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47 Anime for 47 Prefectures in Japan

209 points by keiferski 3y ago

flobosg 3y ago
Happy to see Slam Dunk mentioned, especially with a recently released film[1] animating (finally!) the last part of the manga. The series has aged beautifully. [1]: The First Slam Dunk – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Slam_Dunk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Slam_Dunk
- wastewastewaste 3y ago
  I went to see the movie in the cinema without knowing anything really about basketball (European) or about slamdunk and enjoyed it the whole way through
  - Xophmeister 3y ago
    Likewise, I was a bit reluctant to watch it, because I know nothing about basketball. After watching it, I kinda want to just play basketball :)
    - favorited 3y ago
      That's how I felt about volleyball after watching Haikyuu (Miyagi Prefecture, on the list). It's the only thing I look forward to about the Olympics.
glandium 3y ago
For Yamanashi, I can't help but think about Stink Bomb, part of Memories (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memories_(1995_film) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memories_(1995_film) ), although it's only barely related to the prefecture. The Japanese title also happens to be a pun: 最臭兵器 (the most stinky weapon) is pronounced the same way as 最終兵器 (ultimate weapon).
- hotnfresh 3y ago
  I watched that film for the first time about a year ago, and it’s one of those anime I’d recommend to non-anime-fan film nerds and “genre” (horror, sci fi, in this case) fans. Lots of anime’s a bit of an acquired taste due largely to stylistic elements and use of tropes, but that one’s got solid cross-interest appeal, I’d say.
gerjomarty 3y ago
Note that this article shouldn't necessarily be used as a way to find new things to watch; there are some clangers in there to avoid. I also need to call out Takayama in Gifu prefecture, which is the basis for the fictional Kamiyama from Hyouka, an absolutely wonderful school-life-cum-mystery series from Kyoto Animation. It would also be remiss of me not to mention Zombieland Saga, where a mad idol producer resurrects dead entertainment stars as zombies to form an idol group to revitalise Saga prefecture.
- Macha 3y ago
  Also kinda neat for the Saga <-> Zombieland Saga interaction is the saga government leaned into it a bit: https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2019/8/15/saga-governor-loves-zomibe-land-saga-anime-cosplays-as-kotaro-tatsumi https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2019/8/15/saga-gover...
- smukherjee19 3y ago
  Hyouka and Zombieland Saga are both really good shows. I especially loved Karatsu in Saga prefecture when I visited it back in 2019. Apart from Yuri no Ice, Karatsu is also very aware of Zombieland Saga. I walked up to the tourist information desk at Karatsu station and asked if they had a map with spots for Zombieland Saga, and the guy not only got me one, but also marked a few additional spots while guiding me like "You know that scene in episode 1 where the girl was walking in the rain? That's this bridge right here", and lots more which even I didn't remember! I was really impressed how much knowledgeable he was.
- sersi 3y ago
  Which ones are the clangers? So that I can avoid them
  - gerjomarty 3y ago
    The one that jumped out was Magical Girl Raising Project, which a younger me might have described as dark and edgy, but me today would call misery porn (it's not actually porn, just to be clear). Now that I browse again, most are really good, but some are just a bit dull while being great examples of being from a certain place. Not to call it out in particular, but I ended up dropping Robotics;Notes for being kinda dull, despite it being part of the 5bp semicolon extended universe (Steins;Gate et al).
Isamu 3y ago
Summer Wars also features a glimpse of Carnegie Mellon University (with one L) as one of the characters is a professor there. I never figured out why CMU would have enough name recognition in Japan to show up in an anime. Don’t miss the scene where Japan is saved by a game of Hana Fuda
- waterheater 3y ago
  >I never figured out why CMU would have enough name recognition in Japan to show up in an anime. CMU is a solid computer science and engineering school which has found a way to get its name thrown in up there with the likes of MIT and Caltech (can't tell you how many times I've seen CS-oriented folks praise CMU like it's MIT). It's also possible that someone at the studio has a connection to CMU and wanted to include it.
  - depletedgherkin 3y ago
    For CS, CMU has a similar reputation to MIT and CalTech, even though it doesn't have as much name-brand recognition among the general public.
  - fomine3 3y ago
    Carnegie Mellon sounds like Car, Negi (green onion) and Melon. Massachusetts is known for difficult to pronounce.
- automatic6131 3y ago
  >Summer Wars Has any other director managed to get away with making the same film three times? >A group of kids save the world via playing battle games in an ultra detailed 3D virtual world. Now, is that Digimon (2000), Summer Wars (2008) or Belle (2021)?
  - Macha 3y ago
    I can give him a pass for Digimon -> Summer Wars, since it's understandable why he might want to explore the same space again with full length and without the restrictions being part of a then-major kid's franchise brings. I haven't seen Belle, so can't comment on that one.
