Anime in Saitama

An arched concrete bridge over the Arakawa River, now pedestrian-only, with its unmistakable cable-stay tower. It is the series' most famous location: it appears in the opening credits and as the group's recurring meeting place. The piers of the original truss bridge survive beside it, giving the spot a strong sense of history.

The secret-base hut where Jinta, Menma and their friends played as children, and where the group gathers again as teenagers, sits beside the Arakawa River near the Old Chichibu Bridge. The hut is fictional, but the riverside setting that inspired it is recognizable. (Approximate location of the area.)

The great shrine in central Chichibu, over two thousand years old and famous for the polychrome carvings on its eaves, appears in the series as one of the places the characters move through in the town.

The terminus of the Seibu-Chichibu Line and the main gateway to the city for visitors from Tokyo. The tourist office by the station hands out Anohana pilgrimage maps and rents bicycles for touring the locations.

A hillside park south of the city, famous for its 'shibazakura hill' (moss phlox). Its overlook of Chichibu and the mountains appears in the series' opening credits and is one of the panoramic spots most associated with Anohana.

A small temple on the 34-site Chichibu pilgrimage (no. 17), closely tied to the series and to Menma's memory; fans leave ema (wish plaques) illustrated with the characters here. It is one of the most emotional stops on the pilgrimage. (Coordinate approximate, by address.)

A shrine in Shimoyoshida, northwest of Chichibu, home to the Ryūsei festival, in which hand-made rockets are launched skyward from a wooden scaffold. In the series' climax, the group launches a rocket carrying a message for Menma, inspired by this real festival. (Coordinate approximate, by area.)

One of the oldest shrines in Kantō and the mecca of anime pilgrimage. It is the model for Takanomiya Shrine, where Kagami and Tsukasa work as miko. Its torii appears in the opening, and since 2008 fans have paraded a Lucky Star mikoshi at the local Hajisai festival. The fan-illustrated ema plaques are now part of the scenery.

Traditional teahouse next to the shrine's torii, renovated from an old private house. It serves Lucky Star-themed menus and was one of the first businesses to embrace the arrival of otaku pilgrims, becoming a community gathering spot.

Station on the Tōbu Isesaki Line and the pilgrims' gateway to the shrine. It appears in the series as the Hiiragi sisters' neighborhood station; the ten-minute walk from here to the torii retraces the route thousands of fans take every year.

A one-kilometer embankment lined with about a thousand Somei Yoshino cherry trees, one of Kantō's most celebrated hanami spots. It is the landscape of Satte, the town where Konata lives, and appears in the series in full bloom. In spring the contrast between the pink tunnel and the yellow nanohana fields is unreal.

Main station of Kasukabe, the city of Ryōō High School attended by Konata and the girls (modeled on Kasukabe Kyōei High School). The protagonists pass through here on their daily commutes, and the surrounding shopping streets appear in several episodes.

The Sayama Hills, straddling Saitama and Tokyo, are the model for the forest where Mei and Satsuki first see Totoro. They are one of the last remnants of the old wooded Musashino landscape, and the Totoro Fund keeps buying plots — numbered 'Totoro Forest No.1', 'No.2'… — to save them from development. Miyazaki donated part of the seed money that launched the fund.

A century-old farmhouse in Mikajima (Tokorozawa) that the Totoro Fund uses as its base and visitor center. Named after the soot sprites (makkuro kurosuke) of the film, it houses a giant Totoro presiding over the main room. The main house, the storehouse and the old tea factory have been registered as Tangible Cultural Properties since 2013. Visits are by reservation.

Totoro's forest is called 'Tsukamori' in the film, and fans believe the name was inspired by Shirahatazuka, the burial mound on the old Kotesashigahara battlefield in Tokorozawa. Here Nitta Yoshisada fought the first battle of the campaign that would topple the Kamakura shogunate in 1333. The tree-lined path evokes the scene where Mei chases Totoro, with an extra layer of legend.

The film's 'Inarimae' bus stop — where Satsuki lends her father's umbrella to Totoro and the Catbus first appears — is thought to take its name from the real Inarichō stop in Tokorozawa. The real stop looks very different from the film's (a rice field behind it instead of forest), but fans come with an umbrella to recreate the scene.

Mitsumine Shrine — The Sacred Wolf Guardians