Anime in Nagano

Matsumoto's black castle (the 'Crow Castle'), a 16th-century national treasure and the city's symbol. Its keep and moat appear as a backdrop to the protagonists' lives.

Matsumoto Station and the plaza at its castle-side exit, a meeting point and the start of the protagonists' journeys through the city.

A park a short walk from the station, with a tree-lined avenue and the historic former Matsumoto Higher School building. A setting for walks and everyday scenes in the series.

A pedestrian shopping street beside the Metoba River, near the castle, with over sixty little shops and frogs as the district's mascot. One of Matsumoto's most characterful corners that the series walks through.

A real Matsumoto high school that serves as the model for the fictional Tsutsujigaoka High that Naho, Kakeru and their friends attend. It is a working school, not visitable inside.

A small park with a flower clock in central Matsumoto, behind the Parco mall, appearing in the series' everyday scenes.

The Sanada clan's castle, whose Higashi-Koguchi Yagura gate inspired the imposing entrance to the Jinnouchi residence that greets visitors in the film.

The station where Kenji and Natsuki arrive in the city at the start of their summer. The starting point of the trip to the family house.

Terminus of the Ueda Railway's Bessho Line, whose distinctive round-window "Marumado" trains appear on the protagonists' journey to the family house.

The historic hot-spring town on the outskirts of Ueda embodies the quiet rural Nagano summer the film breathes. A fitting end to the pilgrimage.

The historic Karuizawa hotel (Nagano) is the model for the Kusakaru Hotel, where Jiro reunites with Nahoko during a summer in the mountains. The heart of the film's romance.

The Fujimi Highlands (Nagano), home to the mountain sanatorium where Nahoko is treated for tuberculosis, inspired by Tatsuo Hori's novel. The landscape of the lovers' separation.

Lake Suwa — Model for Lake Itomori

Rekishi no Yado Kanaguya Ryokan — Shibu Onsen, Nagano

Highland plateau at 1,665 m above Lake Suwa where Rin solo-camps in one of the most iconic episodes: the night view of the sea of clouds, the lights of Suwa and Fuji in the distance is among the most beautiful imagery the series has produced. In real life it is a legendary spot among photographers.