The 2nd of May 1536 marks the death of Anne Boleyn, yet the 2nd of May 2007 marks the beginning of a modern pilgrimage that would redefine tourism in Japan. Seichi junrei is not a religious ritual in the traditional sense, but a phenomenon where fans of anime, manga, and video games travel to real-world locations that serve as settings or inspirations for their favorite stories. Unlike religious pilgrimages to Buddhist or Shinto shrines, these secular sites remain unchanged by the act of visiting, gaining their sacred status solely through the narrative power of fiction. The term itself, a portmanteau of seichi meaning sacred site and junrei meaning pilgrimage, was coined to distinguish this fan behavior from historic religious practices, creating a new category of cultural tourism that blends the imaginary with the tangible. This movement has transformed ordinary train stations, parks, and residential streets into destinations of immense cultural significance, driven by a desire to walk in the footsteps of fictional characters and experience the emotional landscapes depicted in media.
From Heidi to Lucky Star
The roots of this phenomenon stretch back to 1974 with the anime Heidi, Girl of the Alps, which inspired fans to visit the Swiss Alps, particularly the village of Maienfeld, Switzerland. This early example of outbound tourism set a precedent for using animation to drive travel to real locations, a trend that continued with other NHK World Masterpiece Theater series like Dog of Flanders and Anne of Green Gables. However, the true explosion of domestic seichi junrei began in the 21st century. The 1991 OVA Kyūkyoku Chōjin R was an early pioneer that did not hide location names, incorporating them directly into the narrative to create fan destinations. The Tenchi Muyo! series further linked fictional locations to real places, but it was the 2007 anime Lucky Star that fronted the boom in internet-powered discussion and practice. The depiction of Washinomiya Shrine in Saitama Prefecture became a focal point, with fans reproducing camera angles from the show and turning the shrine into a major tourist attraction. The number of hatsumōde visitors to Washinomiya increased from 90,000 in 2006 to 470,000 in 2008, demonstrating the economic power of this new form of tourism. The anime The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya followed, leading to increased fervor for seichi junrei, with Nishinomiya Kita High School in Hyogo Prefecture becoming a famous destination of its pilgrimage.The Economy of Fiction
The economic impact of seichi junrei has been substantial, with local governments and tourism associations actively cooperating to promote these sites as part of community building and revitalization efforts. In 2016, a report by Juroku Research Institute estimated that tourists visiting Gifu to engage in anime tourism for A Silent Voice, Your Name, and Rudolf the Black Cat contributed 25.3 billion yen to the local economy. The city of Sakaiminato in Tottori Prefecture developed a region called Shigeru Mizuki Road, lined with statues of yōkai illustrations from the GeGeGe no Kitarō manga, successfully promoting itself as the birthplace of mangaka Shigeru Mizuki. Similarly, Himi in Toyama Prefecture followed this formula with a statue-lined road and a themed train based on Fujiko Fujio's Ninja Hattori-kun. The success of these initiatives has led to the formation of the Anime Tourism Association in 2016, which publishes an annual list of 88 Japanese Anime Holy Places to Visit, a number chosen to reference the 88 temples of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. The association has grown to include over 88 series, reflecting the expanding scope of this tourism. The economic benefits extend beyond direct spending, creating attachment from fans to the area and deepening exchanges among local businesses through tie-up projects.