Anime Pilgrimage in Japan: Real-Life Anime Locations You Can Visit

Stand at the top of a set of stone stairs in Yotsuya on a weekday morning, and you will see someone below holding up a phone. They are lining up a frame against a still from Your Name, matching the railing and the angle of the street to the scene where the two leads finally meet. When the shot is right, they grin and step aside for the next person.

That is an anime pilgrimage. Fans call it seichi junrei, or "visiting sacred places," and it means traveling to the real locations that appear in anime. Japan has hundreds of them, from a shrine staircase in central Tokyo to a whole seaside town in Shizuoka.

What is an anime pilgrimage?

An anime pilgrimage is a trip to the real places that inspired an anime's backgrounds. Many studios base their scenes on real streets, stations, and shrines. Fans then track them down, compare the view with the screen and often leave a drawing or message behind.

The idea is mainstream in Japan now. "Seichi junrei" was named one of the top 10 buzzwords of 2016 in the annual U-Can New Words and Buzzwords Award, the year Your Name came out. Towns that once saw few tourists now print maps and run stamp rallies for fans.

The clearest proof is Washinomiya Shrine north of Tokyo, which appears in Lucky Star. New Year visitors rose from 130,000 in 2007 to 450,000 in 2010 after the show aired. That is according to research published by Hokkaido University.

Anime pilgrimage spots in Tokyo

Tokyo is the easiest place to start. Several of the best-known anime locations sit within a short subway ride of each other, and you can cover them in a day.

Suga Shrine stairs (Your Name)

These red-railed stone stairs lead up to Suga Shrine in Yotsuya. They appear at the climax of Makoto Shinkai's Your Name (2016), and they are one of the most photographed anime locations in Japan. The shrine is about a 7-minute walk from Yotsuya-sanchome Station on the Marunouchi Line, per the GO TOKYO guide to Yotsuya.

The stairs below Suga Shrine appear in the final scene of Your Name.

Go early in the morning for the closest match to the film's light and the fewest people. This is a quiet residential street, so keep your voice down and stand to the side while you shoot. At the top, the shrine sells ema wooden prayer plaques, and many fans draw the film's characters on theirs.

Fans leave ema with drawings of the Your Name characters at Suga Shrine.

Shinjuku Gyoen (The Garden of Words)

Shinkai's earlier film The Garden of Words (2013) is set almost entirely in Shinjuku Gyoen, during the rainy season. The covered rest house by the pond is the place fans come to find. A rainy day is the right day to visit.

Adult admission is ¥500. Alcohol is prohibited in the garden under the Ministry of the Environment's rules for Shinjuku Gyoen. The film shows Yukino drinking beer there, so do not copy that part.

Shinjuku Gyoen's ponds and rest houses are the main setting of The Garden of Words.

Ghibli Museum in Mitaka

The Ghibli Museum is not a pilgrimage site in the strict sense, since it was built for fans rather than drawn from life. Still, every Studio Ghibli fan wants to go. Adult tickets cost ¥1,000, and you must buy them in advance through Lawson Ticket. Sales open at 10:00 Japan time on the 10th of each month for the following month, according to the Ghibli Museum's ticket page. No tickets are sold at the door.

The Ghibli Museum in Mitaka sells tickets only in advance.

Akihabara, Nakano Broadway and Ikebukuro

These are the anime places in Tokyo for shopping rather than scenery. Akihabara has the biggest concentration of anime, game and figure shops in the city. A guided anime and gaming walking tour of Akihabara is the fastest way to find the specialist floors you would walk straight past on your own.

Nakano Broadway is a 1960s shopping arcade five minutes from Nakano Station, packed with secondhand figures, manga and collectibles. Our Nakano Broadway collectibles guide covers which floors to start on.

In Ikebukuro, Otome Road is the center of fan culture aimed at women, with shops for anime goods and character merchandise.

Akihabara is Tokyo's main district for anime, game and figure shops.

Anime pilgrimage day trips from Tokyo

Some of the most rewarding anime locations sit an hour or two outside the city. Each one makes an easy day trip by train.

Kamakurakokomae crossing (Slam Dunk)

The railroad crossing beside Kamakurakokomae Station on the Enoden line appears in the opening of Slam Dunk. The ocean sits right behind it. Since The First Slam Dunk film came out in 2022, the crossing has drawn so many visitors that the city of Kamakura has had to step in.

In September 2025, Kamakura ran a trial with a fenced photo area in Koshigoe Rakko Park next to the station. It was used 9,490 times in four days. The city asks visitors not to take photos from the road and not to stop or park near the station. It also asks them not to enter private property, according to Kamakura City's tourism notice. Guards now work at the crossing on weekdays as well as weekends.

Kamakura's local ticket options make the trip cheap. An Enoden one-day pass costs ¥800 for adults. From Shinjuku, Odakyu's Enoshima-Kamakura Freepass costs ¥1,640 and covers the return trip plus unlimited Enoden rides.

Washinomiya Shrine (Lucky Star)

Washinomiya Shrine in Kuki, Saitama, is the home of the Lucky Star pilgrimage and one of the earliest examples of a town embracing anime fans. The shrine is about an 8-minute walk from Washinomiya Station on the Tobu Isesaki Line. Look for the ema plaques covered in character drawings.

Chichibu (Anohana and The Anthem of the Heart)

The mountain town of Chichibu in Saitama is the setting for Anohana and The Anthem of the Heart. Seibu's Laview limited express runs from Ikebukuro to Seibu-Chichibu in as little as 77 minutes, with a ¥900 express surcharge. The tourist office at Seibu-Chichibu Station hands out pilgrimage maps, per Saitama Prefecture.

