Anime (アニメ) is loved by people from all over the world, and is considered as one of the main influences for people to learn Japanese. Some of the most recognised anime titles include Doraemon, One Piece, and Dragonball Z, and they have achieved global reach and put Japan’s contemporary subculture on the world map.
These days, it is common to see anime being incorporated into almost anything, from product marketing to event marketing. As anime gradually becomes more recognised worldwide, anime fans become more enamoured with travelling to Japan, the birthplace of anime itself. More specifically, they start to fancy the idea of travelling to the places featured in the anime they like, hence starting the trend of “anime pilgrimages”.
In recent times, more anime titles have featured settings inspired by lesser-known real-life locations. Several anime movies such as “Princess Mononoke” (もののけ姫) and “My Neighbour Totoro” (となりのトトロ) have used real-life locations in prefectures Kagoshima (鹿児島県) and Saitama (埼玉県) respectively as reference, and more recent blockbusters like “Your Name.” (君の名は) have drawn inspiration from the mountainous city of Hida (飛騨市) in Gifu Prefecture (岐阜県).
Unbeknownst to many people, the Tohoku Region (東北地方) has been used as the main backdrop for many famous anime titles. In this article, I will show you the places in Tohoku that have inspired anime productions by the most celebrated animation studio in Japan.
Feels like it was Only Yesterday…
It may surprise you that Yamagata Prefecture (山形県) has featured in anime productions many times. The mountainous prefecture has inspired some of the most critically acclaimed anime titles in the world. Some of them are produced by none other than Studio Ghibli (スタジオジブリ), founded in 1985 by directors Miyazaki Hayao (宮崎 駿) and Takahata Isao (高畑 勲), and producers Suzuki Toshio (鈴木 敏夫) and Tokuma Yasuyoshi (徳間 康快).
“Only Yesterday” trailer. (Video credit: FilmIsNow Movie Trailers)
One of the studio’s earlier works is “Only Yesterday” (おもひでぽろぽろ), produced in 1991 and directed by Takahata Isao. It is an adult-centric realistic drama about a woman who returns to her rural hometown and reflects on her life while reminiscing her childhood days and wondering if she had stayed true to her dreams. Although not as critically acclaimed worldwide as other Ghibli titles, it was a sleeper hit when it came out in cinemas as it resonated with mature audiences and dealt with themes close to Japanese people’s hearts.
The movie’s central character Taeko is a woman born and bred in Tokyo. She decides to take a trip to the rural countryside of Yamagata to help with her brother-in-law’s family’s safflower harvests. Upon making her way there, she began to reminisce about her childhood days and wonder if she had stayed true to her dreams as a child. Taeko’s sentiments resonate with many locals living in the countryside such as Yamagata, which is a prefecture that locals would visit as a getaway from the hustle and bustle of big cities, and it boasts many splendid sceneries that visitors ought to check out.
The central motif of “Only Yesterday” is the safflower (紅花 benibana), where Taeko’s main objective was to help out with her family’s safflower harvesting. Safflowers are reddish-yellow flowers that are synonymous with Yamagata Prefecture, and they are traditionally prized and used for making dyes. This practice is still in use today, and visitors can even take part in dyeing workshops to experience making them. Commercially they are used for flavouring foodstuffs such as soba and sticky rice cakes, making lipstick and cosmetics, and manufacturing textiles for kimono fabrics.
In one scene, Taeko makes her way to her brother-in-law’s family’s home in Takase (高瀬), a quiet and peaceful district in Yamagata. Takase is actually known for its safflower fields, which provided as the main setting for “Only Yesterday”. In fact, thanks to the movie, many people all over the world have come to learn about the town.
Moreover, safflower forms a part of Takase’s identity so much that it celebrates the Yamagata Benibana Matsuri (山形紅花まつり), a summer event held from early to mid-July every year. During this event, visitors can enjoy viewing the sprawling safflower fields, local performances and entertainment, and take part in safflower dyeing experiences.
Perhaps an interesting small point to Taeko’s journey is how it began the same way as with most people: the train station. More specifically, the JR Yamagata Station (JR山形駅). It was shown in this scene, when she set foot on the grounds of her home prefecture and meets Toshio.
There’s an interesting fact about the movie and the station. People these days commonly take the Yamagata Shinkansen (山形新幹線) to travel from Tokyo to Yamagata, but in the movie Taeko was seen taking an overnight train. Why? It is because the movie was set in 1982, and Shinkansen services weren’t available at the station only until 1992.
Last but not least, there was the climactic scene where, as Taeko was about to return to Tokyo, an image of Yamadera’s landscape appeared. Yamadera is one of the highlights of Yamagata, and is a historical monument that carries significance in the region. The train ride that she took was also on Senzan Line (仙山線), which spans between JR Yamagata Station and JR Sendai Station.