smukherjee19 3y ago
Really nice article with lots of good shows! My personal underappreciated yet awesome and highly recommended ones from that article are: - Aomori: Flying Witch: Highly relaxing show with lots of nature. - Wakayama: Summer Time Rendering: A highly highly underappreciated sci-fi thriller that picks up in the latter half and keeps getting better and better, with an awesome ending. Iirc the show was underappreciated in Japan because Disney+ had exclusive streaming rights when it was airing and it flew under a lot of people's radars due to that. Also, doing pilgrimage for an anime you like provides a really good motivation to actually visit and explore the place. Japan is quite homogeneous but each place has their own charm.
- glandium 3y ago
  Summer time Rendering was airing on at least BS11 (free channel on satellite broadcast), Tokyo MX and Kansai TV. It was made available on other streaming services like Amazon Prime, d-anime, Abema, etc. after the broadcast ended.
aidog 3y ago
The 2022 Anime Blockbuster Movie Suzume by Makoto Shinkai starts out in Miyazaki Prefecture.(https://miyazakian.com/locations/nichinan/suzume.html https://miyazakian.com/locations/nichinan/suzume.html) We're often forgotten as a destination, even though Miyazaki is a hidden gem as a Surfers and nature paradise. I'm trying to change that through my Miyazakian website.
- smukherjee19 3y ago
  Wow, I was aware that it starts in Miyazaki, but didn't know exactly where! Thanks for sharing the place and your experiences! I definitely want to visit Nichinan at some point.
FFP999 3y ago
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lynguist 3y ago
If I can also make suggestions: Osaka: Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi. You can see such shotengai in real life Osaka as well. Also uses exclusively Kansai-ben. Hiroshima: In This Corner of the World. It made me cry 3 times! Fukuoka: Manga Bambino! An Italian food manga with a ca. 22 year old protagonist. I dearly dearly loved this manga when I was around the same age. The protagonist is from Fukuoka. This manga was one of the reasons that inspired or motivated me to learn how to cook properly. I liked everything about it: the drawings, the story, the content, the characters, how to navigate the world as a young adult.
- smukherjee19 3y ago
  I loved In This Corner of the World! It's a really good take on WWII in Japan told from the eyes of an ordinary housewife in Hiroshima. For Fukuoka, I also remembered that the recently aired Buddy Daddies is also set in Fukuoka. Two assassins end up taking custody of a little girl who is the kid of one of their targets. The kid is super innocent and cute, and from what I've seen, it's more about bringing up a kid (the checklist for things to prepare on day 1 of kindergarten seems very real) in Japan. Can recommend!
- sersi 3y ago
  Seconding Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, it's a great anime and as someone who lived in Kansai for a few years a while ago feels nostalgic.
- mortenjorck 3y ago
  Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi is probably under-appreciated, as it's overshadowed by some of the studio's more popular titles (including, of course, the juggernaut franchise of Evangelion). It's one of those works that feels inextricably linked to its setting; despite being another wildly imaginative Gainax series, the richness it draws from Kansai history and tradition is impressive. A suggestion for Kyoto along similar lines: The Eccentric Family (both the original and sequel seasons).
  - uxp100 3y ago
    Both the eccentric family and the night is long… are based on novels by Tomihiko Morimi, and have a similar flavor. He’s sort of a champion of an ideal of a magical Kyoto, centering around nightlife and private clubs. And I believe there is talk of a third novel of the Eccentric Family. I love the anime adaptations of his work, the novels themselves in translation I do not care for.
belugacat 3y ago
Why is it always Japan and anime? It'd be nice to see articles like "32 Telenovelas for 32 States of Mexico" or "16 Home Renovation Shows for 16 Bundesländer of Germany" every once in a while.
- langsoul-com 3y ago
  Cultural invasion from another country is why. Ever play Civ 5 and get the message how another country is annoyed that their citizens are all wearing blue jeans? Anime is popular, subculture wise, and people who like it would most likely grew up on the internet. Thus more news about Japan would spread online. We see the same thing with Korea now with kpop, kdrama. Compare that to Mexico or Germany, where is their cultural influence? Food yes, drinks yes. But there's virtually no media being published on the same scale as Japan. Nor is it constantly talked about. Japan and anime are a bit special as well, because they tend to always animate their home country or include it in some manner.
- Tade0 3y ago
  Because Rome and Greece. The Greek states lost militarily, but ultimately won culturally. Also (still) the third largest economy in the world, and for a decently long time, second. That necessarily leaves its mark on the rest of the world. Why doesn't China enjoy the same sort of influence? Because they erased much of their culture during communism.
  - kbelder 3y ago