Seibu-Chichibu Station is the starting point for Chichibu's anime pilgrimage course.

Oarai (Girls und Panzer)

Oarai, a fishing town on the Ibaraki coast, built a second identity around Girls und Panzer. A wrapped Girls und Panzer train runs on some days on the Oarai-Kashima Line. The line runs about 15 minutes from Mito to Oarai. The Panzer Vor cafe is on the second floor of the Oarai Marine Tower.

Numazu (Love Live! Sunshine!!)

Numazu in Shizuoka is the setting of Love Live! Sunshine!!. The city lists the series' locations among its official "Numazu Treasures 100," with most of them around the Uchiura bay area.

Anime locations farther afield

The next group needs an overnight stay or a long day, but these are the trips fans talk about most.

Hida-Furukawa (Your Name)

The small town of Hida-Furukawa in Gifu stood in for the fictional town of Itomori in Your Name. Fans come for Hida-Furukawa Station on the JR Takayama Line and Ketawakamiya Shrine. They also visit the Hida City Library, where you need permission from the front desk before you take photos.

After the film's release, a Hida city tourism official reported up to 10,000 extra visitors a month, on top of about 250,000 a year. That figure comes from the Government of Japan's Highlighting Japan magazine. Hida-Furukawa is a short ride north of Takayama, so combine the two.

Hida-Furukawa Station appears in Your Name as the station near the fictional town of Itomori.

Toyosato Elementary School (K-On!)

The old Toyosato Elementary School buildings in Shiga served as the model for the school in K-On!. They are about a 10-minute walk from Toyosato Station on the Ohmi Railway. The buildings are closed on Mondays and over New Year, so check the hours with the local tourism association before you go.

Uji (Sound! Euphonium)

Uji, south of Kyoto, is the setting for Sound! Euphonium. Keihan Railway and the series are running a digital stamp rally from September 1 to December 20, 2026, according to Keihan's Euphonium campaign page. Its stops include Uji Bridge, the Daikichiyama observatory and Agata Shrine.

Ghibli Park in Aichi

Ghibli Park near Nagoya recreates places from Studio Ghibli films, including the house from My Neighbor Totoro. A Premium pass for all five areas costs ¥7,300 on weekdays and ¥7,800 on weekends. Tickets go on sale two months ahead, on the 10th at 14:00 Japan time. Our Ghibli Park ticket and access guide explains which pass to choose.

The Catbus and Totoro photo spot in Ghibli's Grand Warehouse at Ghibli Park.

How to plan an anime pilgrimage

Start with the Anime Tourism Association's annual list of "88 Anime Spots." The group was founded in 2016 and is led by Shoji Kawamori, the creator of Macross. It picks its spots each year from a fan vote, followed by talks with rights holders and local governments, per the Anime Tourism Association. The 2026 edition was expanded to 100 works for its tenth year.

Then group your spots by region. A day in Tokyo can take in Suga Shrine, Shinjuku Gyoen and Akihabara. A second day can cover Kamakura, and a third can go to Chichibu or Washinomiya. Hida-Furukawa and Uji fit naturally into a longer trip through central Japan and Kyoto.

If you would rather follow a tested route, our two-week anime pilgrimage itinerary links the Tokyo spots with Hakone and Kansai.

For a single day with transport handled, a private anime tour with a chartered car can cover several Tokyo locations in eight hours.

Before you go, save a screenshot of each scene you want to match. Light and season matter, so check when the scene takes place. Your Name's stairs look best in soft morning light. The Garden of Words is a rainy June film.

How long does an anime pilgrimage take?

It depends on how far you want to roam. Three sample plans cover most trips.

Three days is enough for the Tokyo area. Spend day one on Suga Shrine, Shinjuku Gyoen and an evening in Akihabara. Spend day two in Kamakura for the Slam Dunk crossing, then the Ghibli Museum on day three if you have tickets.

Five days adds the day trips. Pick two from Chichibu, Washinomiya, Oarai and Numazu. Chichibu and Washinomiya are the easiest from central Tokyo, while Oarai and Numazu reward fans of those specific shows.

Seven to ten days lets you go west. Take the train to Takayama and spend a morning in Hida-Furukawa. Then continue to Kyoto, where Uji is a short ride south, and finish at Ghibli Park near Nagoya on the way back.

Anime events worth planning around

Some fans build a trip around an event as well as places. AnimeJapan is the big industry fair, held each spring at Tokyo Big Sight. Comic Market, known as Comiket, is the giant fan-made manga and merchandise market held at the same venue in summer and winter. Both draw huge crowds, so book hotels near the venue early.

Smaller events happen all year. Local anime collaborations, like Uji's stamp rally, change by season and often run for just a few months. Check the town's tourism site a few weeks before you travel.

Anime pilgrimage etiquette

Most anime locations are ordinary places where people live, work and pray. The towns that welcome fans do so because most visitors behave well. A few simple rules keep it that way.

• Never stand in the road for a photo. This is the main problem at the Slam Dunk crossing, and Kamakura now uses guards and a photo area because of it.

• Do not photograph residents or their homes. Frame your shot around the street, not people's windows.

• Ask before you shoot inside buildings. The Hida City Library requires permission, and schools and shrines may have their own rules.

• Buy something local. Many towns support anime tourism because it brings money to small shops. Lunch, a local snack or an ema helps.

• Take your trash with you. Public bins are rare in Japan.

Follow those, and you will be welcome back for the sequel.