Anime in Gifu

A former iron railway bridge over the Ibi River, now a pedestrian walkway and a Nationally Important Cultural Property. It is the setting for the opening scene: Shōya, standing on the railing, stares into the void until a bursting firework brings him back. (Coordinate approximate, by the bridge's address.)

Midori-bashi, over the Suimon canal in Four Seasons Plaza (Shiki no Hiroba), is the single most important place in the work: here Shōya, Shōko and their friends gather, and Shōko feeds bread to the canal's large koi. The same park holds the waterfall tunnel where Shōko feeds pigeons. It appears on manga covers. (Coordinate approximate, by address.)

The park beside Ōgaki Castle appears several times: it is where Shōya looks after his niece Maria and later comes to the aid of Yuzuru, Shōko's little sister. The coming-of-age ceremony scene is also set here. A serene park at the foot of the restored castle.

Ōgaki's main station, the city's transport hub, is seen several times in the film, notably when the group meets up to go looking for Sahara, Shōko's old friend. The covered shopping arcade leading from the station also appears repeatedly.

The covered shopping arcade in central Ōgaki is where Shōko appears wearing a ponytail. The roofed arcade, typical of mid-sized Japanese cities, is reproduced with its shopfronts and lanterns. (Coordinate approximate, by address.)

The hospital where Shōya is admitted after falling from a balcony while saving Shōko at the film's climax. One of the film's most tense moments. (Coordinate approximate, by address.)

Shōya, Shōko and Yuzuru take a day trip to Yōrō Park, south of Ōgaki. The outing unfolds at the 'Site of Reversible Destiny' (Yōrō Tenmei Hantenchi), an art-park of tilted, disorienting landscapes, beside the famous Yōrō Falls. (Coordinate of the art park; the falls are about a kilometre away.)

Gifu Station, in the prefectural capital, appears in the film as a transit point from Ōgaki. Its plaza with the golden statue of Oda Nobunaga is a recognizable backdrop of the area.

The cluster of steep thatched-roof gasshō-zukuri farmhouses of Ogimachi is the direct model for the village of Hinamizawa. Its lanes, rice paddies, and centuries-old houses are reproduced with photographic fidelity throughout the series. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995, together with Gokayama.

The lookout on the ruins of Ogimachi Castle offers the panoramic view of the village from above: the very framing that opens many episodes and shows Hinamizawa ringed by mountains and rice fields. A 15-minute walk from the village center.

The village shrine, model for the Furude Shrine tended by Rika Furude's family. Its grounds host the annual Doburoku Festival each October — the basis for the cotton-drifting festival (Watanagashi) around which the entire plot revolves. Surrounded by ancient cedars.

The pedestrian suspension bridge over the Shō River connecting the main parking area to the village. It is the gateway into Hinamizawa and appears in numerous transition scenes of Keiichi and his friends.

The largest and oldest gasshō-zukuri house in Ogimachi (an Important Cultural Property), home of an influential local family. Its imposing wooden architecture represents the great houses of Hinamizawa village. Open to visitors inside.

A Buddhist temple with a rare thatched gasshō-zukuri bell gate (shōrō) and main hall, one of the most photographed buildings in Shirakawa-go. It provides the rural-temple atmosphere that pervades the village settings in the series.

The public high school Honobu Yonezawa attended is the model for Kamiyama High, home of the Classics Club. Its cherry trees are the ones in the series' key visual. It is a working school: view it only from outside, without disturbing anyone.

Takayama's municipal library, in the Western-style Kanshōkan building, appears in episode 18 ("Is the Federation Sunny?"): the entrance and the ground- and first-floor desks are very faithful. Photography inside is not allowed without permission.

It is the model for the Pineapple Sandwich café, where Oreki and Chitanda sit down to talk in episode 2 (it also appears in the promotional video). The façade, the sign and the table where they sit are instantly recognisable. Ask permission before taking photos inside.

The crossing by this bridge over the Miyagawa is where Oreki and Satoshi part on the way home (ep. 1), and it also appears on the cover of the special edition of "Kudryavka no Junban". The bridge carries statues of Tenaga and Ashinaga, two figures from Hida folklore, and across it begin the wooden streets of the historic centre.

Taki, accompanied by Okudera-senpai and Tsukasa, gets off the train here to look for the town he has drawn. The waiting room, the bus roundabout (where they question a taxi driver) and the footbridge over the tracks all appear. According to Hida City (August 2026), trains line up on tracks 1 and 2, as in the film, only once a day, at 9:57.

This is the library where Taki looks through the records of the comet disaster that destroyed Itomori. Inside there is a corner dedicated to the film, and for the 10th anniversary the bookmarks that became popular in 2016 have been reissued. Ask at the counter before taking photos inside.

According to Hida City, the stairs of this Furukawa shrine are the setting of the scene where Taki goes around asking people about the landscape in his drawing. It is not the model for the Miyamizu shrine of Mitsuha's family. About 15 minutes on foot from the station.

At this rural stop, Taki and his companions wait for the bus, dejected after finding no leads. It had fallen out of use; after the film's release a sign evoking the scene was put up, and today the city's loop bus uses it. It is about 18 minutes by car north of Keta Wakamiya Shrine.

The manga begins here: in 1600, Takezō (the future Musashi) and his friend Matahachi, who had left their village dreaming of making their fortune, end up on the losing side of the Battle of Sekigahara. The battlefield museum explains the conflict.