    I'd say Japan also lost much of their culture during a process of westernization, before and after WWII, but the resulting amalgamation was much more potent (especially memetically) than the mess that China ended up with after Mao.
- whymauri 3y ago
  These lists exist but they are usually not in English. There's countless memes or listicles of Colombian departments on Spanish-speaking websites.
- Klonoar 3y ago
Hamuko 3y ago
I can't blame them picking what they picked for Gunma but I always think of Initial D when I think about Gunma in anime. Although considering the Gunma pick, I'm surprised they slept on Zombie Land Saga for Saga.
mrighele 3y ago
Surprised that the choice for Gunma was not Initial D [1]. The Anime mentions a lot of places and there are few (if any) vehicles in Anime more iconic than the protagonist's Toyota. [1] https://myanimelist.net/anime/185/Initial_D_First_Stage https://myanimelist.net/anime/185/Initial_D_First_Stage
- KennyBlanken 3y ago
  I doubt all but a very small portion of the general public have seen or heard of Initial D. The Mach 5 from Speed Racer, Kaneda's motorcycle in Akira, and Lupin the Third's Fiat 500 are far more recognizable to the general public. In terms of famous anime cars, there's also Misato's Renault Alpine A310 in Evangelion, the Honda Today Turbo from You're Under Arrest... Also, of course, is Truck-kun, the most famous anime vehicle of all time...
  - indrora 3y ago
    I shouted "The AE86 sucks" into a crowd of car folks once. A fight broke out over if the AE86 could actually do what it wanted to in the show. When I was in high school, probably half the school wanted an AE86. They had just come into legal for import status around that time, having become 25 years old. The zeitgeist of car culture knows about Initial D. It showed up on fucking Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and did stuff through the 00s mixed between normal stuff and anime-exclusives. It changed how we talk about cars ( http://www.tunedph.com/thanks-initial-d-elements-car-culture-influenced-cartoon http://www.tunedph.com/thanks-initial-d-elements-car-culture... ) and dropped Eurobeat on unsuspecting ravers and car fans alike ( https://hiddenpalmtree.com/blogs/random-jdm-fan/how-to-raise-a-jdm-fan-the-impact-and-legacy-of-initial-d https://hiddenpalmtree.com/blogs/random-jdm-fan/how-to-raise... ) When Toyota wanted to showcase Hydrogen & Electric cars, they chose to restomod a pair of AE86s: https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/13/23554387/toyota-ae86-bev-h2-hydrogen-electric-concepts https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/13/23554387/toyota-ae86-bev-...
    - _0ffh 3y ago
      Heck, the power of Initial D is such that you can search for "eurobeat", select "Videos", and chances are you'll see a screen full of AE86es.
langsoul-com 3y ago
Which sites from anime would be the best to visit for actual tourism? Places with just a few cafes and streets seen in the anime aren't worth the trip. Something like nature from Yamanashi (Yuru Camp) or Oarai for the tank festival (Girls Und Panzer) would be fun.
- livueta 3y ago
  Definitely Kyoto. TFA's rec of Night is Short certainly isn't wrong, but the classic Kyoto anime pilgrimage rec is the precursor show, The Tatami Galaxy. You can locate pretty much every scene from the show: https://jamesofwalsh.com/2015/05/17/tatami-galaxy-and-kyoto/ https://jamesofwalsh.com/2015/05/17/tatami-galaxy-and-kyoto/ I should write up my explorations sometime as I think it was more detailed than any of the ones I can quickly find on Google in English, e.g. going out to the Keage Incline. It was a great excuse to wander around Kyoto, a great city. While I'm talking about the Kyoto area and anime, I've got to add that if you've seen Chihayafuru, go to Omi Jingu (近江神宮). Otsu is right there and Lake Biwa is neat anyway. I was able to watch some live karuta, chat about the show and the game, buy some cards and very poorly attempt to play with them (sorry, haven't actually memorized 百人一首 yet!).
- adelie 3y ago
  you might enjoy this write-up of someone's yuru camp pilgrimage, then: https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/86c4rg/i_went_to_the_yuru_camp_locations_in_real_life/ https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/86c4rg/i_went_to_the... i actually visited sendai for haikyuu! i enjoyed my time there a lot - there's a lot of beautiful day trips available like matsushima and yamagata - but i wouldn't recommend visiting it for haikyuu. sports stadiums are not that interesting from outside and most of the actual locations in the manga are based on a small town deep in the countryside.
kaitocross 3y ago
Kinda surprised they didnt take Zombie Land Saga for Saga prefecture. It's literally made to promote the prefecture. Plus its a wonderful anime with lovely characters
Tade0 3y ago
There appears to be a trend of listing all the prefectures and what's special about each of them. Here's a depiction of each prefecture using characters from the Wojak universe: https://youtu.be/zStW7hLY51w https://youtu.be/zStW7hLY51w Well, this one plays mostly on stereotypes (I assume - I don't know exactly), but still.
ck2 3y ago
I think they accidentally created a perfect idea for a new anime called "47" where some character on a motorcycle or for some other method/reason takes a trip to all the prefectures in Japan, one per episode, to show the highlights of each location. I'd watch the heck out of that if the story was decent. And knowing there would be 47 episode keeps people hooked. They might even use some weird concept like teleporting or like "quantum leap" where they are stuck inside each prefecture for a day or week before they can leave. See what I mean? It writes itself.
