Anime in Aichi

The real-world train station of the Meitetsu Line in Tokoname, which Muge and other characters frequently use during their daily lives. It acts as the gateway to the historic pottery city and serves as the starting point for anime pilgrims visiting the town.

The most famous and iconic slope on the pottery footpath (Yakimono Sanpo-michi). Its side walls are lined with Meiji-era clay pipes ("dokan") and Showa-era shochu bottles, while the path is paved with pottery rings to prevent slipping. Muge is seen walking along this beautiful lane in her cat form "Taro".

A historic and peaceful Shinto shrine nestled on a wooded hill in Tokoname. Its quiet grounds, stone steps, and traditional stone lanterns served as the direct model for the mysterious shrine where Muge encounters the Cat Mask Seller and receives the magical mask.

A historic red metal pedestrian bridge built in 1921 over a excavated sunken road, connecting Sakae-machi and Togo-cho. It appears multiple times in the film, notably when Muge jumps down with endless energy to surprise Hinode, and offers a panoramic view of the traditional pottery chimneys.

Built in 1887, this is the largest remaining climbing multi-chamber pottery kiln in Japan, featuring 8 distinctive brick chimneys and a 17-degree slope. Although operations ceased in 1973, it is preserved as a Cultural Property and its industrial silhouette anchors the film's beautiful backgrounds.

A massive sculpture measuring 3.8 meters high and 6.3 meters wide, depicting the head of a giant Maneki-neko (welcoming cat) peeking over a retaining wall on Lucky Cat Street. While a modern tourist monument, its iconic presence matches the film's magical cat theme perfectly.

A large artificial white-sand beach located in the coastal area of Tokoname, directly opposite the artificial island of Chubu Centrair International Airport. This is the exact setting for the lively summer festival where Muge and Hinode walk together, culminating in a beautiful fireworks display.

A historic wooden pottery studio built in 1921. Owned by the ancestors of one of the film's directors, it served as the exact, detailed visual reference for the Hinode family residence, the wooden courtyard, the large traditional kiln, and the workshop where Hinode practices pottery.

The real-world state high school situated on a hill in Tokoname. The classrooms, corridors, main entrances, and sports fields were realistically illustrated in the film, serving as the backdrop for the daily school life of Muge, Hinode, and their friends.

A massive open-air architectural museum in Inuyama, Aichi, dedicated to preserving historic buildings from the Meiji and Taisho eras. Among its structures stands the Tokyo Military Hospital Pavilion, an imposing Western-style wooden building featuring large windows and long white corridors. Its recovery wards served as the direct visual reference for the rehabilitation rooms of the Butterfly Mansion (Chojo-yashiki) managed by Insect Hashira Shinobu Kocho.

A full-scale reconstruction of the Kusakabe family home, built for Expo 2005 in Aichi and now part of the 'Dondoko Forest' area of Ghibli Park in Nagakute. Every room — kitchen, bath, the father's study, drawers that really open — reproduces the film's house in obsessive detail, down to everyday 1950s objects. It is the most faithful official recreation of Totoro's world.