fans dedicate
ema, and a monument to SKE48's song "Hazumisaki'' located in Hazumisaki Park. In 2012, when the song ranked first in a popularity poll, the number of visits from fans increased, and in 2013 the local tourism association erected a monument to promote the song. became more popular as a tourist destination after and during the TV airing of
Yuru Camp.
Merits When a famous work is set in a place or the author's hometown, it becomes a valuable tourist resource, as many people visit to experience the thoughts and feelings of the characters. In Japan, since the
postwar period, local governments, tourism associations, chambers of commerce, and film commissions have actively cooperated in the production of films as part of their efforts towards
community building and
revitalization, and there are increasing frequencies of cases where they market and promote the fact that a certain film was shot in their region. According to a 2016 report by Juroku Research Institute, tourists visiting Gifu to engage in anime tourism for
A Silent Voice,
Your Name, and
Rudolf the Black Cat were estimated at a combined 1.3 million people, and were estimated to have contributed 25.3 billion yen to Gifu's economy. Some of the
Yamanashi campsites and landmarks featured in
Yuru Camp reported an increase in visitors. Road in
Sakaiminato, Tottori The city of
Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture is the birthplace of
GeGeGe no Kitarō mangaka
Shigeru Mizuki. The city developed a region called "Shigeru Mizauki Road" lined with statues of Mizuki's
yōkai illustrations and successfully promoted itself as "Kitaro's Hometown". Later,
Himi, Toyama Prefecture, the birthplace of
Fujiko Fujio, promoted itself around the theme of
Ninja Hattori-kun and developed a statue-lined road in addition to a themed train, following Sakaiminato's successful formula
. In recent years, there have also been examples where the purpose is to promote the area where the work is set as a permanent living place in addition to tourism promotion. In
Kasukabe, Saitama, the Nohara family, the main cast of
Crayon Shin-chan, have been given a special resident certificate (
特別住民票) to support child rearing and education. With the success of
Densha Otoko in 2005,
otaku culture, or the "
moe industry", began to permeate into the general public, and the economic effects of anime made for enthusiasts began to be reported on in the press. Although the total number of people moved by these series is smaller than more general-audience dramas and films, they are characterized with a high turnover rate in sales of related goods, and in some cases, they have revitalized local shopping districts. Unlike with dramas or films, there is no need to get
intellectual property clearance to use the likeness of actors, and advertising can be produced at a lower cost. The case of
Lucky Star and
Washinomiya in particular drew much attention from academic and economic perspectives as a successful example of using otaku-oriented media to revitalize. The number of
hatsumōde visitors to Washinomiya increased from 90,000 in 2006 to 470,000 in 2008.
Lucky Star fans contribute to annual festivals at Washinomiya and parade a
mikoshi (portable shrine) showcasing amateur illustrations of
Lucky Star characters. In October of the same year, a giant statue of the robot from
Tetsujin 28-go was unveiled outside
Shin-Nagata Station,
Kobe, in honor of hometown mangaka
Mitsuteru Yokoyama. The
Unicorn Gundam statue which replaced the RX-78 in 2017 appeared in the route of the
Triathlon at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Another full-scale Gundam was constructed for
Gundam Factory Yokohama in
Yokohama Bay and opened December 2020, with moving limbs and a ticketed observation deck, making it the first attraction of its kind. The facility closed March 31, 2024, after a drone and firework show. In addition to the economic benefits, it also has the effect of broadening human ties, such as creating attachment from the fans of content to the area and deepening exchanges among local businesses through tie-up projects.
Hokkaido University associate professor Takayoshi Yamamura authored a triangular model arguing a nearly mutual relationship between fans, producers, and local authorities.