- smukherjee19 3y ago
  While that does seem like a nice idea, I highly doubt it'll materialize because of the sheer cost of ロケハン(location hunting). Atleast some of the key staff would need to visit every prefecture in Japan to take photos, gather local material(a lot of which might not exist online), which would cost time and money; both things the anime industry lacks. Collaboration between different studios is also not viable because barring some exceptions (PA Works in Toyama, Kyoto Animation in Kyoto/Nara), almost all the studios are concentrated in Western Tokyo. Unless, if the anime was crowdfunded. Maybe. (I don't currently work in the industry; I'm just voicing my personal opinion.)
smukherjee19 3y ago
If someone is looking for more recommendations based on anime they've watched and their locations, here's a 2019-version in Japanese (there's a huge number of videos in Japanese it seems, I just took a random version). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlvPi09jVoA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlvPi09jVoA I'll try listing them the ones below (brackets contain English names): 1. Hokkaido Haiyore! Nyaruko-san: Sapporo City Boku dake ga inai machi (Erased): Tomakomai City Kanon: Sapporo City Seitokai no ichizon: Sapporo City Golden Kamui: All across Hokkaido Servant x Service: Sapporo City Sora no method: Toyako Town Omoide no Marnie (When Marnie Was There): Kushiro City Kimi ni todoke: Haboro Town WORKING!!: Sapporo City Saikano: The Last Love Song on This Little Planet : Otaru City Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru (Beautiful Bones -Sakurako's Investigation): Asahikawa City 2. Aomori Prefecture Kumo no mukou, yakusoku no basho (The Place Promised in Our Early Days): Aomori Prefecture Flying Witch: Hirosaki City 3. Iwate Prefecture Inugami!: Morioka City 4. Miyagi Prefecture Kannagi: Sendai City Haikyuu: Sendai City Wake Up, Girls: Sendai City 5. Akita Prefecture Itoshi no Muco (Lovely Muco): Akita City Kumamiko: Akita Prefecture 6. Yamagata Prefecture Omoide Poroporo: Yamagata City LEVEL E: Yamagata City 7. Fukushima Prefecture Mikakunin de Shinkoukei (Engaged to the Unidentified): Kooriyama City 8. Ibaraki Prefecture Girls und Panzer: Oorai Town Momokuri: Mito City Noucome (My Mental Choices are Completely Interfering with my School Romantic Comedy): Mito City Sakura Trick: Inashiki City 9. Tochigi Prefecture Yosuga no sora: Ashikaga City Mokke: Tochigi Prefecture Nasu: A Migratory Bird with Suitcase: Utsunomiya City 10. Gunma Prefecture Nichijou: Isesaki City Initial D: Mt. Akagi, Mt. Myogi Sora yori mo tooi basho (A Place Further than the Universe): Tatebayashi City Aku no Hana: Kiryu City Houkago no Pleadas: Oota City
- smukherjee19 3y ago
  (Part 2) 11. Saitama Prefecture Lucky Star: Kasukabe City, Kuki City, Satte City Saekano (How to raise a boring girlfriend): Wakou City Tsuki ga kirei: Kawagoe City Crayon Shin-chan: Kasukabe City Yama no susume (Encouragement of Climb): Hanno City Kokoro ga sakebitagatterunda (The Anthem of the Heart): Chichibu City Kobayashi-sanchi no maidragon (Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid): Koshigaya City Kamisama hajimemashita: Kawagoe City Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion: Saitama City Oomiya Ward Anohana: Chichibu City Urawa no usagi-san: Saitama City Urawa Ward 12. Chiba Prefecture Ro-kyu-bu! : Matsudo City Kin'iro Mozaic: Narashino City Action Heroine Cheer Fruits: Otaki Town Futsuu no joshikousei ga Locodol yattemita: Nagareyama City Oregairu : Chiba City Amagami SS: Choshi City Oreimo: Chiba City Watamote: Chiba City, Funabashi City Fireworks: Choshi City 13. Tokyo Doraemon: Nishitokyo City Sazae-san: Setagaya Ward Love Live!: Chiyoda Ward (same ward as Akihabara) 14. Kanagawa Prefecture Squid Girl: Kamakura City Hanayamata: Kamakura City Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai: Fujisawa City High School Fleet: Yokosuka City Kokoro Connect: Yokohama City Evangelion: Hakone Town Tari Tari: Fujisawa City Major: Yokohama City Bungou Stray Dogs: Yokohama City Release the Spyce: Kawasaki City Kawasaki Ward After the Rain: Yokohama City School Days: Sagamihara City 15. Niigata Prefecture Idol Incidents: Niigata City Dream Eater Merry: Jouetsu City 16. Toyama Prefecture Yuru Yuri: Takaoka City Persona: trinity soul: Toyama City Sakura Quest: Nanto City Another: Nanto City I want to eat your pancreas: Imizu City Wolf Children: Kamiichi Town
mey 3y ago
This put into my mind the Travel Oregon ads produced a couple years ago in the Miyazaki style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doVV1a7XgyQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doVV1a7XgyQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIC-XmyEfhI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIC-XmyEfhI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi4fGPPPmGA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi4fGPPPmGA
radicalriddler 3y ago
Interesting idea. If I were ever to travel to Japan, I'd visit a lot of the cities and towns that are mentioned in Murakami's books, including those that were affected by the gas attacks.

