ANIME PILGRIMAGE

Quite a few anime and manga stories take place in real-world locations and borrow their scenery. Fans of these works regard these locations as “holy sites” and visit them frequently. Lucky Star (Raki☆Suta), a four-frame manga drawn by Kagami Yoshimizu, became an anime work in 2007 and won many fans inside and outside Japan. An anime version of the manga appeared on TV, using Washinomiya in Saitama Pref. as the setting of its story. As a result, sightseers spent more than a billion yen over three years to visit this location — the most financially successful anime pilgrimage yet.

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This place appears as Takanomiya Shrine in the story. The father of two sisters (who are the main characters) of the Hiiragi family is the chief priest of this shrine. He is skilled at drawing illustrations on wooden plaques (ema) for dedication to the spirits.

This summer festival has been held for generations in Washinomiya. Since 2008, the Lucky Star mikoshi (portable shrine) has made its appearance, carried by fans. This mikoshi procession is accompanied with the rallying cry of “moe moe” instead of the regular “sore sore.”

An old-fashioned mom-and-pop candy store is filled with drawings from Lucky Star.

3D LATTE ART
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BRAIN WAVE CAT EARS
cutting-edge tech joins Japan’s “fetish” (moe) culture
VACUUM TUBE HEADPHONES
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NEXT GENERATION
TOYOTA x STUDIO4°C collaboration begins a new PES Project called “Next Generation”
Chopsticks
Character bento
キャラ弁
Electrical goods store
家電量販店
Public bathhouse
銭湯
Shinjuku
新宿
Meiji Shrine
明治神宮
Ooedo Onsen Monogatari
大江戸温泉物語
Architecture Street
建築ストリート
Umi-budoh
海ぶどう
Steakhouse
ステーキハウス
Resort beaches
リゾートビーチ
Shuri Castle
首里城
Japan
VOCALOID
Japan
Neon Genesis EVANGELION
Italy
Neon Genesis EVANGELION
Germany
STEINS;GATE
Outdoor girl finds kawaii in a sleeping bag.
How global fans see Japan: kawaii heaven.
The color wizard behind 80s kawaii revival.
Natural kawaii with new balance for future fashion.
Zazen
坐禅
Inspiration of Buddha Statues
仏像
Antique fair
東寺弘法市
Modern jikatabi
モダン地下足袋
Metal tableware
金属食器
Kimono
着物
Elevator attendants
エレベーターアテンダント
Hasamiyaki ceramics
波佐見焼
ODEN
おでん
KAISEKI
懐石
WASABI
山葵
SUSHI
寿司
KOHEI NAWA
TABAIMO
YAYOI KUSAMA
TAKU OBATA
NEBUTA MATSURI
NIIHAMA TAIKO MATSURI
AWA ODORI
SANJA MATSURI
IAI
居合
KARATEDO
空手
JUDO
柔道
SHODO
書道
KATANA-KAJI
刀鍛冶
FOOD MODEL CRAFTSMAN
食品サンプル職人
SENSHOKU-KA
染織家
SUKIYA-DAIKU
数寄屋大工
GAME CENTER
GAME CENTER
SPACE INVADERS
SPACE INVADERS
FAMILY COMPUTER / NES
Family Computer / NES
PLAY STATION
PlayStation