Top 12 Iconic Anime Places Inspired From Real Life

(Last Updated On: August 22, 2021)

Anime is becoming quite popular worldwide. With the lockdown caused due to Covid-19, more and more people are now introduced to anime and have acknowledged the sheer bliss in watching anime. Since Anime is originated in Japan, there are quite a lot of references in the anime world, that are inspired by the real world. Here are 13 anime places that were inspired originally from the real world.

Dōgo Onsen – Spirited Away

Spirited Away is quite popular as an anime film that made anime films worldwide popular. If it wasn’t for Studio Ghibli, anime films would no longer have been as popular as they are currently. Spirited Away is a supernatural adventure film that had a certain location, Dōgo Onsen, a popular pilgrimage site inspired by the real world. The onsen is located on the island of Shikoku in the south of Japan. You’ll find it in the city of Matsuyama. After taking some pictures, be sure to go and take a nice bath.

Ikebukuro – Durarara!

Durarara! is an underrated psychological thriller anime that everyone ignored. It is an excellent thriller series that one should give a try at least once. The Ikebukuro area of Toyo is already quite popular, and if you’re a Durarara fan, then you definitely would want to Ikebukuro. Ikebukuro is the setting for both the series and light novels, and it contains a number of real-world locations that you may visit and will undoubtedly recognize. Despite the fact that it isn’t the most precise pilgrimage location, it has a lot to exhibit and offer followers.

Radio Kaikan – Steins;Gate

An old pencil drawing of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza sitting on their horses, by Wilhelm Marstrand.

Steins;Gate is undoubtedly the best sci-fi thriller time travel anime you will ever find on the internet. While a lot of others have come closer, but no one is able to dethrone it as the best sci-fi thriller anime. The time machine crashing into Radio Kaikan in Steins;Gate is one of the most well-known anime pictures. The structure is located in Tokyo’s Akihabara neighborhood, which is a famous destination for anime lovers and visitors alike. Radio Kaikan is filled with stores selling anime merchandise and memorabilia. You’ll find anything from figures, games, CDs, cards, Blu-rays, and all sorts of other stuff.

Ogimachi Village – Higurashi: When They Cry

Higurashi may be a horror thriller anime, but the setting of the anime is quite beautiful. Higurashi has been set in a village Hinamizawa that centers around an urban legend regarding the village’s annual festival and patron god, Oyashiro. Hinamizawa has been referred from the Ogimachi Village in the Gifu prefecture. The village is beautiful and appears to be a relic from Japan’s past. It’s a must-see for anyone interested in seeing some very distinctive Japanese countryside. It’s a little off the beaten path, but that’s part of the fun!

Yotsuya – Your Name

Your Name is certainly one of the most popular and best anime movies ever made. The beautiful animation, the storyline makes the overall experience breathtaking. Your Name is known for all the beautiful sceneries present all over the anime, but the one that most stands out is the place where the two main characters, Mitsuha and Taki, finally met. They’re both standing atop a stairway with red grips if you recall that moment. The staircase of Yotsuya’s Suga Shrine influenced this particular scenario.

Kozushima – Weathering with You

Weathering with You is another superb anime movie that surely grasps the heart of the viewers. The film is about a boy named Hodaka who ran away to Tokyo and met a girl named Hina. Hina is a sunshine girl, who can make the sunshine in this rainy Tokyo. Together, they start a business of taking requests for the sunshine girl. While most of the film takes place in Tokyo, there are slight glimpses of Hodaka’s hometown. The island where his hometown is located has been referred from Kozushima is Tokyo. The calm village, the harbor, and the stunning blue waters of Kozushima are all glimpsed throughout the film, although only briefly.

Enoshima Island and Fujisawa City – Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

Bunny Girl Senpai is one of the best romantic anime you can find. It is an excellent anime if you want to indulge in the slice-of-life anime genre. The anime focuses on the syndrome, called the Adolescent Syndrome, that is pretty much deemed a myth, but Sakuta Azusawaga, having experienced it himself believes in it. The series is full of many coastal suburban sceneries that are located around Enoshima Island and Fujisawa City. Many scenes like where Sakuta threw down with the upperclassmen bullies, the wedding with Shouko, and many places in the opening of the series are pretty easy to navigate to in this small area.

Setagaya – One Punch Man

One Punch Man is an amazing action-supernatural anime that is already quite popular in the anime community. Z City, i.e. Setagaya, Tokyo, has been used as a reference for Saitama’s hometown. You can also find Saitama’s flat, which is identical to the one depicted in the anime. In front it, is the highway, where Saitama faced-off the subterraneans in his dream. The building that served as the inspiration for the anime is still standing. It lies in the Setagaya area of Tokyo, near Meiji University.

The structure and its environs are nearly identical to those in the anime.

Yokohama – Bungou Stray Dogs

Bungou Stray Dogs is an clear underdog action-supernatural anime that focuses on the superpower society in a different way. The anime is mainly about two grous The Armed Detective Agency and The Mafia facing off against each other. Bungo Stray Dogs majorly happens in Yokohama. A historic tavern in Ginza, Tokyo, known as the authentic Bar Lupin, is one of the few locations in Tokyo. The anime is historically true, and the anime’s real-life equivalents were regulars at this pub. Bungo Stray Dogs is set in Yokohama, which is about a half-hour south of Tokyo.

Tokyo – Tokyo Ghoul

Just like the title suggests, Tokyo Ghoul takes place in Tokyo, hence a lot of places are shown in the anime. Tokyo Ghoul is a horror-action anime which is an absolutely must-watch, or preferably must-read. There are a lot of real-life places in the anime that could be explored in the real life. For example, you can find the university, Rikkyo University where Ken Kaneki studied, Anteiku café is based on a café in Toshima called Museum Cafe & Diner which is just a 3-minutes-long walk from the Rikkyo University, Shibuya is the setting for The 13th Ward, that houses the CCG 13th Ward Branch Office as well as Seishin High School.

Shinjuku Gyoen – The Garden of Words

The Garden of Words in another anime movie that is very underrated. This slice-of-life movie is under 1 hour and is definitely worth a watch. In a magnificent garden, Takao Akizuki, an aspiring shoemaker, meets Yukari Yukino, a gorgeous yet mysterious woman. Takao continues to meet with Yukari throughout the rainy season, offering to create her new shoes, and the two are able to assuage the troubles lurking in their hearts simply by being with each other. The ‘magnificent garden’ that is the center of attraction of the movie is the same as the Shinjuku Gyoen Park: the National Garden and Park in Tokyo.

Iwafune Station – 5 Centimeters per Second

5 Centimeters per Second is another underdog movie that consists of three stories- Cherry Blossom focusing on Tochigi and Setagaya in Tokyo, Cosmonaut featuring Tanegashima Island in Kagoshima and 5 Centimeters per Second inspired by Tokyo. The romance drama 5 Centimeter per Second focuses on the banal and brutal reality of long-distance relationships. Takaki and Akari cling to the prospect of seeing each other again, trapped in the past and unable to establish new memories. They go through life half-heartedly, causing harm to themselves and everyone around them. There are various places that could be find both in the anime and the real life, like Iwafune Station (where Akari meets Takaki) in Tochigi, Gotokuji Station in Setagaya, Tokyo, Tanegashima Island in Kagoshima.