209 points by keiferski 3y ago

Happy to see Slam Dunk mentioned, especially with a recently released film[1] animating (finally!) the last part of the manga. The series has aged beautifully. [1]: The First Slam Dunk – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Slam_Dunk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Slam_Dunk

wastewastewaste 3y ago
I went to see the movie in the cinema without knowing anything really about basketball (European) or about slamdunk and enjoyed it the whole way through
- Xophmeister 3y ago
  Likewise, I was a bit reluctant to watch it, because I know nothing about basketball. After watching it, I kinda want to just play basketball :)
  - favorited 3y ago
    That's how I felt about volleyball after watching Haikyuu (Miyagi Prefecture, on the list). It's the only thing I look forward to about the Olympics.

glandium 3y ago

For Yamanashi, I can't help but think about Stink Bomb, part of Memories (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memories_(1995_film) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memories_(1995_film) ), although it's only barely related to the prefecture. The Japanese title also happens to be a pun: 最臭兵器 (the most stinky weapon) is pronounced the same way as 最終兵器 (ultimate weapon).

hotnfresh 3y ago
I watched that film for the first time about a year ago, and it’s one of those anime I’d recommend to non-anime-fan film nerds and “genre” (horror, sci fi, in this case) fans. Lots of anime’s a bit of an acquired taste due largely to stylistic elements and use of tropes, but that one’s got solid cross-interest appeal, I’d say.

gerjomarty 3y ago

Note that this article shouldn't necessarily be used as a way to find new things to watch; there are some clangers in there to avoid. I also need to call out Takayama in Gifu prefecture, which is the basis for the fictional Kamiyama from Hyouka, an absolutely wonderful school-life-cum-mystery series from Kyoto Animation. It would also be remiss of me not to mention Zombieland Saga, where a mad idol producer resurrects dead entertainment stars as zombies to form an idol group to revitalise Saga prefecture.

Macha 3y ago
Also kinda neat for the Saga <-> Zombieland Saga interaction is the saga government leaned into it a bit: https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2019/8/15/saga-governor-loves-zomibe-land-saga-anime-cosplays-as-kotaro-tatsumi https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2019/8/15/saga-gover...
smukherjee19 3y ago
Hyouka and Zombieland Saga are both really good shows. I especially loved Karatsu in Saga prefecture when I visited it back in 2019. Apart from Yuri no Ice, Karatsu is also very aware of Zombieland Saga. I walked up to the tourist information desk at Karatsu station and asked if they had a map with spots for Zombieland Saga, and the guy not only got me one, but also marked a few additional spots while guiding me like "You know that scene in episode 1 where the girl was walking in the rain? That's this bridge right here", and lots more which even I didn't remember! I was really impressed how much knowledgeable he was.
sersi 3y ago
Which ones are the clangers? So that I can avoid them
- gerjomarty 3y ago
  The one that jumped out was Magical Girl Raising Project, which a younger me might have described as dark and edgy, but me today would call misery porn (it's not actually porn, just to be clear). Now that I browse again, most are really good, but some are just a bit dull while being great examples of being from a certain place. Not to call it out in particular, but I ended up dropping Robotics;Notes for being kinda dull, despite it being part of the 5bp semicolon extended universe (Steins;Gate et al).

Isamu 3y ago

Summer Wars also features a glimpse of Carnegie Mellon University (with one L) as one of the characters is a professor there. I never figured out why CMU would have enough name recognition in Japan to show up in an anime. Don’t miss the scene where Japan is saved by a game of Hana Fuda

waterheater 3y ago
>I never figured out why CMU would have enough name recognition in Japan to show up in an anime. CMU is a solid computer science and engineering school which has found a way to get its name thrown in up there with the likes of MIT and Caltech (can't tell you how many times I've seen CS-oriented folks praise CMU like it's MIT). It's also possible that someone at the studio has a connection to CMU and wanted to include it.
- depletedgherkin 3y ago
  For CS, CMU has a similar reputation to MIT and CalTech, even though it doesn't have as much name-brand recognition among the general public.
- fomine3 3y ago
  Carnegie Mellon sounds like Car, Negi (green onion) and Melon. Massachusetts is known for difficult to pronounce.
automatic6131 3y ago
>Summer Wars Has any other director managed to get away with making the same film three times? >A group of kids save the world via playing battle games in an ultra detailed 3D virtual world. Now, is that Digimon (2000), Summer Wars (2008) or Belle (2021)?
- Macha 3y ago
  I can give him a pass for Digimon -> Summer Wars, since it's understandable why he might want to explore the same space again with full length and without the restrictions being part of a then-major kid's franchise brings. I haven't seen Belle, so can't comment on that one.