Being Spirited Away
“Spirited Away” trailer. (Video credit: YouTube Movies)
Studio Ghibli has garnered recognition worldwide for producing amazing animated films for decades. The studio has churned out numerous timeless masterpieces, from the commemorative fantasy “Castle in the Sky” (天空の城ラピュタ) and poignant war drama “Grave of the Fireflies” (火垂るの墓) in the 1980s, to the visceral classic “Princess Mononoke” (もののけ姫). But if there is one work regarded as the most successful of all time, arguably it would be “Spirited Away” (千と千尋の神隠し Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi).
Released in 2001, “Spirited Away” tells the story of a 10-year old girl named Ogino Chihiro who enters a world of spirits based on Japanese Shinto folklore. Since its release, the movie has become one of the most commercially successful Japanese animated movies of all time. Several places have inspired “Spirited Away”, and the places are not just limited to the Tohoku Region but inspired by other parts of Japan and even other countries.
The central setting of the movie is the bathhouse (銭湯 sentō), and director Miyazaki Hayao drew inspiration from one in his hometown. It is said that, for the majority of the movie’s bathhouse scenes, one of the main inspirations came from the iconic Ginzan Onsen (銀山温泉) in Yamagata Prefecture.
Ginzan Onsen, which translates as “Silver Mountain Hot Spring”, is a hot spring town that lies secluded in the mountains of Yamagata Prefecture. It used to be a silver mine town many years ago, but mining activities have ceased, and the town has been converted into a hot spring town. Now it is famous for being one of the most picture-perfect hot spring towns in Japan, with people from all over the world visiting time and time again.
“Spirited Away” was inspired not just by Ginzan Onsen, but by several other hot spring resorts in Japan. It is said that other hot spring resorts that influenced the movie include Dogo Onsen (道後温泉) in Ehime Prefecture; Sekizenkan (積善館) in Shima Onsen, Gunma Prefecture; and Kanaguya (金具屋) in Shibu Onsen, Nagano Prefecture. If you are an avid fan of the movie, you can check out these hot spring resorts too.
The Secret World of Aomori
“The Secret World of Arrietty” trailer. (Video credit: Walt Disney Studios)
Unbeknownst to most people, Aomori Prefecture has also provided inspiration to one of Studio Ghibli’s newer movies. In 2010, the studio showed us “The Secret World of Arrietty” (借りぐらしのアリエッティ Karigurashi no Arietti), which tells the story of a group of tiny people called Borrowers, who live in secret in the floors and corners of ordinary households. The movie is based on a novel written in 1952 called “The Borrowers” by Mary Norton.
One day, a boy named Shō visited his mother’s childhood home to spend the summer with his great-aunt Sadako. Little does he know that the home is also inhibited by a family of Borrowers, one of which is a girl named Arrietty. Gradually Shō and Arrietty learned about each other, and became lifelong friends. “The Secret World of Arrietty” was the highest-grossing movie in Japan for 2010, and has garnered many praises around the world.
The house that Shō spends for the summer is based on Seibien (盛美園), a picturesque landscape garden located in the city of Hirakawa (平川市) in Aomori Prefecture. This magnificent garden is nationally designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty (名勝 meishō), and is unlike other structures in Japan.
The garden is designed according to О̄ishi Bugaku-ryū (大石武学流), a Japanese landscaping style that is unique and native to Tsugaru, a region in Aomori Prefecture. It features a large pond, stepping stones, and stone bridges which are distinctive of the style. The meticulously designed garden spans more than 9,000 square metres in area, and it took up to 9 years to be laid out, from 1902 to 1911.
The most outstanding feature of the entire compound is Seibikan (盛美館), a Western-styled mansion that contrasts against the Japanese garden. Seibikan was built in 1909 and designed according to Giyofu (擬洋風建築), which is Japanese pseudo-Western architecture that resembles Western-style construction but relies on Japanese techniques. This mansion drew inspiration from Japanese and Western architecture that was predominant during the Meiji Period.
Seibien (盛美園)
Address: 1 Sayuka-Ishibayashi, Hirakawa-shi, Aomori-ken 036-0242
Access: 10-minute walk from Konan Railways Tsugaru-Onoe Station (弘南鉄道津軽尾上駅)
Closing
Anime pilgrimage is becoming more popular these days, limited not only to hardcore anime fans but even general anime viewers. I have been on an anime pilgrimage to Japan once, albeit a short one. Some of my friends have been on much more ambitious pilgrimages, touring the entire country and venturing out to obscure anime-based locations that even locals have not been to before. Tohoku Region has inspired many anime titles that are loved worldwide, and in turn, inspired people to seek out the actual locations themselves.
There are so many more locations in Japan used in anime not just limited to those by Studio Ghibli, so why not try on a different kind of journey this time round? Perhaps the best locations are those known only to those who watch anime!
JR EAST PASS (Tohoku area)
The JR EAST PASS (Tohoku area) is an affordable pass that offers unlimited train rides on JR East lines, including bullet trains, within the valid area for 5 consecutive days. It’s only ¥30,000, making it a considerable option for rail travellers. Pass holders can also reserve seats online for up to a month in advance for free on the JR-EAST Train Reservation.
Header image credit: Yamagata Prefecture
