Anime has had a huge influence on pop culture, and over time, more people have come to understand what the medium is about, going so far as to recognize mainstream shows like My Hero Academia or Attack on Titan. For anime fans, this effect has only become more pronounced, resulting in many fans becoming dedicated enough to visit some of the locations seen in their favorite shows.

Japan dubs this act a "seichijunrei" or "anime pilgrimage," and it refers to fans going out of their way to visit unexpected locations in Japan that were featured in their favorite anime. Japan's tourism industry has benefited greatly from this, with around 32 million tourists visiting the nation in 2019 for this very reason.

10 Zombie Land Saga Refuses To Let People Forget About Saga

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Zombie Land Saga pays heavy tribute to the Saga prefecture. Locales like the girls' mansion and Arpino stage from the Season 1 finale are based on real Saga landmarks. The mansion pays homage to the Karatsu City History and Folklore Museum and has seen over 1000 new visitors since the anime began. Drive-in Tori was the site of a commercial in one episode, and the equivalent restaurant in Saga has subsequently enjoyed a massive increase in popularity thanks to anime tourists.

9 Your Name Turned Seemingly Mundane Places Into Landmarks

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Makoto Shinkai's mega-hit, Your Name, is set in a fictional town called Itomori, believed to be modeled after Hida City in Gifu Prefecture. Hida is home to a small rural bus stop that has received an outpouring of new visitors since the movie was released. Hida's government launched tie-ins to attract anime fans to the area, including reinstalling an old sign at that bus stop to make it more closely resemble how it looks in the film. From August 2016 to July 2018, approximately 130,000 tourists had come to visit this once unknown landmark.

8 Girls Und Panzer Improved The Image Of Oarai

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Girls und Panzer sets its fictional tank battles in the town of Oarai, in Ibaraki Prefecture. Oarai has held an annual Anglerfish Festival ever since 1998 and frequently receives crowds of around 50,000 people. But, ever since it began collaborating with Girls und Panzer in 2012, that number grew to 65,000 and later over 100,000 visitors.

The anime even won a prize for improving Ibaraki prefecture's image in 2013. Oarai had an estimated population of 17,000 people at the time, which speaks volumes about the influence that Girls und Panzer had on it.

7 Hanasaku Iroha Saved The Town It Was Based On

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Yuwaku Hot Spring in Kanasawa, Ishikawa, saw a huge boost in attention after Hanasaku Iroha aired. The characters in the anime work at an inn inspired by the inns in this region, and months after the anime finished, every hotel in the area became fully booked. Yuwaku Cider, seen in the ending sequence, saw increased sales, and the fictional Bonbori festival from the anime was even recreated by the locals and has taken place every year since 2011. An official "Yuwaki Onsen Recovery Campaign" also encouraged fans to donate to the town in return for Hanasaku Iroha goods.

6 K-ON! Changed The Fate Of A School Building

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K-ON!'s success directly impacted the tiny town of Toyosato. The former Toyosato Elementary School inspired the school seen in K-ON!, and it was reconstructed to match the club room from the anime, complete with tea sets and guitars. A group called Toyosato Tea Time holds annual events to celebrate the birthdays of each character, posters of the girls can be seen around town, and the Japanese government even declared the school a "Tangible Cultural Property," thus giving it rights and value to Japan.

5 Love Live! Is A Way Of Life For Some

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Various anime in the Love Live! series follow groups of young girls on their journeys to become idol groups. Love Live! Sunshine!! is responsible for increasing tourism to the seaside town of Numazu, in the Shizuoka prefecture, by about 570,000 people year-over-year from 2016 to 2017.

Major Shuichi Yorishige decided to spend 136 million yen on Love Live! Sunshine!! themed promotional campaigns for Numazu, including organizing official events in collaboration with Studio Sunrise. That also involved merchandise, discounts for tourists, and even creating 1600 posters of Chika Takami to promote the Kano River fireworks festival.

4 Rascal Does Not Dream Of Bunny Girl Senpai Has An Anime Tour

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Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai is set in Fujisawa city, Kanagawa prefecture. After the anime was released, the region has seen explosive popularity, and a company known as Otomo Inc. now offers official tours to locations from the show. In association with the Anime Tourism Association of Japan and Kadokawa, fans can visit spots like Fujisawa station where Mai Sakurajima stored her bunny girl outfit or the Shichirigahama coastline that was the scene of many emotional moments from the story.

3 Yuru Camp Made Fans Go Camping In Yamanashi Prefecture

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Yuru Camp demonstrates the natural beauty of the Yamanashi prefecture like no other anime, and the effect on tourism was significant. Koan Campground, the site of Rin Shima's first trip, received triple the number of visitors while the anime was airing, and a similar story occurred at the Suimeiso Campsite in Ichikawamisato. An official Yuru Camp tour lets fans camp at Matotsu High School, as seen in the anime, and enjoy a talk show from Yuru Camp voice actors Sayuri Hara and Itou Shizuka, who played Oogaki Chiaki and Toba Minami respectively.

2 Detective Conan Made A Certain Town Famous

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Gosho Aoyama, the author of Detective Conan, hails from Hokueicho town in the Tottori prefecture, which has now been dubbed "the town where you can meet Detective Conan." Detective Conan's artwork is spread across the town and train station, and the popular Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory exists as a celebration of the series.

Fans can check out original manga drafts, try out the inventions of Hiroshi Agasa, buy souvenirs, and enjoy nearby recreations of locations like Porlo coffee cafe, and Conan's house bakery.

1 Hyouka Was Based On Its Author's Hometown

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Yonezawa Honobu wrote Hyouka and set it in his hometown of Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, where he attended Kamiyama Senior High School. The characters solve mysteries at that very same school and the city has since produced over 100,000 copies of a "pilgrimage map" for fans of Hyouka to visit locations like Yayoihashi Bridge or Miyagawa Morning Market Street, which were both visible in the opening episode of the series. In Takayama's Marutto Plaza, there's even a shop dedicated to selling merchandise of the franchise.

NEXT: 10 Anime You Never Knew Were Actually Inspired By Real Life Events