smukherjee19 3y ago

Really nice article with lots of good shows! My personal underappreciated yet awesome and highly recommended ones from that article are: - Aomori: Flying Witch: Highly relaxing show with lots of nature. - Wakayama: Summer Time Rendering: A highly highly underappreciated sci-fi thriller that picks up in the latter half and keeps getting better and better, with an awesome ending. Iirc the show was underappreciated in Japan because Disney+ had exclusive streaming rights when it was airing and it flew under a lot of people's radars due to that. Also, doing pilgrimage for an anime you like provides a really good motivation to actually visit and explore the place. Japan is quite homogeneous but each place has their own charm.

glandium 3y ago
Summer time Rendering was airing on at least BS11 (free channel on satellite broadcast), Tokyo MX and Kansai TV. It was made available on other streaming services like Amazon Prime, d-anime, Abema, etc. after the broadcast ended.

aidog 3y ago

The 2022 Anime Blockbuster Movie Suzume by Makoto Shinkai starts out in Miyazaki Prefecture.(https://miyazakian.com/locations/nichinan/suzume.html https://miyazakian.com/locations/nichinan/suzume.html) We're often forgotten as a destination, even though Miyazaki is a hidden gem as a Surfers and nature paradise. I'm trying to change that through my Miyazakian website.

smukherjee19 3y ago
Wow, I was aware that it starts in Miyazaki, but didn't know exactly where! Thanks for sharing the place and your experiences! I definitely want to visit Nichinan at some point.

FFP999 3y ago

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lynguist 3y ago

If I can also make suggestions: Osaka: Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi. You can see such shotengai in real life Osaka as well. Also uses exclusively Kansai-ben. Hiroshima: In This Corner of the World. It made me cry 3 times! Fukuoka: Manga Bambino! An Italian food manga with a ca. 22 year old protagonist. I dearly dearly loved this manga when I was around the same age. The protagonist is from Fukuoka. This manga was one of the reasons that inspired or motivated me to learn how to cook properly. I liked everything about it: the drawings, the story, the content, the characters, how to navigate the world as a young adult.

smukherjee19 3y ago
I loved In This Corner of the World! It's a really good take on WWII in Japan told from the eyes of an ordinary housewife in Hiroshima. For Fukuoka, I also remembered that the recently aired Buddy Daddies is also set in Fukuoka. Two assassins end up taking custody of a little girl who is the kid of one of their targets. The kid is super innocent and cute, and from what I've seen, it's more about bringing up a kid (the checklist for things to prepare on day 1 of kindergarten seems very real) in Japan. Can recommend!
sersi 3y ago
Seconding Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi, it's a great anime and as someone who lived in Kansai for a few years a while ago feels nostalgic.
mortenjorck 3y ago
Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi is probably under-appreciated, as it's overshadowed by some of the studio's more popular titles (including, of course, the juggernaut franchise of Evangelion). It's one of those works that feels inextricably linked to its setting; despite being another wildly imaginative Gainax series, the richness it draws from Kansai history and tradition is impressive. A suggestion for Kyoto along similar lines: The Eccentric Family (both the original and sequel seasons).
- uxp100 3y ago
  Both the eccentric family and the night is long… are based on novels by Tomihiko Morimi, and have a similar flavor. He’s sort of a champion of an ideal of a magical Kyoto, centering around nightlife and private clubs. And I believe there is talk of a third novel of the Eccentric Family. I love the anime adaptations of his work, the novels themselves in translation I do not care for.

belugacat 3y ago

Why is it always Japan and anime? It'd be nice to see articles like "32 Telenovelas for 32 States of Mexico" or "16 Home Renovation Shows for 16 Bundesländer of Germany" every once in a while.

langsoul-com 3y ago
Cultural invasion from another country is why. Ever play Civ 5 and get the message how another country is annoyed that their citizens are all wearing blue jeans? Anime is popular, subculture wise, and people who like it would most likely grew up on the internet. Thus more news about Japan would spread online. We see the same thing with Korea now with kpop, kdrama. Compare that to Mexico or Germany, where is their cultural influence? Food yes, drinks yes. But there's virtually no media being published on the same scale as Japan. Nor is it constantly talked about. Japan and anime are a bit special as well, because they tend to always animate their home country or include it in some manner.
Tade0 3y ago
Because Rome and Greece. The Greek states lost militarily, but ultimately won culturally. Also (still) the third largest economy in the world, and for a decently long time, second. That necessarily leaves its mark on the rest of the world. Why doesn't China enjoy the same sort of influence? Because they erased much of their culture during communism.
- kbelder 3y ago
  I'd say Japan also lost much of their culture during a process of westernization, before and after WWII, but the resulting amalgamation was much more potent (especially memetically) than the mess that China ended up with after Mao.
whymauri 3y ago
These lists exist but they are usually not in English. There's countless memes or listicles of Colombian departments on Spanish-speaking websites.
Klonoar 3y ago

Hamuko 3y ago

I can't blame them picking what they picked for Gunma but I always think of Initial D when I think about Gunma in anime. Although considering the Gunma pick, I'm surprised they slept on Zombie Land Saga for Saga.

mrighele 3y ago

Surprised that the choice for Gunma was not Initial D [1]. The Anime mentions a lot of places and there are few (if any) vehicles in Anime more iconic than the protagonist's Toyota. [1] https://myanimelist.net/anime/185/Initial_D_First_Stage https://myanimelist.net/anime/185/Initial_D_First_Stage

