#yurionice
Presenter Jerry Crowley gave his debut Anime Boston panel on Friday evening entitled Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Anime Tourism. He explained that, once the space-age and science fiction era of 1970s and 1980s anime cooled off, the medium moved into “slice-of-life” offerings in the 1990s and beyond. Settings were moved from distant fictional planets to actual locations throughout Japan.
In the mid-2000s, the Japanese government took notice of this and encouraged local governments around the country to capitalize on their small claims to fame. Unlike in the U.S., where local residents tend to grow irritated at the increased tourism movie and TV show notoriety provides (just ask any given person trying to enter the Philadelphia Museum of Art as dozens of “Rocky” fanatics race up the steps alongside them, to varying degrees of completion), things are thankfully different in Japan. Local areas embrace the anime that put them on the map in many ways, leaving tourists and locals alike happy at the end of the day.
If you are heading to Japan anytime soon, check out some of these locations for yourself!
Sailor Moon - Kimi-Chan statue
Azabu-juban, Minato Ward, Tokyo
Fans of Sailor Mercury in particular will appreciate seeing this statue.
Yuri!! On Ice - Karatsu Castle
Karatsu, Saga Prefecture
Cleverly, it became “Haratsu Castle” for the anime.
Zombie Land Saga - Yakitori restaurant
Imari, Saga Prefecture
Fun fact: the owner of the restaurant voiced himself in the episode!
K-On - Toyosato High School
Toyosato, Shiga Prefecture
You can actually go in and tour the school, seeing just how detailed the K-On animators were able to get with the interior scenes.
–Mike Fenn, AB staff blogger