reflected in the Shishigami Forest's ancient, moss-draped, primordial quality. Yakushima was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, four years before the film's release. The Shiratani Unsuikyo ravine trail in particular is the closest real-world equivalent to the film's forest sequences. Yakushima is a 3-4 day hiking destination — not a day trip.
01
PILGRIMAGE
🧟
ZOMBIE LAND SAGA
ゾンビランドサガ — 佐賀県
📍 SAGA PREFECTURE (CITY-WIDE)
Zombie Land Saga (2018–2021) is explicitly set in Saga Prefecture and was created in active collaboration with the Saga Prefectural Government as a tourism promotion initiative. The show's "SAGA" branding is woven into the story. Real locations including Saga City, Karatsu Castle, Yoshinogari Historical Park, the Saga International Balloon Fiesta field, and Imari pottery district all appear. The Franchouchou idol group's goal of reviving Saga Prefecture's economy is literally the show's plot. Saga Prefecture runs official Zombie Land Saga tourism events and stamp rallies.
02
INSPIRED BY
✉️
VIOLET EVERGARDEN
ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン
📍 NAGASAKI / KYUSHU COAST
While Violet Evergarden is set in a fictional European-styled world, Kyoto Animation's production design drew on real locations including Nagasaki's Meiji-era Western architecture. Nagasaki's Glover Garden (Meiji Western villas overlooking the harbor) and the Oura Cathedral area bear a striking resemblance to the film's architectural vocabulary. The show's themes of finding words for unexpressed emotion also connects to the Nagasaki hibakusha (atomic survivor) letter-writing tradition. The Nagasaki Tourism Bureau acknowledges this connection.
03
PILGRIMAGE
🐉
ASO CRATER — OTHERWORLD
阿蘇山 — 各アニメの世界観
📍 MT. ASO, KUMAMOTO
Mount Aso's active caldera — the largest in the world — has served as visual inspiration for post-apocalyptic and fantasy landscapes across multiple anime. The Kusasenri grassland (a flat volcanic plain inside a larger crater) appears in anime backgrounds, and the Nakadake active crater's acid green lake is otherworldly. Kumamoto also has a strong connection to Natsume's Book of Friends (Natsume Yuujinchou) — the series is set in an unnamed rural Kyushu countryside that closely resembles Kumamoto's rice fields and mountain villages. Author Yuki Midorikawa has cited Kyushu landscapes as inspiration.
04
CREATOR ORIGIN
🌫️
THE WIND RISES
風立ちぬ — 鹿児島 / 宮崎
📍 KAGOSHIMA / MIYAZAKI
Miyazaki's The Wind Rises (2013) is based on the life of Zero fighter designer Jiro Horikoshi. The film's scene of aircraft testing in a rural southern Japan landscape references the real flight test sites in the Kagoshima/Miyazaki area. The Chiran Peace Museum in Kagoshima — dedicated to the Kamikaze pilots of WWII — is directly connected to the film's themes. The open southern Japanese landscape of undulating green hills against volcanic mountains that frames the film's final acts is drawn from this region.
05
沖縄 Okinawa THE RYUKYU ARCHIPELAGO
PILGRIMAGE
🌊
OKINAWA IN ANIME
沖縄 — 琉球文化とアニメ
📍 NAHA / NAGO / OKINAWA-WIDE
Okinawa's unique Ryukyu visual culture — its red-tiled roofs, shisa lion-dog guardians, distinct sanshin music, and deep blue-green sea — has appeared across anime as a distinct aesthetic world separate from mainland Japan. The American military town aesthetic of Okinawa City (Koza) inspired elements of the cyberpunk/military hybrid settings in various anime. The Okinawa Prefectural Government has produced anime-style tourism promotional videos, and the island's combination of subtropical nature, WWII history, and traditional Ryukyu culture makes it a distinctive anime setting unlike any other Japanese location.
01
CULTURE / HISTORY
🏯
SHURI CASTLE — RYUKYU MYTHS
首里城 — 琉球神話 / ハテナムスビ
📍 NAHA CITY, OKINAWA
Shuri Castle (Shuri-jō) — the UNESCO World Heritage palace of the Ryukyu Kingdom — serves as the architectural and mythological foundation for Okinawa's anime identity. The castle was destroyed by fire in 2019 and is currently being rebuilt (estimated full restoration 2026+). Okinawan mythology, the Ryukyu shamans (noro and yuta), and the kingdom's tributary relationship with China and Japan have all been explored in manga and anime historical works. Okinawa's WWII history — the Battle of Okinawa (1945) — also appears in multiple serious anime and manga works.