KennyBlanken 3y ago
I doubt all but a very small portion of the general public have seen or heard of Initial D. The Mach 5 from Speed Racer, Kaneda's motorcycle in Akira, and Lupin the Third's Fiat 500 are far more recognizable to the general public. In terms of famous anime cars, there's also Misato's Renault Alpine A310 in Evangelion, the Honda Today Turbo from You're Under Arrest... Also, of course, is Truck-kun, the most famous anime vehicle of all time...
- indrora 3y ago
  I shouted "The AE86 sucks" into a crowd of car folks once. A fight broke out over if the AE86 could actually do what it wanted to in the show. When I was in high school, probably half the school wanted an AE86. They had just come into legal for import status around that time, having become 25 years old. The zeitgeist of car culture knows about Initial D. It showed up on fucking Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and did stuff through the 00s mixed between normal stuff and anime-exclusives. It changed how we talk about cars ( http://www.tunedph.com/thanks-initial-d-elements-car-culture-influenced-cartoon http://www.tunedph.com/thanks-initial-d-elements-car-culture... ) and dropped Eurobeat on unsuspecting ravers and car fans alike ( https://hiddenpalmtree.com/blogs/random-jdm-fan/how-to-raise-a-jdm-fan-the-impact-and-legacy-of-initial-d https://hiddenpalmtree.com/blogs/random-jdm-fan/how-to-raise... ) When Toyota wanted to showcase Hydrogen & Electric cars, they chose to restomod a pair of AE86s: https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/13/23554387/toyota-ae86-bev-h2-hydrogen-electric-concepts https://www.theverge.com/2023/1/13/23554387/toyota-ae86-bev-...
  - _0ffh 3y ago
    Heck, the power of Initial D is such that you can search for "eurobeat", select "Videos", and chances are you'll see a screen full of AE86es.

langsoul-com 3y ago

Which sites from anime would be the best to visit for actual tourism? Places with just a few cafes and streets seen in the anime aren't worth the trip. Something like nature from Yamanashi (Yuru Camp) or Oarai for the tank festival (Girls Und Panzer) would be fun.

livueta 3y ago
Definitely Kyoto. TFA's rec of Night is Short certainly isn't wrong, but the classic Kyoto anime pilgrimage rec is the precursor show, The Tatami Galaxy. You can locate pretty much every scene from the show: https://jamesofwalsh.com/2015/05/17/tatami-galaxy-and-kyoto/ https://jamesofwalsh.com/2015/05/17/tatami-galaxy-and-kyoto/ I should write up my explorations sometime as I think it was more detailed than any of the ones I can quickly find on Google in English, e.g. going out to the Keage Incline. It was a great excuse to wander around Kyoto, a great city. While I'm talking about the Kyoto area and anime, I've got to add that if you've seen Chihayafuru, go to Omi Jingu (近江神宮). Otsu is right there and Lake Biwa is neat anyway. I was able to watch some live karuta, chat about the show and the game, buy some cards and very poorly attempt to play with them (sorry, haven't actually memorized 百人一首 yet!).
adelie 3y ago
you might enjoy this write-up of someone's yuru camp pilgrimage, then: https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/86c4rg/i_went_to_the_yuru_camp_locations_in_real_life/ https://old.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/86c4rg/i_went_to_the... i actually visited sendai for haikyuu! i enjoyed my time there a lot - there's a lot of beautiful day trips available like matsushima and yamagata - but i wouldn't recommend visiting it for haikyuu. sports stadiums are not that interesting from outside and most of the actual locations in the manga are based on a small town deep in the countryside.

kaitocross 3y ago

Kinda surprised they didnt take Zombie Land Saga for Saga prefecture. It's literally made to promote the prefecture. Plus its a wonderful anime with lovely characters

Tade0 3y ago

There appears to be a trend of listing all the prefectures and what's special about each of them. Here's a depiction of each prefecture using characters from the Wojak universe: https://youtu.be/zStW7hLY51w https://youtu.be/zStW7hLY51w Well, this one plays mostly on stereotypes (I assume - I don't know exactly), but still.

ck2 3y ago

I think they accidentally created a perfect idea for a new anime called "47" where some character on a motorcycle or for some other method/reason takes a trip to all the prefectures in Japan, one per episode, to show the highlights of each location. I'd watch the heck out of that if the story was decent. And knowing there would be 47 episode keeps people hooked. They might even use some weird concept like teleporting or like "quantum leap" where they are stuck inside each prefecture for a day or week before they can leave. See what I mean? It writes itself.

smukherjee19 3y ago
While that does seem like a nice idea, I highly doubt it'll materialize because of the sheer cost of ロケハン(location hunting). Atleast some of the key staff would need to visit every prefecture in Japan to take photos, gather local material(a lot of which might not exist online), which would cost time and money; both things the anime industry lacks. Collaboration between different studios is also not viable because barring some exceptions (PA Works in Toyama, Kyoto Animation in Kyoto/Nara), almost all the studios are concentrated in Western Tokyo. Unless, if the anime was crowdfunded. Maybe. (I don't currently work in the industry; I'm just voicing my personal opinion.)