Concerns Many of the places targeted for pilgrimages are facilities or buildings where no visual distinction can be seen, and in some cases, general residences, schools, and other facilities are included in the neighborhood, which may cause anxiety to local residents who are unaware of the situation, thereby disturbing and inconveniencing their daily lives. Unlike live-action, anime are not filmed on location with the participation of on-screen actors, and are sometimes not advertised by local stations, governments, or chambers of commerce. There are many cases where the work itself may end up disappearing from relevance if it does not gain momentum. Most TV anime have a broadcast period of roughly three months to one year, and
seichi junrei is usually most popular during and after airing, a trend that was also observed in tourism behavior among fans of
NHK Taiga dramas. If the popularity of a TV program - anime or otherwise - is a short-lived "boom and bust", the "boom" may pass by the time the local community is ready to accept a sudden increase in the number of tourists, leaving the destination area with only confusion and burdens. Pilgrims sometimes act in bizarre ways that are suspicious in the eyes of local residents unfamiliar with the work and the extenuating circumstances. Some more extreme fans might violate the unwritten rules of
meiwaku (
迷惑) or commit outright illegal acts such as trespassing to access
seichi in secluded and private spaces. As an example, some fans broke into the grounds of a high school in
Nishinomiya, Hyogo, which is said to be the model school in the
Haruhi Suzumiya series, and painted graffiti on the grounds of the school. Similar problems occurred on the grounds of the
Numazu, Shizuoka school modeled in
Love Live! Sunshine!! in addition to vandalism of manhole covers.
Free! graffiti was found at Arasuna Shrine in
Iwami, Tottori, which was featured in the anime with its name intact. For these reasons, the producers of some works have called for self-restraint or halting of
seichi junrei.
In This Corner of the World director
Sunao Katabuchi posted a strong warning in 2017 ahead of expected
seichi junrei, pleading for enthusiasts to avoid visiting the quiet neighborhoods depicted in the film. featured in
Bocchi the Rock!. Fans frequently trespassed to take photos at the base of this staircase While businesses can benefit from
seichijunrei-sha, sometimes they are seen as a nuisance, especially those who trespass, loiter, or intend to conduct
seichi junrei while trying not to interact with the business in conventional means (making purchases, using services). Shelter, the
live house venue featured in
Bocchi the Rock!, witnessed fans of the series attending concerts without paying for tickets or otherwise trespassing on the property of the venue and its neighbors. A post was made to encourage proper behavior on the anime's official website.
Persona 5 developers
Atlus made a post on their website regarding fan behavior causing inconveniences, particularly when visiting a particular laundromat in
Sangenjaya "for purposes other than using its services". A city or neighborhood might be featured in types of media that residents do not want to be associated with, as in the case of the
Higurashi When They Cry murder mystery visual novel series and anime, reportedly deemed by some residents of
Shirakawa Village as excessively violent or obscene, in addition to concerns over s
eichi junrei-sha committing
meiwaku. Shirakawa created an official manga to serve as a manners guide for
Higurashi fans and conventional tourists. Similar distaste for association has been noted near infamous
AV shooting locations such as the
Hanazono Room. Local businesses and stores in
seichi spots sometimes create and sell unauthorized goods without considering
copyright restrictions, because they are hot sellers. The Hokkaido city of
Tomakomai, as depicted in
Erased, sold unauthorized products until it was made to stop by rightsholders. A similar case was seen in
Oarai, Ibaraki, where
Bandai Namco Filmworks'
Girls und Panzer was set. In response,
GuP producer Kiyoshi Sugiyama strengthened relations with the local community by first turning a blind eye and then later signing official contracts. After hearing cases where the government was involved in
top-down collaborations with local communities from the start and the result was failure, Sugiyama did not have much faith in the power of using anime for local revitalization. Despite his misgivings, the relationship between fans of
Girls und Panzer and Oarai is now considered a success story for
seichi junrei. The collaboration between
Bandai Namco Filmworks, also the producers of
Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne and
Kamogawa, Chiba is considered by some to be one such case of failure. The name Kamogawa,
landmarks of the city, and its
meibutsu (regional specialties) appeared frequently in the anime, but fans were critical of the fact that the attempt for a tie-in felt like blatant
product placement. In truth, the city did not incite or sponsor the creation the anime with the intention of revitalizing Kamogawa, and the
Rin-ne no Lagrange Kamogawa Promotion Committee claims that they learned of the anime's production after the fact. == Related works ==