Short answers, pulled from the story.
Seichi junrei combines 'seichi' (sacred site) and 'junrei' (pilgrimage) to name a form of pop-culture tourism. Fans travel to real-world locations that appear in their favorite anime, manga, games, or drama. The term borrows the vocabulary of Buddhist and Shinto pilgrimage while marking fan behavior as secular and distinct.
Heidi, Girl of the Alps, which aired in 1974, is the earliest recognized example of anime inspiring location tourism. The series depicted Maienfeld in Switzerland and prompted Japanese fans to travel abroad. Early domestic Japanese examples, including Ashita no Joe and Urusei Yatsura, followed.
Lucky Star, which aired in 2007, is credited with triggering the modern internet-powered boom in seichi junrei. The series depicted Washinomiya Shrine in what is now Kuki, Saitama. Hatsumōde visitor numbers there rose from 90,000 in 2006 to 470,000 in 2008.
A 2016 report by Juroku Research Institute estimated that anime tourism from three series set in Gifu brought 1.3 million visitors and contributed 25.3 billion yen to Gifu's economy. A life-size Gundam installed in Odaiba, Tokyo in 2009 drew an estimated 4 million visitors within 52 days of opening.
Seichi junrei has led to trespassing, vandalism, and overtourism at several locations. After The First Slam Dunk was released, crowds at a rail crossing on the Enoshima Electric Railway in Kamakura blocked car traffic. The Kamakura Police Station received upwards of 100 reports concerning the crossing in 2023.
The Anime Tourism Association was formed in 2016 by KADOKAWA, JTB, Japan Airlines, and other organizations. On the 26th of August 2017, it published its first annual list of 88 Japanese anime holy places to visit. The number 88 refers to the 88 Buddhist temples on Kūkai's Shikoku Junrei pilgrimage circuit.