smukherjee19 3y ago

If someone is looking for more recommendations based on anime they've watched and their locations, here's a 2019-version in Japanese (there's a huge number of videos in Japanese it seems, I just took a random version). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlvPi09jVoA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlvPi09jVoA I'll try listing them the ones below (brackets contain English names): 1. Hokkaido Haiyore! Nyaruko-san: Sapporo City Boku dake ga inai machi (Erased): Tomakomai City Kanon: Sapporo City Seitokai no ichizon: Sapporo City Golden Kamui: All across Hokkaido Servant x Service: Sapporo City Sora no method: Toyako Town Omoide no Marnie (When Marnie Was There): Kushiro City Kimi ni todoke: Haboro Town WORKING!!: Sapporo City Saikano: The Last Love Song on This Little Planet : Otaru City Sakurako-san no Ashimoto ni wa Shitai ga Umatteiru (Beautiful Bones -Sakurako's Investigation): Asahikawa City 2. Aomori Prefecture Kumo no mukou, yakusoku no basho (The Place Promised in Our Early Days): Aomori Prefecture Flying Witch: Hirosaki City 3. Iwate Prefecture Inugami!: Morioka City 4. Miyagi Prefecture Kannagi: Sendai City Haikyuu: Sendai City Wake Up, Girls: Sendai City 5. Akita Prefecture Itoshi no Muco (Lovely Muco): Akita City Kumamiko: Akita Prefecture 6. Yamagata Prefecture Omoide Poroporo: Yamagata City LEVEL E: Yamagata City 7. Fukushima Prefecture Mikakunin de Shinkoukei (Engaged to the Unidentified): Kooriyama City 8. Ibaraki Prefecture Girls und Panzer: Oorai Town Momokuri: Mito City Noucome (My Mental Choices are Completely Interfering with my School Romantic Comedy): Mito City Sakura Trick: Inashiki City 9. Tochigi Prefecture Yosuga no sora: Ashikaga City Mokke: Tochigi Prefecture Nasu: A Migratory Bird with Suitcase: Utsunomiya City 10. Gunma Prefecture Nichijou: Isesaki City Initial D: Mt. Akagi, Mt. Myogi Sora yori mo tooi basho (A Place Further than the Universe): Tatebayashi City Aku no Hana: Kiryu City Houkago no Pleadas: Oota City

smukherjee19 3y ago
(Part 2) 11. Saitama Prefecture Lucky Star: Kasukabe City, Kuki City, Satte City Saekano (How to raise a boring girlfriend): Wakou City Tsuki ga kirei: Kawagoe City Crayon Shin-chan: Kasukabe City Yama no susume (Encouragement of Climb): Hanno City Kokoro ga sakebitagatterunda (The Anthem of the Heart): Chichibu City Kobayashi-sanchi no maidragon (Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid): Koshigaya City Kamisama hajimemashita: Kawagoe City Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion: Saitama City Oomiya Ward Anohana: Chichibu City Urawa no usagi-san: Saitama City Urawa Ward 12. Chiba Prefecture Ro-kyu-bu! : Matsudo City Kin'iro Mozaic: Narashino City Action Heroine Cheer Fruits: Otaki Town Futsuu no joshikousei ga Locodol yattemita: Nagareyama City Oregairu : Chiba City Amagami SS: Choshi City Oreimo: Chiba City Watamote: Chiba City, Funabashi City Fireworks: Choshi City 13. Tokyo Doraemon: Nishitokyo City Sazae-san: Setagaya Ward Love Live!: Chiyoda Ward (same ward as Akihabara) 14. Kanagawa Prefecture Squid Girl: Kamakura City Hanayamata: Kamakura City Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai: Fujisawa City High School Fleet: Yokosuka City Kokoro Connect: Yokohama City Evangelion: Hakone Town Tari Tari: Fujisawa City Major: Yokohama City Bungou Stray Dogs: Yokohama City Release the Spyce: Kawasaki City Kawasaki Ward After the Rain: Yokohama City School Days: Sagamihara City 15. Niigata Prefecture Idol Incidents: Niigata City Dream Eater Merry: Jouetsu City 16. Toyama Prefecture Yuru Yuri: Takaoka City Persona: trinity soul: Toyama City Sakura Quest: Nanto City Another: Nanto City I want to eat your pancreas: Imizu City Wolf Children: Kamiichi Town

mey 3y ago

This put into my mind the Travel Oregon ads produced a couple years ago in the Miyazaki style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doVV1a7XgyQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doVV1a7XgyQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIC-XmyEfhI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIC-XmyEfhI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi4fGPPPmGA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi4fGPPPmGA

radicalriddler 3y ago

Interesting idea. If I were ever to travel to Japan, I'd visit a lot of the cities and towns that are mentioned in Murakami's books, including those that were affected by the gas attacks.