Visiting Japan in 2025 means you can do more than just watch your favourite shows: you can walk straight into them. From neon-lit crossings to quiet riversides, this guide distills the year’s essential anime pilgrimage spots and shows you exactly how to experience them with respect, while enjoying them to the full.
Why 2025 Is the Year of Anime Pilgrimages
From classics like Sailor Moon and global hits like Your Name to newer shows with fresh seasons out this year like Oshi no Ko and Jujutsu Kaisen, new pop-ups, special manhole covers and multilingual signboards are springing up to celebrate all facets of Japan’s rich heritage of animation. Helpfully, rail passes have expanded, making multi-city trips cheaper than ever. In short, 2025 offers the greatest opportunities to indulge in nostalgia and novelty to date.
Tokyo: Screen Scenes on Your Doorstep
Even if you only have a few days in Tokyo, you can experience multiple titles at once by touring locations that are clustered together in our beloved capital. Check out these popular spots and jump into the anime world!
Shibuya Crossing – Jujutsu Kaisen
The “Shibuya Incident” arc of Jujutsu Kaisen has forever linked the world’s busiest scramble with the world of sorcery. Fifteen photo angles have been marked on the pavement, and you can follow them at dusk when the LED façades mimic the anime’s lighting to feel like you’re in the show.
Shimokitazawa’s Shelter & Village Vanguard – Bocchi the Rock!
The setting of indie-rock anime Bocchi the Rock! is based on the neighborhood of Shimokitazawa. At its centre is Shelter, a small live house that still hosts rock concerts every night. Just outside, under the Odakyu railway tracks, tiny shops sell used vinyl records and band T-shirts, recreating the anime’s underground vibe. Free poster flyers for the real-world “Kessoku Band” EP are often stacked by the ticket window, and areeasy souvenirs to slip into your backpack.
Suga Shrine Steps, Yotsuya – Your Name
One of the most popular anime of the last decade, it has even managed to make an abscure staircase famous. Arrive 30 minutes before sunset for the same honey-gold palette Your Name was inspired. Weekday evenings remain the quietest; tripods are discouraged to keep the narrow lane clear.
Azabu Hikawa Shrine – Sailor Moon
New Sailor Moon-themed manhole covers now guide you from Exit 7 of Azabu-Juban Station straight to the torii gate of this shrine, open from 6:00 to 19:00. Inside, the courtyard and stone steps match anime scenes of Rei Hino’s home almost exactly, and a small glass case displays fan-donated charms shaped like the transformation brooches of the senshi. Please keep your voice down, don’t use selfie-sticks during rituals, and avoid cosplay: this is still a holy site where priests conduct purification rites.
Ebisu and Akasaka Backstreets – Oshi no Ko
Season 2 teasers of Oshi no Ko have reignited interest in two key spots: the Ebisu Meidi-ya supermarket, where standing by the entrance lets you recreate Ai’s iconic umbrella walk, and Akasaka’s red-brick talent offices, whose narrow side streets inspired the production-company scenes. On autumn weekends (September–November 2025), nearby pop-up cafés serve Oshi no Ko themed desserts, so expect queues and book online if possible.
Kanagawa: Coastal Classics
Sea breeze and 1990s nostalgia lie just an hour south of Shinjuku.
Kamakurakokomae Station Crossing – Slam Dunk
This small seaside stop on the Enoden Line sits between Kamakura and Fujisawa. The famous level-crossing is only 30 seconds from the station exit: just face the ocean and you’ll see the exact angle used in the anime’s opening. Waves, the curved coast, and passing green-and-cream trains create an almost identical backdrop. A multilingual signboard (installed April 2025) marks the safe photo zone. Make sure to stand behind the yellow line, because trains pass every 12 minutes without slowing down.
Enoshima Island – Bonus Settings
Panoramic viewpoints echo scenes from Tsurune and Tokyo Revengers. Pair the island walk with Kamakura temples for a balanced day trip.
Real Life Anime Places in Kansai
These places are less crowded, but fans will still recognise them!
Uji and Obaku Stations, Kyoto – Sound! Euphonium
Uji Station’s modest building, complete with teal roof tiles and clock tower, mirrors the anime’s concert-practice meet-ups. From there, it’s a five minute walk to the Uji Bridge, whose balustrades and river vistas form the series’ reflective sunset shots. Two stops south, Obaku Station features the same simple island platform and wooden shelter seen when characters are commuting, nd even the nearby verdant bamboo grove matches Kyoto Animation’s background art. Tourist maps (free at Uji Tourist Office) link these spots in a 2 km loop, and if youcollect stamps, you can receive a commemorative postcard.
Nishinomiya, Hyōgo – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
Nishinomiya Kita High School sits on a low hill ten minutes from Hankyu Kōen-Toshi Station, and is the inspiration for the setting of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, a high-school sci-fi comedy about an eccentric girl with incredible powers, viewed through her classmate’s eyes. A brick slope guides you to a cream, three-storey building with blue frames, virtually identical to the anime’s school exterior, while a cherry tree-lined path by a narrow canal evokes the after-school meetup scenes. Remember to keep your voices down, as it is a functioning school, and classes run on weekdays.
Sendai: Haikyu!! Takes Flight
In Sendai’s Tomizawa district, colorful volleyball manhole covers lead you on a 15-minute walk from Tomizawa Station to Kamei Arena, a glass-fronted sports hall that mirrors match shots from the series. Haikyu!! follows a determined, undersized spiker and his high-school team as they chase national volleyball glory. Inside the entrance, a bronze statue of two players mid-spike — unveiled in May 2025 — celebrates Hinata and Kageyama as Sendai’s “Sports Ambassadors.”
Plan Your 2025 Pilgrimage
Rail and Passes
The JR Greater Tokyo Pass (¥10,000 for3 days, as of July 2025) now covers Enoden and parts of the Keihan line, trimming costs between Shibuya, Kamakura and Kyoto. Always confirm the latest validity zones at ticket counters.
Etiquette Essentials
- Ask before filming inside shops.
- Avoid blocking crossings: snap, step aside, repeat.
- Shrines request modest dress, and group cosplay shoots will need prior permission.
Upcoming Seasonal Pop-Ups
- Oshi no Ko pop-up café, Akasaka (September to November 2025).
- Jujutsu Kaisen exhibition, Shibuya Hikarie (December 2025 toFebruary 2026). Advance online tickets sell out within days.
From Screen Dreams to Real-World Memories
Whether you chase sorcerers in Shibuya or brass-band echoes in Uji, Japan’s 2025 anime locations transform passive viewing into active discovery. Pack your curiosity, patience, and most of all your respect. Each stop will reward you with the uncanny thrill of stepping directly into your favourite frame.