02
03
SOURCES & VERIFICATION
ALL CONNECTIONS IN THIS GUIDE ARE VERIFIED AGAINST OFFICIAL OR AUTHORITATIVE SOURCES
📋 EDITORIAL POLICY
Every anime location claim in this guide is sourced from: (a) official studio statements or production notes, (b) official tourism board acknowledgement, (c) confirmed creator interviews in mainstream Japanese media, or (d) formal anime-tourism collaboration agreements between local governments and studios. Where a connection is "widely cited" but not officially confirmed by the creator, this is stated explicitly in the card text. No speculative connections are presented as fact.
S-01
ANIME TOURISM ASSOCIATION
アニメツーリズム協会 (Official NGO)
Japan's official anime pilgrimage organisation, established by the government and tourism industry. Maintains the "88 Anime Sacred Places" list — the definitive pilgrimage map for Japan. Updates annually.
anime-tourism.jp
S-02
JNTO ANIME TOURISM
Japan National Tourism Organization
The Japanese government's official inbound tourism body publishes an official anime pilgrimage guide covering key sites by region. Regularly updated with new collaborations.
japan.travel/en/anime-tourism
S-03
STUDIO GHIBLI OFFICIAL
スタジオジブリ (Studio Ghibli Inc.)
Source for all Ghibli film connections, including the Yakushima/Princess Mononoke production note, the Ghibli Museum details, and the Ghibli Park official documentation. All Ghibli claims in this guide trace to ghibli.jp or ghibli-park.jp.
ghibli.jp
S-04
GHIBLI PARK OFFICIAL
ジブリパーク (Aichi Prefecture / Studio Ghibli)
Official site for the park that opened November 1, 2022 in Nagakute, Aichi. All five area descriptions, ticket booking, and current availability. Verified opening dates and area names from this source.
ghibli-park.jp/en
S-05
DOGO ONSEN ART 2019 × SPIRITED AWAY
Dogo Onsen / Matsuyama City (Official Collaboration)
The 2019 collaboration between Hayao Miyazaki and Dogo Onsen's renovation project is the primary source for the Spirited Away / Dogo Onsen connection in this guide. Covered by NHK, Asahi Shimbun, and Mainichi Shimbun at the time of launch.
dogo.jp/en
S-06
KYOTO ANIMATION OFFICIAL
京都アニメーション (KyoAni)
Source for K-On! Toyosato location, Haruhi Suzumiya Nishinomiya locations, and Hyouka Takayama locations. KyoAni released official location guides for all three. The K-On! connection to Toyosato Elementary School is confirmed in KyoAni's own production materials.
kyotoanimation.co.jp
S-07
HIDA FURUKAWA TOURISM
飛騨市観光協会 (Your Name Official Partner)
Hida Tourism is the official tourism authority for the Your Name pilgrimage. Their "Kimi no Na wa" page confirms Hida-Furukawa as the model for Itomori town and provides official location mapping. The production team's visits to Hida-Furukawa are documented here.
hida.jp/english/yourname
S-08
CHICHIBU × ANOHANA OFFICIAL
秩父市 (Chichibu City Tourism)
Chichibu City's official AnoHana tourism collaboration page, including the pilgrim map, filming locations, and seasonal events. AnoHana is one of the first fully city-sponsored anime production partnerships in Japan and is documented in detail.
chichibu-anime.jp
S-09
NUMAZU × LOVE LIVE SUNSHINE
沼津市観光協会 (Numazu City Official)
Numazu City's official collaboration with Love Live Sunshine!! is one of Japan's most extensive anime-municipal partnerships. The city's tourism pages document the collaboration history, the location maps, and annual events.
city.numazu.shizuoka.jp
S-10
MIZUKI SHIGERU MEMORIAL MUSEUM
水木しげる記念館 (Sakaiminato City)
The official museum for Shigeru Mizuki (GeGeGe no Kitaro) in Sakaiminato, Tottori. Source for all Mizuki Road and museum details in this guide. The museum reopened in 2024 after renovation.
mizuki.sakaiminato.net
S-11
SAGA × ZOMBIE LAND SAGA OFFICIAL
佐賀県観光連盟 (Saga Prefecture Tourism)
Zombie Land Saga was produced with formal involvement from the Saga Prefectural Government. Saga Tourism's official anime page documents the collaboration, lists real filming locations, and runs the official stamp rally pilgrimage program.
asobo-saga.jp/en
S-12
YAKUSHIMA UNESCO HERITAGE SITE
屋久島 (Princess Mononoke Forest Connection)
Yakushima Tourism and multiple Studio Ghibli interviews confirm the production team's visit to Yakushima for Princess Mononoke research. The UNESCO inscription (1993) predates the film (1997), and Miyazaki has referenced the island's ancient forest in multiple interviews.
yakushima.or.jp/en